Myofunctional Exercises You Can Do in the Car

Easy Myofunctional Therapy Activities for Busy Families

If you are a parent driving from baseball practice to dance, school pickup, speech therapy, or the grocery store… welcome to the reality of modern parenting.

One of the biggest struggles families have with myofunctional therapy is not understanding the exercises — it is finding time to actually practice them consistently.

The good news?

Some of the best myofunctional therapy practice can happen in the car.

As a speech-language pathologist trained in orofacial myofunctional therapy, I tell families all the time:

Consistency matters more than perfection.

Short, frequent practice sessions help build:

• Tongue strength and coordination

• Nasal breathing habits

• Lip closure

• Oral rest posture

• Swallowing patterns

• Body awareness

• Muscle memory

And no — your child does not need to sit at a table with a mirror for every exercise.

Why Car Practice Works So Well

The car is actually a great environment for myofunctional habituation because:

• Children are relatively still

• There are fewer distractions

• Parents remember to practice during routines

• Short bursts of repetition are easier

• Practice becomes part of daily life

Myofunctional therapy is not just about exercises.
It is about creating new automatic patterns.

That means we want children practicing these skills throughout the day — not only during therapy sessions.

1. “Tongue Click and Hold”

This is one of my favorite foundational exercises for children working on tongue posture and lingual-palatal suction.

How to do it:

• Have your child make a loud tongue click

• Then “hold” the tongue suctioned to the roof of the mouth

• Lips stay together

• Teeth slightly apart

• Breathe through the nose

You can turn this into a game:

• “Who can hold it the longest?”

• “Freeze your tongue!”

• “Secret ninja tongue posture”

This exercise helps support:

• Oral rest posture

• Tongue stability

• Nasal breathing

• Swallow preparation

• Tongue coordination

2. Nose Breathing Checks

Many children with myofunctional disorders are chronic mouth breathers.

During the car ride, periodically ask:

• “Where is your tongue?”

• “Are your lips together?”

• “Can you breathe quietly through your nose?”

You can even make it fun:

• Red light = lips together check

• Stop sign = posture reset

• Traffic light challenge = quiet nasal breathing

The goal is awareness and habituation — not perfection.

3. Lip Closure Challenge

For children who rest with an open mouth posture, simple lip closure practice can help build awareness and endurance.

Try:

• Holding lips together during one song

• “Quiet lips challenge”

• Straw holds (ONLY if instructed by your therapist)

• Holding a sticky note or tissue lightly between the lips

Remember:
We are aiming for relaxed closure — not excessive tension or lip squeezing.

4. Tongue Spot Practice

Many children have never been taught where their tongue should actually rest.

The “tongue spot” is typically located just behind the upper front teeth on the palate.

In the car:

• Ask your child to find their tongue spot

• Hold it while breathing through the nose

• Practice during short intervals

You can pair this with:

• Audiobooks

• Music

• Homework rides

• Long summer shore traffic

5. “Suction Bites”

One of the exercises discussed in my myofunctional training focuses on maintaining tongue suction while opening and closing the mouth.

Try:

• Tongue suctioned to palate

• Slowly open mouth

• Slowly close mouth

• Keep the tongue attached the whole time

This targets:

• Jaw stability

• Tongue coordination

• Oral rest posture

• Swallow foundations

This one is especially great for older kids and teens.

6. Nasal Breathing During Screen Time in the Car

If your child uses an iPad or watches a movie in the car:

• Pause periodically for posture checks

• Encourage lips together

• Encourage quiet nasal breathing

• Monitor forward head posture

Open-mouth posture during screen time is incredibly common and often reinforces poor oral rest habits.

7. “Silent Car Ride” Challenge

This works surprisingly well with competitive kids.

Challenge them to:

• Keep lips together

• Maintain tongue posture

• Breathe through the nose

• Sit with calm body posture

Set a timer:

• 30 seconds

• 1 minute

• 5 minutes

• Whole car ride

You can reward consistency with stickers, points, or simple praise.

Important Reminder: Exercises Alone Are Not the Goal

One of the most important concepts in myofunctional therapy is this:

Exercises are tools.
Habituation is the goal.

Myofunctional therapy is about changing the way the muscles function throughout the day:

• During sleep

• During breathing

• During eating

• During swallowing

• During rest

That means small moments of awareness during everyday routines matter more than families realize.

Signs Your Child May Benefit From Myofunctional Therapy

You may want a myofunctional evaluation if your child:

• Mouth breathes

• Snores

• Sleeps with an open mouth

• Has tongue thrust

• Has speech sound errors

• Has difficulty chewing

• Has messy swallowing

• Demonstrates low tongue posture

• Has orthodontic concerns

• Has restless sleep

• Frequently has lips apart at rest

Myofunctional Therapy in Monmouth County, NJ

At NRC Therapy Services, I provide comprehensive orofacial myofunctional evaluations and therapy for children and adolescents throughout Monmouth County and surrounding areas.

My approach integrates:

• Oral rest posture

• Nasal breathing

• Swallowing patterns

• Airway-focused therapy

• Speech and oral motor function

• Habit retraining

• Parent coaching

• Functional carryover into daily routines

Because therapy should fit into real life — including the car ride to soccer practice.