Little Words

Chant T, D and N sounds (tongue tip)

Top, Dog and Nose

Tap the tongue tip behind the top teeth for /t/, /d/ and /n/.

9 lines7 turns for your child96 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 saysTap your tongue right behind your top teeth. Tuh!
  2. Buddy chantsTuh tuh tuh. Tap the top.
  3. your childSay top — four beats of quiet
  4. Buddy chantsTuh tuh tuh. Tap the top.
  5. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  6. Buddy chantsDuh duh duh. Here comes dog.
  7. your childSay dog — four beats of quiet
  8. Buddy chantsNnn nnn nnn. Touch your nose.
  9. your childSay nose — four beats of quiet
  10. Buddy chantsTuh tuh tuh. Tap the top.
  11. your childYour turn — four beats of quiet
  12. Buddy chantsDoor. Door. Knock on the door, duh.
  13. your childSay door — four beats of quiet
  14. Buddy chantsTuh, duh, nnn. Tongue tip up!
  15. your childOne more tap — four beats of quiet
  16. Buddy saysTap, tap, tap. Your tongue is such a good tapper!

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 T/D/N. Tap the tongue tip behind the top teeth for /t/, /d/ and /n/.

  • 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.