Oral motor therapy

Blowing exercises in Oral Motor Training (OMT)

Blowing activities help improve lip closure, breath control, oral awareness, and coordination—useful for children with speech delay, drooling, oral hypotonia, ASD, CP, and feeding difficulties.

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Goals of blowing exercises
• Strengthen lip and cheek muscles
• Improve breath control & coordination
• Enhance oral sensory awareness
• Prepare for speech sound production

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Common blowing activities (graded – easy to hard)

1. Simple blowing
• Blowing cotton balls -feathers
• Blowing tissue paper
• Blowing pinwheels

2. Bubble blowing
• Big bubbles → small bubbles
• Blowing bubbles through different sized wands

3. Straw blowing
• Blowing water to make bubbles (with straw)
• Blowing pom-poms or paper balls using straw
• Moving objects from one bowl to another

4. Whistles & horns
• Party whistles
• Toy horns -trumpets
• Musical blow toys

5. Advanced blowing
• Blowing candles (near → far)
• Blowing to keep a ball moving
• Blowing paper boats in water tray

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Therapy tips
• Encourage lip rounding and closure
• Avoid cheek puffing if not required
• Use short, controlled blows rather than forceful blowing
• Keep sessions play-based and motivating
• Always supervise (especially with straws)

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