Little Words

Chant Daily routine · bedtime

Night Night, Buddy

Wind down with a slow, quiet chant that still leaves a turn for the child.

9 lines7 turns for your child64 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 saysThe sky is dark. Let's get sleepy together.
  2. Buddy chantsNight night. Night night. Time for bed.
  3. your childSay night night — four beats of quiet
  4. Buddy chantsNight night. Night night. Time for bed.
  5. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  6. Buddy chantsSee the moon. Shh, so quiet.
  7. your childSay moon — four beats of quiet
  8. Buddy chantsNight night. Night night. Time for bed.
  9. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  10. Buddy chantsOne little star. Way up high.
  11. your childSay star — four beats of quiet
  12. Buddy chantsSoft pillow. Close your eyes.
  13. your childSay pillow — four beats of quiet
  14. Buddy chantsNight night. Night night. Sleep well.
  15. your childOne more night night — four beats of quiet
  16. Buddy saysNight night. I'll be right here when you wake up.

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.

Wind down with a slow, quiet chant that still leaves a turn for the child.

  • 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.