Little Words

Chant Social language · politeness

Please and Thank You

Two words that get a child what they want, practised in the shape of a real exchange.

9 lines7 turns for your child88 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 saysTwo little words open almost any door. Let's practise!
  2. Buddy chantsPlease, please. Say it soft.
  3. your childSay please — four beats of quiet
  4. Buddy chantsThank you, thank you. Say it warm.
  5. your childSay thank you — four beats of quiet
  6. Buddy chantsPlease, please. Say it soft.
  7. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  8. Buddy chantsWant a cookie? Say please!
  9. your childSay please — four beats of quiet
  10. Buddy chantsHere you go. Now say thank you!
  11. your childSay thank you — four beats of quiet
  12. Buddy chantsWant a drink? Please and thank you!
  13. your childSay please — four beats of quiet
  14. Buddy chantsPlease and thank you. Every day!
  15. your childOne more thank you — four beats of quiet
  16. Buddy saysPlease and thank you. You said them beautifully!

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.

Two words that get a child what they want, practised in the shape of a real exchange.

  • 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.