Megan van der Merwe Speech and Language Therapists

04/03/2026

CLEAR TALKING STARTS WITH THE MOUTH.

If a child's mouth is weak, tight or poorly coordinated, they may find it challenging to produce speech sounds correctly. It is important that we support how the mouth moves during rest and during play in order to prepare the mouth so that speech can develop more easily

What does a mouth at rest look like?
• Lips gently closed
• Tongue resting up on the palate
• Teeth slightly apart
• Breathing through the nose

🚩 Red Flags to watch for:
• Snoring (not only when sick)
• Open-mouth sleeping
• Daytime mouth breathing
• Drooling past toddler years
• Unclear speech

⏱️ A Gentle 5-Minute home routine that can be done twice a day.

😜 Tongue at rest
• Ask your child to smile
• Place the tongue tip on the “bumpy spot” behind the top teeth
• Lips closed and teeth relaxed
• Hold for 5 to 10 seconds
• Repeat 3 times

🤐 Lips closed for nose breathing
• Lips gently closed
• Breathe in through the nose
• Slow breathing out through the nose
• Repeat 3–5 slow breaths

🎈Cheek strength
• Puff cheeks like a balloon
• Hold for 3 seconds
• Let the air out slowly
• Repeat 3 times

💦 Swallow awareness
• Take a small sip of water
• Tongue stays up, lips closed
• Swallow slowly
• Repeat 3 times

Save, share or comment "MOUTH" for more exercises to try at home.

02/03/2026

WHY ASKING FEWER QUESTIONS HELPS YOUNG CHILDREN TALK MORE?

Young children, especially late talkers or children with language delays process language much more slowly than adults. That’s why children learn language best when the words they hear are simple, short, and repeated, making it easier for their brains to link words to meaning.

When we constantly ask:
“What is this?”
“What colour is that?”
“What is the car doing?”
“Say car”

We unintentionally increase a child’s cognitive and emotional load beyond what their developing brain can manage. When the load becomes too high, it can:

~reduce learning
~reduce language use
~increase frustration
~affect emotional regulation

What we can do instead is use a simple play-based language strategy often used in speech therapy. It’s easy to use at home and requires no special toys.

Step 1️⃣: Follow your child’s lead Let your child choose the toy or activity. This increases attention, motivation, and engagement.

Step 2️⃣: Comment (don’t ask). Use one word per turn that matches what your child is doing. Instead of asking questions, model language. This lowers pressure and strengthens word learning. For example:

“Car”
“Go”
“Stop”
“Fast”
“Crash”
“Again”

Step 3️⃣: Pause. Pause after each word. Pausing gives your child time to process the lamguage and it invites turn-taking and reduces pressure.

Your child’s response might be:
~eye contact
~pointing
~gestures
~sounds
~words

✨ All of these are communication.

If your child is not talking yet, that’s okay Language development follows this order:

1️⃣ Attention & engagement
2️⃣ Understanding
3️⃣ Gestures & sounds
4️⃣ Words

Words come after understanding and interaction.

If your child uses single words, try expanding on those words. Research shows that expansion supports vocabulary growth and longer expressive sentences more effectively than prompting.

Example:
Child: “Car”
Adult: “Red car”
Adult: “Fast car”
Adult: “Go car”

You’re adding just one more piece without any pressure.

Key Takeaway
You don’t need special toys.
You don’t need worksheets.

Simple play creates powerful language opportunities.

27/02/2026

Early intervention is key.

26/02/2026

Thursday we are ready for you 😁💚

25/02/2026

💚

17/02/2026

Hello, belated 2026 👋

If you are new here, welcome. If you have been here for a while, thank you for staying and for your support.

I am Megan, better known as "Teacher Megan", a Speech Therapist who believes in growing towards communication. For me, speech therapy is about learning through play, patience and progress. Sometimes it is also about slowing down enough to really listen to children, to parents and most importantly to myself. Every child's communication journey looks different and every step forward matters.

I believe the best progress happens when children feel safe, seen and supported.

When we start simply.
When we follow their lead.
When we celebrate the small wins.
When we do it as a team.

So let's start here...

👉What is one word you would use to describe your child's communication journey right now?

Comment below 🤗

07/08/2025

Coming tomorrow 😁

Free Afrikaans /l/ worksheet.

Comment with your email and share 🤗.

20/06/2025

Today is a good day 😁

01/12/2024

It has been a busy weekend 📚🤗

09/10/2024

This is absolutely beautiful.

08/10/2024

Set your alarms ⏰.

Let them hear you. Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, ...

26/09/2024

WHERE IS YOUR TONGUE RIGHT NOW?

Low in the mouth 👎?

or

Suctioned up 👍?