Little Words

Chant L sound (word start)

La La Lion

Lift the tongue tip for a clear /l/ and repeat it in a singable pattern.

9 lines7 turns for your child90 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 saysPut your tongue tip up behind your teeth. Like this. La!
  2. Buddy chantsLa la la. La la lion.
  3. your childSay la la la — four beats of quiet
  4. Buddy chantsLa la la. La la lion.
  5. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  6. Buddy chantsLeaf. Leaf. A little leaf, la.
  7. your childSay leaf — four beats of quiet
  8. Buddy chantsLa la la. La la lion.
  9. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  10. Buddy chantsLamp. Lamp. A lovely lamp, la.
  11. your childSay lamp — four beats of quiet
  12. Buddy chantsLog. Log. A long log, la.
  13. your childSay log — four beats of quiet
  14. Buddy chantsLa la la. La la lion.
  15. your childOne more la — four beats of quiet
  16. Buddy saysYour tongue went up every time. That was lovely!

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.

This one works on L. Lift the tongue tip for a clear /l/ and repeat it in a singable pattern.

  • 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.