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Patakara exercises with butterflies

[With Lyrics] Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra Exercises Before Meals ♪ #OralExercises

We’d like to share an idea for training oral functions—such as chewing strength and swallowing ability—set to the well-known children’s song “Butterfly” (Chōchō).

The method is very simple: just replace the lyrics with the sounds pa-ta-ka-ra and sing along.

Because it’s a short song, you can do it anytime, anywhere, without worrying about the setting.

Doing it before meals serves as a warm-up for the mouth and helps prevent aspiration, so timing it before eating makes it even more effective.

Consistency is important, so please try to do it once a day.

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kojifumi

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Patakara Exercise Song

Patakara Exercise Song

This is an exercise where you say “pa-ta-ka-ra” in time with the Patakara Exercise Song to train the muscles around the mouth.

By vocalizing “pa-ta-ka-ra,” you can expect various benefits such as maintaining and improving chewing and swallowing strength, promoting saliva secretion, and stabilizing pronunciation.

Doing it especially before meals prepares your mouth and increases the effectiveness in preventing aspiration.

Continuing the exercise enhances its benefits.

Try to do it at least once a day, preferably before meals.

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kojifumi

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Patakara Oral Exercise: Heaven and Hell

Let's sing with oral exercises: Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra! #CarePrevention

Here’s an idea for a Patakara exercise set to the familiar “Orpheus in the Underworld” music often heard at sports festivals.

Although the piece has no lyrics, try pronouncing “pa ta ka ra” by going through the syllables: pa pi pu pe po, ta chi tsu te to, ka ki ku ke ko, ra ri ru re ro in time with the music.

Once you get used to it, speeding up the tempo can make it more fun.

Since this is a tune many people recognize, even first-timers should be able to do it smoothly.

Doing the exercise before meals can enhance its benefits, so in senior care facilities, please be mindful of the timing.

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kojifumi

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An exercise that can prevent aspiration and choking just by reading aloud: the Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra exercise

Must-see! The “Patakara Exercise”: A routine that can prevent aspiration and choking just by reading aloud

Patakara exercises are exercises that stimulate oral functions through pronunciation.

This time, we’ll introduce a method that uses reading aloud.

All you need to do is read the sentences written on a whiteboard out loud, so you can proceed at your own pace.

Another advantage is that if you jot the sentences down, you can do the exercises anywhere, including at home.

Benefits include improving chewing strength to aid digestion, enhancing swallowing ability to prevent accidental aspiration and the pneumonia it can cause, and increasing saliva production, which helps sterilize and disinfect the mouth.

Doing the exercises before meals can make them even more effective.

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kojifumi

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Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra finger exercises

[Mouth Exercises While Wearing a Mask] Patakara + finger exercises have become the ultimate oral workout! 4 patterns! Also activates the brain!

Many care facilities incorporate the “Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra” oral exercises.

However, some older adults may get bored if it’s the same routine every time.

So let’s add finger movements to the usual Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra exercises.

While saying pa-ta-ka-ra out loud, clap your hands or make a “fox” hand pose and move your hands.

The key is to enjoy it.

You’ll be using both your mouth and your hands, which can be tricky at first if you’re not used to it.

But it’s fine to make mistakes.

We use both our mouths and hands when eating, right? Using your fingertips during the exercises also helps train the movements needed for meals.

Try doing Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra with added finger movements at the pace that suits the older adults.

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Nakajima Junko

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mouth exercise

Mihama Town, Aichi Prefecture: Healthy Swallowing Exercises

The muscles in the face and mouth are important not only for eating but also for pronouncing words and creating rich facial expressions.

This exercise steadily trains those facial muscles by slowly performing basic mouth movements.

First, pronounce “a-i-u” slowly with exaggerated mouth movements, paying attention to the movement of your cheek muscles and your throat.

Next, move your tongue in various directions.

By applying tension to the tongue and moving it slowly, you can build awareness of how you move it while also strengthening the muscles.

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kappamaki

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Gymnastics with hand gestures

[Swallowing Training] Gave a lecture on the Pa-Ta-Ka-La exercises [Heart Smile Massage]

Let’s try adding hand movements to the Patakara oral exercises.

The hand movements are coordinated with the mouth movements for “pa-ta-ka-ra.” For example, you can’t pronounce “pa” without closing your lips.

To strengthen this lip-closing action, add a hand gesture that matches the mouth shape for “pa.” For “pa,” make your hand a fist like “rock” in rock–paper–scissors, then open it to “paper” at the same time you voice the sound.

By adding hand movements, even older adults can become more aware of their mouth movements.

The Patakara oral exercises not only train the muscles used for eating, but also enrich facial expressions and help people enjoy conversations with others.

You can also customize them, such as by adding hand movements while producing the sounds continuously.

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Nakajima Junko

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