Lip-reading activities
Try these lip-reading activities with your group to help them become more deaf aware.
Explain to the group that when we speak our lips move and make shapes to form the words.
Some deaf people watch your lips when you talk, and doing this can help them understand what you are saying. This is called lip-reading, or speech-reading.
Deaf people rarely rely on lip-reading alone to help them understand what is being said, but it can be useful when combined with gestures and facial expressions.
This game will show how challenging lip-reading can be, and how much practice it takes to learn how to do it.
When communicating with a deaf person who's lip-reading:
- Face the deaf person so they can see your mouth to lip-read.
- Make sure you don’t cover your mouth with your hands or any other object.
- Speak clearly and carefully but normally. If you change how you speak it may make you more difficult to understand.
Get the children into pairs. Label them A or B.
Tell the children that A will be mouthing the words without using sound, and B will be lip-reading.
Person A
Mouth the following instructions to your partner without using your voice! Can your partner follow the instructions?
- Clap your hands.
- Touch your toes.
- Stick your tongue out.
- Blink your eyes.
- Scratch your chin.
- Wriggle your fingers
Then swap roles so that B will be mouthing the words and A will be lip-reading.
Person B
Mouth the following phrases to your partner without using your voice! Can your partner repeat or write down what you have said?
- I have eight green apples.
- Benny has 18 mugs.
- Penny has 18 bugs.
- I’m going to take a bath.
- I’ve got to take that path.
- I have five red apples.
The children could also make up simple sentences and try them with their partner.