Recently, our friend Ilinca from the blog Grumpy Dumpling tried out our Five Little Monkeys Play Set. She shared these fun activities with us.
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Don’t you love “Five Little Monkeys“? I know I do, and my kids are nuts about them. Whether we listen to the song, act it out, play games related to it, play charades, or read the “Five Little Monkeys” illustrated book, we all have fun while learning.
This was the first song that the kids in my first kindergarten group performed — they were 2-3 year olds and were studying English as a foreign language. They were amazing!
Why is this such a fun and educative song?
- It teaches kids about rhythm and rhyme
- Music makes everything more enjoyable
- It teaches math – subtraction by 1
- It has a funny story that makes kids laugh
- It is repetitive, which makes it easier for kids to learn the song
- It can be used as the main theme of a trans-disciplinary activity
Here are a couple of activities that your kids might enjoy while learning this song:
-Sing the song and use the free printable Five Little Monkeys Play Set from the Super Simple Learning Resource Center. Cut out the monkeys and the bed, then laminate them. Stick the monkeys on the bed with Blu Tack or tape. Remove one monkey at a time, as you sing the song.
-After learning the song, make monkey masks out of paper plates and then act out the song (we sang “18 Little Monkeys” once and the kids had a blast!)
-Make a “Five Little Monkeys Subtraction Mobile.” Print the Play Set, cut out the pieces and laminate them. Attach the monkeys to some string, then tie them to a stick and hang it on the wall. Underneath it, stick the bed to the wall. While singing the song “Five Little Monkeys,” remove one monkey at a time.
-Make a chart to use with the Monkey Mobile. Get out a blow dryer and ask the kids to predict how many monkeys will fall off the bed when you blow them. Compare your findings to the chart.
-Use the monkeys and a large foam dice. Roll the dice and remove as many monkeys as the number on it. Be sure to count down the monkeys as you take them away (to practice subtraction).
-Place the monkeys on the floor, and have the kids shut their eyes. The teacher (or another student) takes away some of the monkeys. The kids then calculate how many monkeys have been taken away.
-Use the monkeys and practice reading by acting out the Five Little Monkeys song with this Sing-Along version.
What’s your favorite “Five Little Monkeys” activity?
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Ilinca is a kindergarten teacher from Finland. Visit her blog, Grumpy Dumpling for more activity and classroom ideas.
