June 4, 2021
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Teaching Turn Taking Through Music

Turn Taking: an important social skill

We take turns when we’re talking to someone, when we play games, and when we wait in line at the drive-thru. Music can be a great tool to teach and practice turn taking!

Click HERE to hear a turn taking song from our music therapist.

Song Lyrics

Below you will find the lyrics to the turn taking song from the video, and is sung to the tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” The lyrics repeat important turn taking concepts, like “my turn,” “your turn,” and “wait.”

It’s my turn to play and your turn to wait

My turn to play and your turn to wait

It’s your turn to play and my turn to wait

Your turn to play and my turn to wait

Using Instruments and Names

You can use an instrument or toy while singing this turn taking song. Pass the object from person to person as you sing the song. The object (such as a drum or a ball) acts as a visual cue, so that your child can see whose hands the object is in. This serves as a reminder that they need to wait while someone else has it.

You can do this with just you and your child, or include a few friends too! When playing with more than two people, you can use specific names in the song. “It’s Lydia’s turn to play and Stephanie’s turn to wait.”

Music can provide structure for your child while practicing taking turns. Being able to see the object move from person to person helps to reinforce that they will get a turn. The music also provides predictability for when their turn is coming – they know that they get a turn at the end of the verse.