how can i teach DS to 'blow'?

[mckenzie]

DS is 3 and a half and unable to blow his nose, blow out candles, blow the windmill round etc.
Any ideas on how I can teach him to blow?

By showing him blowing lots? I blow bubbles out of my hand when bathing DD and she seems to understand what I am doing and tries to copy. Alternatively pinch his nose and tell him to breathe out lots? (perhaps a bit harsh)

bubbles are a good way to teach to them

Candles-blowing is one thing, nose-blowing another. I've had terrible problems with this. Ds1 only got it at about 5. Dd's got the idea at nearly 4 but blows barely harder than breathing. So I'm stuck with constant sniffing. I try and say it's like breathing, only harder, but clearly it's not working very well! A friend of mine has taught all her 4 by blowing her nose without a tissue! She says it works, but I can't face that one myself!

A little boy I used to look after with DS couldn't do this either so we got him to blow with a straw into a cup that then made bubbles and gurgling sound

He thought it was so funny and then he learnt to do it too.

We used to try blow football with a straw and a ping-pong ball on the kitchen table.

blowing bubbles in milk with a straw is how ds discovered this....

My friend's sister taught her sone how to blow through his nose, by holding a small piece of tissue and asking him to blow it off her hand through his nose, with his mouth closed. They persevered, and he eventually got the hang of it. Then when it came to blowing his nose when snotty - she could direct him to blow through his nose, and not his mouth. My friend proceeded to teach her 2.3 year old DS to do the same thing.

I, however, have not had quite the same success so far with DD who is the same age... But I probably have not persevered enough really. It seems a sound principal!

sone? Son of course. Should stick to those acronyms, less room for speiling orrors.

thanks everybody. tomorrow I shall try the straw idea and also moving the little piece of paper and see if we have any success. I wont be holding my breath!