Here's the truth about tongue exercises: kids will only do them if they're fun. The second it feels like homework, the battle begins. The good news? The most effective myofunctional exercises also happen to be the silliest — and that's not an accident.
Each exercise below targets real tongue, lip, and jaw muscles. They're based on myofunctional therapy principles and used by speech-language pathologists worldwide. They also happen to make children (and parents) look completely ridiculous. That's the point.
⏱️ How to use this list: Pick 3–5 exercises per session. Aim for 5–10 minutes daily. Do them together — parents who practice alongside their kids see dramatically better compliance.
The 10 Exercises
1 The Horse Trot 🐎
Click your tongue against the roof of your mouth as fast as you can — like a galloping horse. Try to keep a steady rhythm. Go slow, then faster, then as fast as possible.
Reps: 20 clicks × 3 rounds
Works: Tongue elevation strength and speed. A core exercise for tongue thrust correction.
2 The Suction Cup 🧲
Flatten your entire tongue against the roof of your mouth like a suction cup, then open your mouth as wide as possible while keeping the tongue stuck up. Release with a pop!
Reps: 10 pops
Works: Tongue body elevation and palatal rest posture. Kids love the dramatic pop sound.
3 The Lizard 🦎
Stick your tongue out as far as it will go — straight down, toward your chin. Hold for 3 seconds. Then quickly pull it back in. Repeat.
Reps: 10 times
Works: Tongue tip strength and range of motion. Very silly, very effective.
4 The Snake 🐍
Point your tongue as narrow and sharp as possible — like a snake's tongue. Then make it as wide and flat as a spatula. Alternate between thin and wide 10 times.
Reps: 10 alternations
Works: Lateral tongue muscle control — crucial for clear /s/, /l/, and /r/ sounds.
5 The Ice Cream Lick 🍦
Pretend you have a giant ice cream cone. Lick from chin to nose tip in one slow, exaggerated motion. Go up, then down. Make it dramatic.
Reps: 10 licks each direction
Works: Full tongue range of motion and upward tongue movement. Bonus: it's almost impossible to do without laughing.
6 Tongue Circles 🔄
Run your tongue slowly around the outside of your teeth — a full circle, top and bottom, inside your lips. Go clockwise 5 times, then counter-clockwise 5 times.
Reps: 5 circles each direction
Works: Tongue body strength and coordination. Also helps with jaw awareness and lip-tongue coordination.
7 The Resistance Push 💪
Press the tip of your tongue firmly against the inside of your cheek. Use a finger from the outside to gently push back. Hold the resistance for 3 seconds each side.
Reps: 5 each cheek
Works: Lateral tongue strength. Resistance training for the tongue tip — the same principle as weightlifting, but much sillier.
8 The Raspberry 💨
Put lips together and blow a long, dramatic raspberry. The louder and wetter, the better (do this over a sink). Hold lip contact while blowing for at least 3 seconds.
Reps: 10 raspberries
Works: Lip seal strength and pressure. Weak lip seal is a major contributor to mouth breathing and tongue thrust.
9 The Elevator 🛗
Open your mouth wide. Move the tongue slowly up to the roof of the mouth (top floor), pause, then slowly down to the bottom of the mouth (bottom floor). Say "going up!" and "going down!" each time.
Reps: 10 floors up and down
Works: Vertical tongue range of motion and awareness of tongue resting position. The narration makes kids stay engaged.
10 The Smile & Hold 😄
Smile as wide as possible — really stretch those lips. Hold for 5 seconds. Then pucker into the tightest "fish lips" you can. Hold for 5 seconds. Alternate.
Reps: 10 alternations
Works: Full lip strength and mobility from both ends of the range. Great for articulation and facial muscle tone.
Making It Stick
The research on home exercise compliance is clear: children who practice daily see results. Children who practice "sometimes" often don't. The key is making the 5-minute session feel like something to look forward to — not something to get through.
- Stack it on an existing habit. After brushing teeth, before breakfast, during the car ride to school. Attach exercises to something that already happens every day.
- Compete. Who can make the loudest raspberry? Who can hold the suction cup longest? Friendly competition between parent and child is extraordinarily effective.
- Track streaks. A simple sticker chart on the fridge works. Or use an app that does it automatically.
- Don't correct constantly. One gentle redirection per session is fine. Too much correction kills the fun — and kids shut down.
🐸 Did you know? Grimasso turns all of these exercises (and 90 more) into a game where kids earn points, collect badges, and level up a frog character. Parents report their kids actually ask to do their tongue exercises. It's free on iPhone and iPad.
Turn These into a Daily Game 🎮
Grimasso includes all these exercises — plus camera feedback, badges, and a frog that celebrates every session. Free on iPhone & iPad.
Download Free on App Store