Kids love bubbles. I know my child does and I also know that the kiddos I see for therapy go bananas over bubbles. The excitement that shows on their faces as you pull the bubbles out of the therapy bag (or when at home, from behind the bread basket) is just wonderful!
So, how can bubbles be used as a learning tool?
When working with my kiddos in Developmental Therapy/Music Therapy, I am often using bubbles to elicit all sorts of different reactions including vocalization, verbalization, sign language, eye contact, a smile, and so much more.
Here are a few of my favorite bubble games and fun:
Bubble Path: Follow the path of the bubble with your voice! We usually sing “ooo” as the bubble travels through the air, but any vowel sound could do.
Bubble Pop: It’s pretty self explanatory. Each bubble gets a “POP” as you poke and pop it with your fingers.
Bubble on the Body: Following in the footsteps of the last game, try popping bubbles with other body parts as they are called out. Have you tried popping bubbles with your elbow????
Bubble Song: There is a great song I found in this article:
Gadberry, A. (2005). Reaching students with special needs through the Orff approach. The Orff Echo, 38(1), 27-31.
We sing this song and invite the children to make the sound of the bubbles! The kiddos get such a kick out of making our “B” sounds.
The lyrics go like this:
I like to B-B-B-blow, B-B-B-bubbles
I like to B-B-B-blow, B-B-B-bubbles
’cause when I B-B-B-blow, I have a barrel of fun
B-B-B-blow, B-B-B-bubbles
Bubble Please: I often use bubbles to elicit the “more please” two word phrase that most of the parents of the kids I work with would like to hear at home. When a child wants more bubbles, we often sing a short little ditty:
When I want something I say please,
More Please
More Please
When I want something I say please
More Please
More
We incorporate sign and speech into this song. Once they get the hang of the two word phrase, we often add a third word (usually the word of the item we want). Do you know how many kids jump at saying “More Bubbles Please”.
Okay, Now you have FIVE new activities to do when you are playing with your bubbles! Go PLAY and HAVE FUN!