3 Ways to Reinforce Healthy Oral Habits During the School Year

The school year comes with early alarms, packed lunches, and busy schedules. But it also brings structure, a powerful opportunity to reinforce habits that support your child’s long-term health. While most parents focus on academic prep and sleep routines, it’s easy to overlook something equally important: oral function.

The way your child breathes, chews, and holds their mouth and tongue can affect far more than their smile. It impacts their facial development, ability to focus, and quality of sleep. These foundational habits often get disrupted during times of transition, like the start of the school year. But with a little awareness, this season can actually become the perfect time to strengthen and reset.

Here are three simple but meaningful ways to reinforce healthy oral habits as your family settles into the school routine.

1. Promote Nasal Breathing Throughout the Day

Nasal breathing is one of the most important habits for oral health and overall wellness. It filters and humidifies air, encourages better oxygen exchange, and supports healthy growth of the upper jaw and facial structures. It also helps regulate the nervous system, which plays a big role in attention, emotion, and self-control in the classroom.

Mouth breathing, on the other hand, can lead to disrupted sleep, dry mouth, poor tongue posture, and even changes in facial development over time.

At school, kids may unconsciously breathe through their mouths, especially during quiet reading time, focused work, or when they’re feeling anxious. You can help build awareness by checking in during routines at home.

Try asking:

• Do you notice if your mouth is open when you’re concentrating?

• Can you keep your lips closed and breathe through your nose while doing homework?

This helps your child connect their body to their daily habits. Even setting a short timer or using a fun visual reminder (like a sticky note with a nose icon) during homework can encourage awareness and improvement.

2. Pack Foods That Require Real Chewing

One of the easiest ways to support oral strength is through chewing. Many kids today eat soft, processed foods that don’t require much effort to chew. But the act of chewing textured, whole foods helps build strong jaw muscles, supports proper swallowing, and encourages better tongue posture.

As you plan lunches and after-school snacks, try including:

• Raw veggies like carrots, celery, or bell pepper slices

• Apple or pear slices with the skin

• Crusty whole-grain bread, hearty wraps, or rice cakes

• Cheese sticks, jerky, or trail mix (as age-appropriate)

These foods not only support oral development but also help regulate blood sugar and energy levels—great for focus and mood at school.

Bonus tip: Let your child help pack their lunch. When kids are involved in selecting and preparing their food, they’re more likely to eat it and learn about why certain choices matter.

3. Reinforce Healthy Tongue Posture

Many parents have never thought about where their child’s tongue rests. Yet tongue posture has a big impact on the way the mouth and airway develop. A tongue that rests low in the mouth or presses forward during swallowing can contribute to mouth breathing, speech issues, and even orthodontic concerns later on.

The ideal tongue posture is up against the roof of the mouth, lips gently closed, and breathing through the nose.

Make it fun by turning awareness into a game:

• Can you find where your tongue is resting right now?

• Can you keep it up there during your next assignment?

• Set a five-minute challenge during homework or car rides

These micro-habits, repeated daily, lead to lasting change.

Back-to-school season is a great time to reinforce the patterns that help your child thrive. By focusing on nasal breathing, functional chewing, and tongue posture, you’re laying the foundation for better sleep, energy, focus, and facial development. If you’re unsure where to start, or you’d like support along the way, myofunctional therapy in Orange County can guide your family toward healthy, sustainable habits.