How Halloween Candy Helps Your Child’s Speech
After trick-or-treating, kids often have a huge pile of candy. Here are some fun ways to use sweets to boost your child's speech and feeding skills instead of just snacking. Using candy for oral motor exercises can make practicing therapy exercises fun and tasty for your child. Our dentist friends say to have your child brush their teeth after this practice. Also, all activities should be done with adult supervision! Check out the list below for easy ways you can use candy during speech therapy!
Lifesavers
Lifesavers can help strengthen the lips. String some dental floss through the hole. Then, have your child put the candy in front of their teeth and close their lips. Pull the end of the dental floss gently to create some resistance. Have your child make a circle with their lips. They can hold the lifesaver there and blow in and out for fun. After this activity, practice words with /w/ or “oo” and “oh” sounds. For example, “boo” is a fun Halloween word to use!
Bubble gum
Bubble gum is a fun way to boost jaw control. It helps with 3-dimensional chewing, and jaw strength. This can improve feeding and make speech clearer. It's a great way for kids who chew on clothes, mouth toys, or bite nails to get the oral input they need. Use a small piece of bubble gum to prevent choking.
Warheads
Warheads are sour! This flavor boosts arousal and wake up your mouth for better awareness. Put the candy in different spots inside your child's mouth. This can boost arousal and stimulation. You can also use any sour candy that your child prefers.
M&Ms
M&Ms are a treat to use when working on tongue strengthening by doing tongue push-ups! Place one M&M inside your child’s mouth at the bumpy ridge behind their front teeth. Have them lift their tongue up while holding the candy in place. Make it a game and see how many seconds they can hold this tongue push-up. Practice words where your child lifts their tongue to the same spot for the sounds /t, d, n, l/. A fun Halloween example is “trick or treat.”
Sweet Tarts
Sweet Tarts are tasty treats that help with jaw control. Biting, munching, and chewing are key skills. They help with eating and also support speech development. Encourage your child to bite the Sweet Tart and chew it into small pieces.
Chocolate Bars
Chocolate Bars Use a chocolate bar at room temperature for licking practice with your child. Encourage your child to lick the chocolate with their tongue, not their lips. See if they can lick up/down and then side/side. Put a bit of melted chocolate on the corner of your child’s lips. Then, encourage them to use their tongue to lick it off.
Gummy worms
Gummy worms You can use sour or sweet gummy worms based on your child’s preference. You can use this candy to work on biting and pulling. Encourage your child to hold the worm. They should bite down softly—just enough to keep it steady, but not enough to bite through it. and pull the piece into their mouth. Make sure your child finishes the whole piece before biting or pulling again. This jaw grading helps with the stability needed for speech production.