At what age can kids start rolling their tongues?

[Anonymous]

Both my husband and I can roll our tongues, and from what I remember from high school biology, this is an inherited trait so our kids should be able to do it too. We have 3-yr-old twins, and neither of them can do it yet. Is this something that develops later, or did they both get recessive tongue-rolling genes?

[Anonymous]

This is too funny because my husband and I were just talking about this! My 3-year-old son has just started doing it, we think accidentally because he can't do it again on demand. He must have got this skill from his dad because I am sadly quite deficient in the tongue-rolling department. But I _am_ double jointed. So there.

[Anonymous]

One of my 9 month old twins actually rolls his tongue all the time. Neither my husband nor I can really do it, but I was showing my mom how he does it and it turns out she can!

[Anonymous]

Apparently we were all taught the wrong thing in high school.

http://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythtongueroll.html
Myths of Human Genetics - Tongue Rolling
"Family studies clearly demonstrate that tongue rolling is not a simple genetic character, and twin studies demonstrate that it is influenced by both genetics and the environment. Despite this, tongue rolling is probably the most commonly used classroom example of a simple genetic trait in humans. Sturtevant (1965) said he was "embarrassed to see it listed in some current works as an established Mendelian case." You should not use tongue rolling to demonstrate basic genetics."

[Anonymous]

Huh. Now I wonder what he environmental factors are?

Anyway, my son can do this, he is 20 months. Not sure when he first could.

[Anonymous]

OP here- thanks for the info. Maybe if our kids aren't doing it by now they won't be able to. Or maybe the "environmental factors" aren't right yet- what could they be for tongue rolling, I wonder?!