"Puffing on objects strengthens oral-motor skills and also teaches valuable lessons about how things move"
My daughter has a very strong oral need. She will chew anything she can put in her mouth, still uses a pacifier (although we are slowly taking that away), has a special chewie tube she uses as well as a vibrating teething toy. Often times there will be certain things she craves to eat because she likes the texture of them, and certain things she cannot eat because of the texture. When she isnt getting this need met she will resort to biting (herself or others), chewing on her hands excessively, or mouthing other items that are non-food items and may not be safe for her to put in her mouth. This game is great for helping to get that oral input in a safe and fun way!
ITEMS:
Straws (different shaped ones can make for fun and different amounts of blowing will be needed)
Masking tape
different shaped object for blowing (cotton balls, cans, paper cups, ping pong balls, blocks, lids, all different shapes and sizes)
Clear out an area and make a start and finish line using the masking tape
what your child can do (taken from pg 212-213)
Take a straw, choose an item and experiment with puffing it across the floor. Talk about them.
-Weight- heavy objects are more resistant than light objects
-Shape- cones will only move in a circle unless the wind is strong enough to lift them
-Force- brief puffs are less effective than strong, sustained blows
-Angle- blowing straight down on an object is ineffective; finding and aiming at the correct 'sweet spot' is necessary
-Direction- Blowing toward the end of a straw or popsicle stick make it spin, whereas blowing toward the center will move it forward
If one item doesnt move just choose another one (for those kids who are easily frustrated only choose items that will have a positive outcome!)
OTHER VARIATIONS
-Blow without a straw
-blow into a bowl of feathers
-use a tissue or other lightweight item and try to keep it afloat in the air, do this with a friend
-have races with objects
-build obstacle courses to blow objects through
BENEFITS OF THIS
-puffing promotes oral-motor awareness and excersises cheek and lip muscles
-Breathing deeply and sustaining long puffs benefits respiratory system
-Exploring how to puff 'just right' to get various objects going teaches about movement of objects (mechanics), spatial relationships, logic, physics, and forces that act on objects. Also strengthens motor planning and force
-Handling objects with various properties strengthens tactile discrimination, eye-hand coordination, and fine motor skills
-Friendly competition builds strong social skills
Info taken from:
The Out of Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A. pages 212-213
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