Tongue exercises

Aim: To improve your tongue’s strength, endurance and range of movement.

This can help you to move food and drink more easily around your mouth and to clear food from your mouth after swallowing.

What you need to do:

Your therapist will tick the exercises below that you need to do. Practise them at least three times a day for six weeks.

Exercise 1 

• Stick out your tongue and push against your finger or a teaspoon.
• Hold the push for 10 seconds then release.
• Repeat 12 times.
• Do the same exercise as above but do not hold the push, do quick repetitions instead.
• Repeat 12 times.
• Do the same exercise as above but do not hold the push, do quick repetitions instead. Repeat 12 times.

Exercise 2

• Stick your tongue upwards towards your nose and push it against your finger or a teaspoon.
• Hold the upward push for 10 seconds then release.
• Repeat 12 times.
• Do the same exercise as above but do not hold the push, do quick repetitions instead. Repeat 12 times.

Exercise 3

• Stick your tongue out and down towards your chin and push against your finger or a teaspoon.
• Hold the push for 10 seconds then release.
• Repeat 12 times.
• Do the same exercise as above but do not hold the push do quick repetitions.
• Repeat 12 times.

Exercise 4

• Stick your tongue out to the left and then to the right and push against your finger or a teaspoon.
• Hold the push for 10 seconds then release.
• Repeat 12 times on each side.
• Do the same exercise as above but do not hold the push, do quick repetitions.
• Repeat 12 times on each side.
• You can also try this exercise by pushing your tongue left and right inside your mouth, pushing out one cheek and then the other.
• Repeat 12 times on each side.

Exercise 5 

• Run your tongue backwards along your palate – start just behind your teeth and run it backwards as far as possible.
• Hold it in this backward position for a few seconds.
• Repeat 12 times.
• Do the same as above but do not hold the position, do quick repetitions.
• Repeat 12 times.

If you find the exercises too difficult

Slowly build up what you can do. You can reduce the amount of time you hold the position for, you can rest in between exercises and you can reduce the number of repetitions to make it easier.

If you find the exercises too easy

You can make the exercises more difficult by doing more repetitions or by increasing the amount of resistance you are pushing against.