Written by Aisha Boone, M.A., CCC-SLP
Duncan Lake Speech Therapy, LLC
As parents, it can be hard to find ways to engage your child in speech activities at home. As SLPs, we find that the most successful practice can occur during the most basic of everyday activities. Here at the office, bubbles have always been a hit!
So, here are some fun ways to incorporate bubble blowing into speech practice at home!
Reinforcing Speech Sounds:
- Encourage your child to practice speech sounds while blowing bubbles. This can help to build oral motor strength and improve their pronunciation.
- Use bubbles to target articulation skills by popping bubbles while producing targeted speech sounds.
Increasing Vocabulary:
- Ask your child to describe the bubbles as they blow them, such as “big,” “little,” “slow,” or “fast.” This can help to increase their vocabulary and descriptive language skills.
- Use bubbles to practice counting and sequencing.
Improving Turn-Taking:
- Take turns blowing bubbles, practicing turn-taking, as well as practicing social communication skills.
Building Breath Control:
- Blowing bubbles can help children learn to control their breathing and improve their respiratory strength, which is important for speech production.
- Use bubbles as a tool for relaxation and stress relief by having clients blow and watch the bubbles float away while completing breathing exercises
Encouraging Speech/Language Practice:
- Encourage your child to talk to their bubbles or have a conversation with them, practicing their speech and social interaction skills in a fun and engaging way.
- Encourage your child to practice directional language by asking them to blow bubbles in specific directions.
- Use bubbles as a tool for storytelling, such as imagining a character who is blowing bubbles.
- Use bubbles to practice descriptive language by asking them to describe the bubbles they see.
- Encourage your child to practice rhymes and songs by incorporating bubble-related lyrics.
- Encourage your child to practice conversation skills by asking questions about the bubbles they are blowing.
Sensory:
- Incorporate bubbles into a sensory activity by adding different scents or colors to the solution.
