Mouth Gym Slides Mouth Gym
Warming up our faces to sing!
Big Lion Yawn
Open your mouth REALLY WIDE!
"Roar like a happy lion!"
Why?
This helps stretch our jaw so we can sing big notes.
🦁
Tiny Mouse Kiss
🐭
Make your lips TEENY TINY!
"Pucker up like a little mouse!"
Why?
This helps our lips stay strong for small sounds.
Silly Fish Face
Suck in your cheeks and POP!
"Wiggle your lips like a fishy!"
Why?
This wakes up our cheek muscles.
🐟
Tongue Roller Coaster
👅
Can you touch your NOSE with your tongue?
"Lick the air like a lizard!"
Why?
The tongue is a muscle! We need to stretch it.
We Are Ready!
Our mouths are warm and loose.
Let's make some music!
Mouth Gym Teacher Guide Mouth Gym Guide
Lesson 1: Warming Up the Articulators
Objective
Prepare facial muscles for clear articulation through exaggerated movement.
Essential Question
How do we make sure the audience understands us?
Materials
Mouth Gym Slides, Small Handheld Mirrors, Worksheet.
1
The Hook: "The Secret Instrument"
Gather students in a circle. Ask: "Where is your instrument for singing?" Wait for them to point to their throat or mouth. Tell them that their mouth is like a Magic Box that shapes the sounds. But first, the box needs to be loose and stretchy!
2
The Mouth Gym Routine
Use the Mouth Gym Slides to lead these exercises. Encourage students to look in their mirrors during each step.
Lion Yawn
Stretch vertical. Drop the jaw as far as possible without pain. "Roar" silently.
Mouse Kiss
Stretch forward. Pucker lips tightly. Make a "mwah" sound.
Fish Face
Suck in cheeks. Wiggle the lips. Pop the cheeks out at the end.
Tongue Lizard
Stick tongue out. Try to touch nose, then chin, then each cheek.
3
Voice Testing
After the physical warm-up, try singing a simple "Hello" on a single note. First, sing it with a "stiff" face (mumbled). Then, sing it with an "active" face (exaggerated mouth). Ask students which one was easier to hear.
Teacher Tip: Mirrors are Key!
Pre-K students often don't realize what their faces are doing. Providing individual mirrors allows them to self-correct and see the physical difference between a "Lion" and a "Mouse" mouth shape.
Mouth Warmup Worksheet My Singing Face
Lesson 1: Mouth Gym
Name:
Date:
Match the Mouth!
Draw a line from the animal to the mouth shape it makes!
🦁
Lion
🐭
Mouse
🐟
Fish
Small Kiss
👄
Popped Cheeks
😙
Wide Yawn
😲
My Favorite Gym Move
Draw yourself doing your favorite mouth exercise!
Circle one:
LION MOUSE FISH TONGUE
Vowel Shapes Slides Vowel Village
Shaping our mouths for clear singing!
A E I O U
A
Ahhh!
The Big Alligator
Open your mouth tall and wide!
AH
🐊
E
Ehhh!
🐘
The Happy Elephant
Make a big, wide smile!
EH
I
Eeee!
The Teeny Insect
Show your teeth and buzz!
EE
🐜
O
Ohhh!
🦉
The Round Owl
Make your lips a perfect circle!
OH
U
Oooo!
The Tucked Unicorn
Point your lips out far!
OO
🦄
The Vowel Song
🐊 AH
➔
🐘 EH
➔
🦉 OH
Can you slide your voice from AH to EH to OH?
Vowel Hand Signs Teacher Guide Vowel Shaping Guide
Lesson 2: Shaping Vowels for Clarity
The Why
Vowels are the "heart" of singing. Most singing happens on the vowel. If the mouth shape is lazy, the sound is muffled. Hand signs provide a physical anchor for these shapes.
Teacher Goal
Help students connect the Visual (hand sign), Physical (mouth shape), and Auditory (sound).
Hand Sign & Sound Breakdown
A
"Ah" (Alligator)
Hands flat like an alligator's jaw, opening wide vertically.
🐊
E
"Eh" (Elephant)
Pull corners of the mouth out with index fingers (smile shape).
🐘
I
"Ee" (Insect)
Fingers "crawling" near the cheeks like bug legs while showing teeth.
🐜
O
"Oh" (Owl)
Make a circle with both hands in front of the mouth.
🦉
U
"Oo" (Unicorn)
One hand points forward from the forehead like a horn.
🦄
The Echo Game
Teacher makes a hand sign and a vowel sound (e.g., "Ah" with Alligator hands).
Students "echo" the sound and the hand sign back immediately.
Challenge: Teacher makes the hand sign silently. Students must make the sound that matches the sign.
Challenge 2: Teacher makes the sound silently (mouthing it). Students must show the hand sign.
Vowel Buddy Flashcards Vowel Buddy Flashcards
Color, Cut, and Sing!
Color
Cut
Ah
🐊
A
Alligator
OPEN WIDE
Eh
🐘
E
Elephant
BIG SMILE
Ee
🐜
I
Insect
SHOW TEETH
Oh
🦉
O
Owl
ROUND LIPS
Oo
🦄
U
Unicorn
TUCKED LIPS
How to play:
Pick a card! Show the hand sign and sing the vowel sound as long as you can!
Consonant Band Slides The Consonant Band
Using our lips and tongues like drumsticks!
P
T
K
S
P
The Pop!
"P-P-P-POP!"
Push your lips together and blow them open!
SNARE DRUM SOUND
🍿
T
The Tap!
🔨
"T-T-T-TAP!"
Tap your tongue tip behind your teeth!
WOODBLOCK SOUND
K
The Kick!
"K-K-K-KICK!"
Make the sound in the back of your throat!
BASS DRUM SOUND
👞
S
The Sizzle!
🐍
"S-S-S-SIZZLE!"
Blow air through your teeth like a snake!
CYMBAL SOUND
Marching Band Time!
We will march and say our sounds on EVERY STEP.
P-T-K-S! P-T-K-S!
Percussive Speech Teacher Guide Consonant Band Guide
Lesson 3: Consonants and Percussive Sounds
Why Consonants Matter
While vowels are the "sound" of singing, consonants are the "rhythm." Without strong consonants, words run together and the audience can't understand the story. We teach Pre-K students to treat these sounds as physical actions —pops, taps, and kicks.
P (The Snare)
Physical Action: Explosive Lips
Have students place their hand in front of their mouth. They should feel a "puff" of air when they say "P-P-Pop!"
T (The Woodblock)
Physical Action: Tongue Tip Tap
Ensure students aren't using their whole tongue. Just the tip! "T-T-T-Tap." Light and quick.
K (The Bass Drum)
Physical Action: Back-of-Throat Kick
The "silent" sound. Encourage a sharp, short "K-K-K-Kick." It comes from the back.
S (The Cymbal)
Physical Action: Air Stream
The "long" percussion sound. Like a snake or a sizzling pan. "S-S-S-Sizzle."
The Marching Band Game
1
Clear a space for students to march in a circle.
2
The Beat: Teacher claps a steady 4-beat pulse. Left, Right, Left, Right.
3
The Sound: On every step, the class shouts a consonant in order: "P! T! K! S!"
4
Variation: Change the speed. Go "Super Slow" (Giant steps) and "Super Fast" (Tiny running steps) while keeping the sounds sharp.
What to look for:
Are students' lips actually moving? If you see "lazy" faces, pause and ask them to "over-act" like a cartoon character. In Pre-K, exaggeration is the best way to build muscle memory.
Sound Drummer Worksheet The Sound Drummer
Lesson 3: Consonant Band
Name:
Sound Scavenger Hunt
Circle the letters that make a LOUD "drum" sound!
P
m
T
L
h
K
w
S
P
z
T
y
Trace and Pop!
Trace the letters and say the sound as you write!
🥁
P P P P
Pop your lips!
🥢
T T T T
Tap your tongue!
"We are the Mouth Musicians! Boom-Chicka-Boom!"
Rhythm and Rhyme Slides Rhythm & Rhyme
Clapping words and finding our breath!
Clap the Words!
"Every word has a heartbeat!"
APPLE 👏 👏
CAT 👏
BANANA 👏 👏 👏
🍎 🐈
Don't Break the Word!
What happens if we stop to breathe in our names?
Silly Way
SA — (gasp) — MANTHA
Good Way
SAMANTHA — (gasp)
"We breathe AFTER the word!"
The Catch Breath
🐶
Sniff the air like a puppy!
Quick, quiet, and into your tummy.
HOW TO DO IT:
Wait for the end of the line.
Sniff!
Sing the next line.
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, (SNIFF!)
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall! (SNIFF!)
Clap the words as we sing!
Phrasing and Breathing Teacher Guide Phrasing & Breathing
Lesson 4: Rhythmic Phrasing
Teaching Goal
Teach students to connect words into "sentences" and identify the appropriate places to breathe without interrupting the meaning of the words.
Key Vocabulary
Phrase: A musical sentence.
Step 1: Clapping the Beats
Before singing, we must find the rhythm. Pre-K students often clap the beat, not the words. We want them to clap every syllable.
Word Clap Pattern
Humpty Clap-Clap
Dumpty Clap-Clap
Wall Clap
Step 2: The Catch Breath
Tell students to imagine they are detectives looking for the "Stop Signs" in a song. The Stop Sign is the end of the line.
The Puppy Sniff Technique:
Demonstrate a quick, silent sniff through the nose. Have them put their hands on their tummies. Their tummy should "pop out" slightly. If their shoulders go up, they are taking a "scared breath"—encourage the "belly breath" instead.
Step 3: Putting it Together
Nursery Rhyme Phrasing Guide
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, ★ (SNIFF!)
How I wonder what you are. ★ (SNIFF!)
Up above the world so high, ★ (SNIFF!)
Like a diamond in the sky. ★ (SNIFF!)
★ = The Catch Breath Spot
Catch Breath Activity The Puppy Detective
Lesson 4: Finding the Breath
Name:
🐶
The Breath Hunt!
Sing the song. When you reach the end of a line, SNIFF! Then draw a little nose 👃 or a puff of air 💨 in the box!
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
🚣
"How many breaths did you take? Color one star for each sniff!"
Precision Singing Slides The Grand Finale
Chanting and Singing with Precision
1
Fuzzy Wuzzy
🧸
TIE THE KNOT!
"Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,"
"Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair!"
Check: Vowels Check: Consonants
2
Yellow Yo-Yo
"Yellow Yo-Yo,"
"Yellow Yo-Yo,"
"Yellow Yo-Yo!"
Keep your mouth moving!
🪀
Tempo Control
🐌
Slow
Exaggerate every shape!
🚀
Fast
Keep it light and sharp!
Super Singer Checklist
👄
Vowels
Are they tall and round?
🥁
Consonants
Are they poppy and snappy?
💨
Breaths
Are you sniffing in the gaps?
Showtime!
You are a Mouth Musician!
Final Performance Teacher Guide Performance Guide
Lesson 5: Chanting & Singing with Precision
The Culminating Task
Students will perform a short rhyme or tongue twister (e.g., "Fuzzy Wuzzy") for their peers. The goal is not perfection, but intentionality. We want to see them actively shaping their mouths and timing their breaths.
1
The Stage
Clear a small area to be the "Stage." Use a toy microphone or a simple wooden spoon as a prop. Have the audience sit on the carpet in front of the stage.
2
The Group Performance
Perform the rhyme together as a whole class first to build confidence. Use the "Snail Speed" (Slow) and then the "Pre-K Speed" (Moderate).
3
The Solo/Duet Spotlight
Invite students up in small groups (2-3) to perform. This reduces anxiety while allowing you to observe individual articulation.
Mouth Musician Checklist
👄
Active Mouth
Does the student open wide for vowels and close for consonants?
🥁
Clear Pops & Taps
Can you hear the "P", "T", "K", and "S" sounds clearly?
💨
Catch Breaths
Does the student breathe at the end of the line, not in the middle of words?
🌟
Focus & Joy
Is the student engaged and having fun with the sounds?
Giving Feedback:
"I loved how your mouth was as big as a Lion's for those 'Ah' sounds!" or "I could hear your 'T' taps all the way in the back—excellent drumming!"
Super Singer Certificate 🎶
🌟
⭐
🎵
Official Mouth Musician
Certificate of Super Singing
Awarded to:
For learning the Lion Yawn, the Mouse Kiss, snappy Consonant Drumbeats, and beautifully shaped Vowels!
My Best Singing Face:
Teacher Signature
Date
