Oral sensory activities, specific snacks and sensory tools for the mouth help kids improve focus and attention and calm the nervous system. There are so many kids (and adults) who seek oral input when they’re stressed or trying to concentrate on work.
It’s amazing how powerful oral input can be for some people. Whether there are sensory issues or healthy oral sensory systems, the mouth provides calming and organizing input for the brain.
Young children’s nervous systems are less mature than adults, so the oral sensory seekers are much more obvious. You may have come across kids who constantly suck on fingers or clothing or chew on a shirt sleeve, shirt collar, pencils, or fingernails. I see it frequently as a pediatric occupational therapist in the school setting and in homes. These kids can’t go through everyday life activities without the added oral input.
Adults can be a little more subtle (hopefully!) and opt for a daily piece of gum, chewy foods, crunchy foods, a straw on a water bottle, or maybe a pen cap.
These oral sensory activities are important to meet these oral sensory needs. They may even be necessary oral sensory seeking behaviors for some people!
Oral sensory activities help improve focus and attention and they help calm us during stressful situations. That’s why we see many young children and adults who continue to seek oral sensory input. I know I find myself reaching for crunchy snacks when I am stressed.
Can you think of what oral motor activities you tend to prefer to calm your nervous system or to wake you up when you can’t focus?
How Do Oral Sensory Activities Help Calm the Nervous System and Improve Attention and Focus?
Oral sensory behaviors are the nervous system’s natural way to self-regulate. It gives input that’s CALMING and ORGANIZING for the brain.
Babies are calmed by bottles, pacifiers, and thumbs. The pressure of the thumb on the roof of the mouth and the movement and feeling of the tongue suckling is so calming for little ones!
As babies grow, they mouth everything! The brain gains so much info as the hands and mouth explore toys.
The sensory receptors in the mouth and hands take up large amounts of space in the brain, considering their size in relation to the rest of the body. Oral input gives tons of sensory info to a large area in the brain. Especially for the size of the mouth compared to the rest of the body.
The receptors receive touch input in and around the mouth (texture, temperature.) They also receive pressure (proprioceptive) input through the jaw, tongue and roof of the mouth.
The oral sensory input is not only calming and organizing but it can be ALERTING for the brain.
Crunchy foods or cold water can quickly wake up the brain and increase alertness, focus and attention.
In addition to touch and pressure input, our mouths have taste buds. Certain tastes give additional oral sensory input that can wake up the brain, depending on the flavors.
Oral sensory activities, different textures of snacks and sensory tools help provide calming and organizing input for the brain, and they help with focusing and concentrating.
Oral Sensory Activities and Tools to Help Kids Stay Focused
The oral sensory activities listed in this post, are organized into two sections: 1) Oral Sensory Input Through Foods, Snacks and Beverages, and 2) Oral Motor Activities and Sensory Tools for the Mouth.
All of this input to the mouth provides such powerful input for the brain. The input calms and organizes the brain and nervous system, and it provides alerting input for the brain to increase focus and attention!
This is so important when you or your kiddo needs to de-stress or needs an extra boost to stay focused.
Input for the mouth and oral sensory activities are great for young children, older children, and adults!
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Oral Sensory Input Through Snacks and Beverages
A variety of foods are obviously important for proper nutrition, but they can also offer important sensory input for the mouth.
Offer these options as a sensory food break as part of meals or for snacks.
Use straws and cold drinks throughout the school day when possible and when doing homework. Some of the activity ideas also provide heavy work activities for the mouth.
- Chewy foods: dried fruits (raisins, prunes, apricots, etc), chewy granola, fig bars, fruit strips, jerky, gum (try two pieces if more input is needed!)
- Crunchy foods: dehydrated fruits or dried beans, raw veggies (carrots, beans, snap peas, pepper strips, cucumbers, radishes), pita, Naan chips, hard granola, dry cereal, nuts, seeds
- Cold food textures: ice chips, frozen fruit (or even veggies such as peas!), iced water, iced drinks, frozen yogurt, avocado, oatmeal PB energy bites, popsicles, frozen yogurt
- Straws: use silly straws for liquids to increase the effort needed when drinking
- Drink purees using a shorter straw: use thin or medium straws to drink applesauce, yogurt, smoothies, shakes
- Drinks: carbonated water, lemon water, iced water, use long squiggly straws to increase the effort!
- Add natural flavors to foods: lemon, lime, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, dried herbs, garlic, vinegar, pepper, spices as tolerated
- Hard sugar free candies, or for an occasional special treat: lollipops or intense hard candy flavors (sour, citrus, hot cinnamon)
Oral Motor Activities and Sensory Tools for the Mouth
Oral sensory and oral motor activities can be used if extra input is needed for the mouth, especially for kids who frequently chew on non-food items.
Many students use a handful of these during their sensory breaks. There are also popular chew tools listed at the bottom for children who need more accessible objects.
- Chew on straws, coffee stirrers, or rubber tubing when needing to concentrate (check out these spaghetti chewy fidgets)
- Take a break to press tongue to roof of mouth
- Use a straw to suck up letter cards for a matching game (or spell a word)
- Use a straw to suck up number card for counting or math problems
- Bite a tongue depressor or popsicle stick, hang sight words or vocab words from it to remove and study
- Move tongue around teeth (bottom inside -> outside, top outside -> inside, reverse directions!)
- Take a deep breath, seal lips together and blow cheeks out, hold; slowly release air through lips
- Make faces (pursed or fish lips, frown, big smile, surprise face)
- Massage and stretch cheeks and lips
- Harmonicas, slide whistles, string pipes or soft whistle toys (lip whistles are one of my favorites)
- Toys such as party blowouts, a floating ball toy (younger kids) or a floating blow pipe game for older children (these are also a great way to strengthen the eye muscles)
- Whistle or hum a song
- Chewable pencil toppers
- Chewy necklaces (convenient and subtle)
- For kiddos who prefer chewing on cloth or clothing textures, these Bite Bands can be for the neck or wrist and are super absorbent, washable and break-away
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These strategies, activities, and tools are proven to be effective for both children and adults!
Related Posts
Fun Glitter Art – An Oral Sensory Craft with Added Sparkle – This post shares an easy way to do a craft with kids at any point in the year, especially times when they need to calm down!
I tend to add it to holiday crafts when kids are super excited and need an extra calming activity. It’s a big hit and adds fun sparkle to any craft activity with just glitter, glue and a straw.
Calming Deep Pressure Weighted Tools and Activities that Increase Focus – Find calming proprioceptive activities for the whole body in this post.
Deep pressure input and heavy work activities have such a powerful effect on the body and nervous system. Check these out to find some simple activities and tools to have available for your children.
Sensory Diet Strategies to Help Kids Focus on Homework – Often when kids get home, they are spent and have such a hard time focusing on homework.
This post shares some tips and tricks as well as sensory strategies in every area to help a large number of kids. These tips help adults working from home or if in an office and sitting for extended periods of time.
Additional Sensory Posts
25 Brain Breaks for Kids: Improve Focus and Attention – Grab a free printable with 25 quick and easy proprioceptive exercises for kids. Use them in between learning lessons, during transitions or when outdoors.
This sensory input is so powerful for children. No matter whether they need and increase or decrease in their level of arousal, this input provides a balance to the nervous system.
Movement Activities to Enhance Learning – Another post with quick and easy activities but this one focuses on movement and balance input for the vestibular system. Kids need to move throughout their day. Especially when learning.
Best Educational Brain Break Exercises – FREE Printable – This post shares a brain break exercise sequence (with a downloadable PDF) that incorporates movement, balance, proprioception and brain gym exercises.
48 Quick and Easy Alerting Sensory Strategies to Get Kids’ Attention – This post covers seven sensory systems and ways to use them to increase alertness. Again, as stated throughout this post, these are effective for children, but also for teens and adults as well!
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For More Information
The activities shared in this post are activities and tools that can be used for those with basic sensory preferences and needs.
Please use caution with when offering some of the snack ideas or tools. Do your part with knowing what your students and children can and cannot handle. Choose items that are safe and that you know your children can handle well!
This post does not share medical advice. These activities, tools, and suggestions are to be used with responsibility and caution.
If you’re concerned about your child’s excessive oral seeking behaviors or possible sensory processing disorder or another medical condition, discuss this with your child’s pediatrician. Your doctor can refer you to the appropriate professional or to a local licensed occupational therapist that you can visit in person who addresses sensory processing disorder in an outpatient setting.
Additionally, for extremely picky eaters, you can obtain support through a feeding clinic. If you want more support online, check out Your Kids’ Table’s Everything Oral Sensory: The Total Guide. The author is another pediatric occupational therapist who explains challenges with oral behaviors and gives additional tips and tools. She also has extensive support on her site for picky eaters.
