Behold! The Power of Bubbles

From childhood to adulthood, bubbles have never ceased to amaze me.  From the simple bubble solution to magical air-filled bubbles that gently drift and softly swirl through the air, only to pop with a soft, fizzy, POP! It’s no wonder that children find them just as exciting and memorizing as I do.  Because of the strong fascination of this age-old pastime, bubbles have become one of my favourite tools in speech and language therapy.  It’s a playful pastime that is both motivating and entertaining for children of almost any age!  I’m still discovering new and interesting ways to integrate bubbles into daily goals for the children I work with.  Here are a few of my favourite ways to incorporate bubbles into daily routines to help build strong speech and language skills:

• For the child who doesn’t use words yet:

Yes, bubbles can be used to help build important pre-language skills.  Blowing bubbles for your child can increase eye-contact.  Children who are not yet able to use words, will communicate with you in other ways.  Blow bubbles for your child.  Pause and wait for your child to look at you, signalling that they are ready for more!  Another pre-language skill is turn-taking.  Teach your child to take turns blowing bubbles.

Even though your child may not be using words yet, you can still model words for them; and with the magical bubble wand in your hand, all eyes will be on you.  Use single words and short phrases such as “More bubbles!” and “POP!”

• For the child who is learning to make requests:

Your child can practice requesting for bubbles with words: “More,” “More bubbles,” “All done.”  You can also practice requesting by using or teaching signs for More or Bubbles.  You can also teach other words such as “Help” by tightening the lid of the bubbles or putting the wand in a tight container or bag that they are not able to open independently. http://www.babysignlanguage.com/dictionary/b/bubbles/  Here is a great site on signs.

• For the child who is working on speech sounds:

Bubbles are great for targeting B (for Bubble, Blow, Big Bubble) and P (Pop, uP, helP, Please).  You can also target other sounds, and use bubbles as a reinforcer (for example, “We will say 5 S words and then blow 5 bubbles.”).


Bubbles can also be used to teach...blowing bubbles!  As simple as that sounds, most children aren’t born with the knowledge of how to blow bubbles.  Blowing bubbles involves many different skills such as knowledge of cause and effect, the ability to imitate actions, and proper breath support, just to name a few!  The important key in using bubbles effectively to help build speech and language skills is to be interactive with your child, and keep control of the bubbles.  And of course, remember to have fun!

---