Some speech therapy exercises to do at home

The speech-language pathologist works to rehabilitate and maintain an individual’s language skills. It uses speech therapy exercises and games. Some exercises can be done at home. Which ones? Here are some speech therapy exercises to do at home… Discover!

A little reminder about speech therapy

What is the field of intervention of speech therapy? What is the purpose of each speech therapy exercise? Let’s answer these questions first before we go any further.

What is speech therapy?

As a paramedical discipline, speech-language pathology contributes to the treatment of language disorders. It is classified as a care profession. The professional who practices this profession is a speech-language pathologist, and his or her role is to be involved in the treatment of disorders affecting language, whether spoken or written.

The speech-language pathologist also participates in the prevention and evaluation of learning disorders or difficulties.

In the field of speech therapy, professionals also intervene to maintain communication functions. The dimensions that speech therapy focuses on are: linguistic, social, psycho-affective and cognitive.

What exactly do we need to work on?

Doing speech therapy exercises at home requires a great deal of information in order to achieve the desired results. In fact, each exercise aims to work on one aspect. This may include, for example, voice, oral language or language. Other exercises help to work on vocabulary, written language and reading. Depending on the goal, you can also work on jaw motor skills and speech articulation. Without forgetting the exercises concerning the spatial-temporal location, memory, logic, etc…

You must choose your exercises according to the different aspects to work on. Fortunately, speech therapy experts offer a myriad of exercises that can be done at home. However, it is important to choose the right exercises for each patient’s needs.

6 exercises to do at home

Individuals with learning disabilities or other difficulties can seek help from a speech-language pathologist. Some exercises can be done at home. But you must act with knowledge.

• Reading exercises

These exercises are designed to boost reading skills in some patients. They can help people with learning disabilities, such as dysorthographia and dyslexia.

Use, for example, letter-based games. The parent can teach the child to recognize the different letters and create words. Then he will read each word or sentence to improve his reading. You can get cards and booklets to teach the child to read syllables.

• Exercises for writing

Knowing how to write requires good use of the fingers and the tool used for writing (the pen).

Parents can help their children with finger exercises. This one consists in making small movements with the fingers and the hands.

Indeed, there is a correlation between the brain and gestures. The child can gently massage the fingers of one hand. You can also do finger combinations, for example, learn to combine the thumb with the index, middle or little finger.

You also have games that involve moving marbles from one position to another. Here, the child will use a stylus.

Finally, you will find manuals on the market that highlight speech therapy exercises to stimulate writing. The exercises are beneficial for people with dyspraxia.

• Gymnastics to learn to articulate

Good syllable articulation requires strengthening the muscles involved in the articulation process. The tongue, the lips, the cheeks… They behave well thanks to several muscles. A few simple exercises can help strengthen them. Smiling is part of the articulation exercises. However, you must be able to perform it as required by the speech therapists. For example, you should smile so that your lips are stretched as much as possible. This smile should not show the teeth. For best results, hold it for about 30 seconds. Another variation of this articulation exercise is to make a wide smile by raising your teeth.

The speech therapist also recommends the following exercise: licking your lips as if they were covered in jam. We go from one end of the lip to the other. Start with the upper lip before touching the other.

• For breath and breathing

Speech therapists use different kinds of exercises to work on their patients’ breathing and breath. They rely on a plurality of games to achieve their goal. Here are some interesting exercises in the context of a speech therapy follow-up.

The work of the breath and breathing can be done with a bubble trumpet. You can also use the BLO Pens. Just blow into these airbrushes and create beautiful designs, as if by magic.

• Exercises to work on the voice

In the field of speech therapy, a variety of solutions are used to achieve results. These can be used at home. This is the case of the song. This is why speech therapists do not hesitate to have their patients sing. Start with simple songs that the person can perform fairly easily. This is not a music contest!

There are also books published to learn how to produce adequate sounds. The reader must learn to hear his or her own voice in order to improve pronunciation.

• With regard to mathematics

A child with dyscalculia needs exercises to improve in the discipline of mathematics.

Dyscalculia is a disorder that affects the ability to learn math. The fun exercises will allow for the manipulation of operations or calculations. Various games can help children learn about numbers. For example, parents can use game software to work on mental math.

PRACTICAL EXERCISES FOR SPECIFIC NEEDS