Little Words

Chant Early concept · animals

Animals Say Hello

Animal sounds first, animal names second — the easiest ladder into naming there is.

9 lines7 turns for your child94 beats a minute4 tappable picture words

All the words

Print this, or read it yourself. The blank lines are the point: that is where you stop and wait.

  1. Buddy saysLet's visit the farm. Who lives here?
  2. Buddy chantsWho says hello? Who says hello?
  3. your childSay hello — four beats of quiet
  4. Buddy chantsMoo, moo, moo. The cow says moo.
  5. your childSay moo — four beats of quiet
  6. Buddy chantsWho says hello? Who says hello?
  7. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  8. Buddy chantsWoof, woof, woof. The dog says woof.
  9. your childSay woof — four beats of quiet
  10. Buddy chantsQuack, quack, quack. The duck says quack.
  11. your childSay quack — four beats of quiet
  12. Buddy chantsBaa, baa, baa. The sheep says baa.
  13. your childSay baa — four beats of quiet
  14. Buddy chantsMoo, woof, quack, baa. Hello, hello!
  15. your childOne more hello — four beats of quiet
  16. Buddy saysEvery animal said hello back to you!

Why a chant and not a song

Buddy’s voice here is her real recorded voice — the same one she uses everywhere else in Little Words. She chants rather than sings, on a steady beat, over a music-box tune. That is a deliberate choice: a rhythmic, slowed, highly predictable pattern is what lets a child anticipate what is coming and arrive on it, and a synthetic singing voice would have cost us the one thing that makes Buddy feel like a friend.

Animal sounds first, animal names second — the easiest ladder into naming there is.

  • The gap is the work. Buddy chants a line, then stops for four beats. In “Buddy and me” that gap stays silent — no filler, no rush — so the turn genuinely belongs to your child.
  • Repetition is the feature. Repeat is on by default. Most children need many passes before they join in, and the second or third time round is usually when it happens.
  • Slower on request. The turtle button drops the tempo and swaps in a bed recorded at that slower tempo, so the beat is still a real beat to move to.
  • Nothing is marked right or wrong. Buddy reacts warmly to anything she hears and says nothing at all about a quiet turn. Listening is taking part.