The tongue is one of those structures derived from the pharyngeal apparatus. Towards the end of the fourth gestational week, the mesenchyme of the ventromedial aspect of the first pharyngeal arches begins to proliferate in the floor of the primitive pharynx to form the median lingual swelling (tuberculum impar). This triangular protuberance is located cranial to the foramen cecum (opening of the thyroglossal duct) and is later joined by the two distal tongue buds ( lateral lingual swellings). The lateral lingual swellings are oval enlargements arising on either side of the median lingual swelling. The rate of growth of the lateral lingual swellings exceeds that of the median lingual swelling. All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Teaching children to clap out words into individualsyllables can really help their speech but is also really useful for spelling too.

Why do I need these exercises?

An awareness of the sounds and movements involved in spoken language will help a child telescope sounds and segment words; necessary skills for reading. Rest top teeth on bottom lip and blow gently for /f/. Use the same mouth placement for /v/; voiced. Put the tongue between the teeth /th/.

Under normal circumstances, the tongue is a pink, muscular organ located within the oral cavity proper. It is kept moist by the products of the major and minor salivary glands, which aids the organ as it facilitates deglutition, speech, and gustatory perception. While there is significant variability in the length of the tongue among individuals, on average, the organ is roughly 10 cm long. It has three main parts: Salt, H., Claessen, M., Johnston, T., & Smart, S. (2020). Speech production in young children with tongue-tie. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 134, 110035. Are you surprised by how much there is to learn about the tongue? Be sure to remember the importance of active recall when learning this topic! Foliate papillae appear as bilaterally paired, parallel, longitudinal slits on the posterolateral margin of the tongue, near the sulcus terminalis. The mucosa is non-keratinized and the papillae are populated with numerous taste buds. When a child with a speech delay has to pronounce a big word like, ‘telephone’, he might say ‘tephone’. Additions

To improve tongue strength, we encourage the child to give his tongue full movement throughout his mouth. For this, you can try these exercises: Mr Tongue has an engine in his throat that he can turn on and off. The sounds change from quiet to noisy when he switches his engine on. - p/b, t/d, k/g, s/z With the guidance of a speech therapist, children who have undergone tongue-tie correction can optimize their speech abilities and achieve clearer speech. Generally, if your child has had or is having difficulty with feeding due to their tongue-tie, then intervention to release the tie would be advised. Your health visitor or GP will be able to guide you with this.