15 Speech Exercises for Adults at Home

Whether you're recovering from a stroke, managing a voice disorder, or working to improve speech clarity, regular practice of targeted exercises can make a significant difference. These speech therapy exercises, designed by speech-language pathologists, can be safely practiced at home to supplement professional therapy or maintain progress between sessions.

Getting Started: Essential Preparation

Before You Begin

Creating the right environment and mindset for practice is crucial for success. Find a quiet, comfortable space where you won't be interrupted. Have a mirror available for visual feedback, and consider using your phone to record yourself for progress tracking.

Important Safety Notes:

• Start slowly and gradually increase intensity
• Stop if you experience pain or significant discomfort
• Stay hydrated during practice sessions
• Consult your SLP or doctor if you have specific medical conditions

Part 1: Breathing and Voice Exercises

Exercise 1: Diaphragmatic Breathing

Proper breathing is the foundation of clear speech and strong voice production.

How to Practice:

1. Lie on your back with one hand on your chest, one on your belly
2. Breathe in slowly through your nose, feeling your belly rise (not your chest)
3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, feeling your belly fall
4. Practice for 5 minutes, focusing on smooth, controlled breathing

Target: Improves breath support for speech and reduces vocal strain

Exercise 2: Sustained Vowel Sounds

This exercise strengthens vocal cords and improves voice quality.

How to Practice:

1. Take a deep breath using diaphragmatic breathing
2. Say "Ahhhh" at a comfortable pitch and volume
3. Hold the sound as long as possible with steady volume
4. Repeat with other vowels: "Eeeee," "Iiiii," "Ooooo," "Uuuuu"
5. Track your time and try to gradually increase duration

Target: Builds vocal endurance and improves voice consistency

Exercise 3: Pitch Glides

Pitch glides help improve vocal flexibility and control.

How to Practice:

1. Start with a comfortable "Mmmmm" sound
2. Slowly glide from your lowest comfortable pitch to your highest
3. Then glide back down smoothly
4. Imagine riding a vocal rollercoaster
5. Repeat 5-10 times

Target: Increases vocal range and reduces monotone speech

Part 2: Oral Motor Exercises

Exercise 4: Lip Strengthening

Strong lip muscles are essential for clear articulation of many sounds.

How to Practice:

1. Pucker your lips tightly (like kissing)
2. Hold for 5 seconds
3. Stretch lips wide (big smile)
4. Hold for 5 seconds
5. Repeat 10 times

Variation: Hold a tongue depressor or popsicle stick between your lips (horizontally) for 30 seconds

Target: Improves production of P, B, M, W sounds

Exercise 5: Tongue Strengthening

The tongue is crucial for most speech sounds and needs strength and coordination.

How to Practice:

1. Push tongue tip against the roof of your mouth behind front teeth
2. Hold firmly for 5 seconds
3. Push tongue against right cheek, hold 5 seconds
4. Push tongue against left cheek, hold 5 seconds
5. Stick tongue out straight, hold 5 seconds
6. Complete 3 sets

Target: Improves articulation of T, D, N, L, S, Z sounds

Exercise 6: Jaw Stretches

Jaw flexibility helps with clear speech and prevents tension.

How to Practice:

1. Open mouth as wide as comfortable
2. Hold for 10 seconds
3. Move jaw slowly to the right, hold 5 seconds
4. Move jaw slowly to the left, hold 5 seconds
5. Make slow circular motions with jaw (5 each direction)

Target: Reduces jaw tension and improves overall articulation

Part 3: Articulation Exercises

Exercise 7: Minimal Pairs Practice

Minimal pairs are words that differ by only one sound, helping train precise articulation.

How to Practice:

1. Practice these pairs slowly and clearly:
   • Pat / Bat
   • Sip / Ship
   • Rock / Lock
   • Fan / Van
2. Say each word 5 times, focusing on the different beginning sound
3. Use in sentences: "I see a PAT" vs "I see a BAT"

Target: Improves discrimination and production of similar sounds

Exercise 8: Tongue Twisters

Tongue twisters challenge articulation precision and coordination.

Start Slow, Build Speed:

1. "Red leather, yellow leather" (5 times)
2. "Unique New York" (5 times)
3. "The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue" (5 times)
4. "Eleven benevolent elephants" (3 times)

Target: Improves articulation speed and accuracy

Exercise 9: Over-Articulation Practice

Exaggerating mouth movements helps build muscle memory for clear speech.

How to Practice:

1. Choose a paragraph from a book or magazine
2. Read aloud, exaggerating every mouth movement
3. Open mouth wide for vowels
4. Make crisp consonants with strong contact
5. Practice for 5 minutes daily

Target: Builds muscle memory for clearer everyday speech

Part 4: Resonance and Voice Quality

Exercise 10: Humming Scales

Humming promotes healthy vocal resonance and reduces strain.

How to Practice:

1. Hum a comfortable note with lips closed
2. Feel vibrations in your face and chest
3. Hum up and down a simple scale
4. Focus on maintaining smooth, consistent tone
5. Practice for 3-5 minutes

Target: Improves vocal resonance and reduces nasality issues

Exercise 11: Straw Phonation

This semi-occluded vocal tract exercise reduces vocal strain while building strength.

How to Practice:

1. Place a straw in a glass of water (2-3 inches deep)
2. Blow steady bubbles while humming
3. Maintain consistent bubble stream for 30 seconds
4. Rest and repeat 5 times
5. Try humming simple melodies through the straw

Target: Reduces vocal strain and improves voice efficiency

Part 5: Fluency and Rhythm

Exercise 12: Pacing Board Practice

Controlling speech rate improves clarity and fluency.

How to Practice:

1. Tap table or leg for each syllable as you speak
2. Start with single words: "Won-der-ful" (3 taps)
3. Progress to phrases: "I-am-go-ing-to-the-store" (7 taps)
4. Gradually increase to full sentences
5. Maintain steady rhythm

Target: Improves speech pacing and reduces rushing

Exercise 13: Phrase Grouping

Learning to pause appropriately improves comprehension and reduces breathlessness.

How to Practice:

1. Mark natural pause points in sentences with slashes: "Yesterday / I went to the store / and bought groceries."
2. Read aloud, taking brief pauses at each slash
3. Breathe at major pause points (periods, commas)
4. Practice with progressively longer passages

Target: Improves speech naturalness and breath management

Part 6: Functional Communication

Exercise 14: Conversation Practice Scripts

Practicing common phrases builds confidence for real-world communication.

Daily Practice Phrases:

1. Greetings: "Good morning, how are you today?"
2. Requests: "Could you please repeat that?"
3. Phone calls: "Hello, this is [name] calling about..."
4. Ordering: "I'd like to order the..."

How to Practice:

• Say each phrase 5 times clearly
• Record yourself and listen for clarity
• Practice with increasing background noise

Target: Improves functional communication confidence

Exercise 15: Reading Aloud with Expression

Reading with appropriate emotion and emphasis improves overall communication.

How to Practice:

1. Choose engaging material (news article, story, poem)
2. Mark words to emphasize
3. Read aloud with appropriate emotion
4. Vary your pitch and volume for meaning
5. Record and evaluate your expression

Target: Improves prosody and communication effectiveness

Creating Your Practice Routine

Sample Daily Schedule

Morning (10 minutes):

• Breathing exercises (3 minutes)
• Oral motor exercises (4 minutes)
• Vowel prolongation (3 minutes)

Afternoon (10 minutes):

• Articulation drills (5 minutes)
• Tongue twisters (5 minutes)

Evening (10 minutes):

• Reading aloud (5 minutes)
• Conversation practice (5 minutes)

Tracking Your Progress

Keep a practice journal noting:

• Exercises completed
• Duration of practice
• Difficulty level (1-10)
• Improvements noticed
• Challenges encountered

Tips for Success

Consistency is Key

• Practice daily, even if only for 10 minutes
• Set reminders on your phone
• Link practice to existing habits (after morning coffee, before bed)

Make It Engaging

• Practice with family members or friends
• Use favorite books or articles for reading exercises
• Set weekly goals and reward achievement

Use Technology

• Record yourself weekly to track progress
• Use speech therapy apps for additional practice
• Video call with friends to practice conversation skills

When to Seek Professional Help

While home exercises are valuable, consult a speech-language pathologist if you experience:

• Sudden changes in speech or voice
• Pain during exercises
• No improvement after 6-8 weeks of consistent practice
• Difficulty swallowing along with speech problems
• Increasing frustration or communication breakdowns

Conclusion

These 15 exercises provide a comprehensive home practice program for adults working to improve their speech. Remember that progress takes time and consistency. Celebrate small improvements, stay patient with yourself, and maintain regular practice. With dedication and the right exercises, you can achieve clearer, more confident communication.

Consider these exercises as tools in your communication toolkit. Not every exercise will be equally beneficial for everyone, so focus on those that address your specific needs. When combined with professional speech therapy, these exercises can accelerate your progress toward your communication goals.