Combining physical activity with group participation helps keep preschoolers engaged and attentive. Have ten children stand in a row and jump as though they are the ten monkeys while the class sings the song. After each verse, instruct the child at the furthest end of the line to leave the row and join the audience. Encourage the children to shout the remaining number of monkeys in unison after each child leaves the line.
Engaging children with questions and movements during the rhyme reinforces their understanding of numerical concepts. Counting on their fingers helps preschoolers understand the amount that is represented by each number. Sing the song in a group and instruct the children to show how many monkeys remain with their fingers. Pause when the number changes in the song so that you can display the correct number of fingers on your own hands. If your preschoolers are proficient in counting, ask them to show you the correct number of fingers without prompting.
Using felt monkeys to demonstrate the progress of the song helps children visualize the number. String ten felt monkeys on a nylon thread and allow children to hold both ends of the nylon string. Instruct the children to sing the song while shaking the string so that the monkeys appear to be jumping. At the end of each verse, alternate which child gets to remove a monkey from the string. Physically removing the monkey from the string reinforces the changing value of numbers.
Encourage your preschoolers' creativity and fine motor skills by having them recreate the monkeys jumping on the bed with clay monkeys. Give each child a chunk of brown modeling clay and demonstrate how to manipulate the clay with your fingers. Cluster the monkeys in groups of ten and make a bed for each group by covering a cereal box in white paper. Let the children place their clay monkeys on the beds and display the scenes around the room.