Straw and Bubble Games
Six playful activities for lip rounding, tongue retraction, and better breathing
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What this is
A one-page printable with six fun straw and bubble games for children — designed to strengthen the muscles used in both clear speech and nasal breathing.
What it helps with
Straws and bubbles are one of the most effective tools for building the skills that sit underneath clear speech and good breathing: lip rounding, tongue retraction, sustained exhalation, and nasal breathing in. These six games make that training feel like play.
The six games
- Pom-pom straw race — suck and carry pom-poms on the end of a straw, moving them from bowl to bowl.
- Giant bubble — slowly blow one giant bubble — how big can you get?
- Dancing bubble — blow a bubble, catch it on the wand, and blow it gently to keep it floating.
- Concertina caterpillars — line up and race to blow paper caterpillars across the table.
- Bubble volcano — washing-up liquid, water, a bottle and a straw (search “bubble volcano” on YouTube for the setup).
- Fun straws — any shaped or novelty straw — remember the straw sits ON the lips, not IN the mouth.
The golden rule
Before every blow: breathe IN through the nose, then long breathe OUT through pursed lips. The straw sits only at the tip of the lips, never inside them.
When to seek support
If your child mouth-breathes at rest, snores, or struggles to keep their lips together without effort, straw and bubble play is a great first step but may not be enough on its own. A myofunctional or Buteyko assessment can identify what’s underneath it.