Little Words

Chant Social language · turn-taking

My Turn, Your Turn

Name the turn out loud — the skill every other chant in this library quietly rests on.

9 lines7 turns for your child92 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 saysWhen we play, we take turns. Let's learn how!
  2. Buddy chantsMy turn. Your turn. Back and forth.
  3. your childSay my turn — four beats of quiet
  4. Buddy chantsMy turn. Your turn. Back and forth.
  5. your childSay your turn — four beats of quiet
  6. Buddy chantsI roll the ball. That's my turn.
  7. your childSay my turn — four beats of quiet
  8. Buddy chantsNow you roll it. That's your turn!
  9. your childSay your turn — four beats of quiet
  10. Buddy chantsMy turn. Your turn. Back and forth.
  11. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  12. Buddy chantsI stack a block. Now you stack one!
  13. your childSay your turn — four beats of quiet
  14. Buddy chantsMy turn. Your turn. We can share!
  15. your childOne more time — four beats of quiet
  16. Buddy saysYou waited, and you took your turn. That is real teamwork!

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.

Name the turn out loud — the skill every other chant in this library quietly rests on.

  • 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.