Preschoolers love finger plays, and “Five Little Monkeys Swinging from a Tree” is an ideal rhyme to perform. Each time a number is said, show the number with your fingers. Shake a finger as the monkeys taunt the alligator, and put your hands together to wave back and forth like an alligator gliding through water. As the monkeys are snapped out of the tree, clap your hands or tickle a student.
Use a felt board for children to retell the story. You can easily make your own characters using felt and hot glue. Include the monkeys, a tree and an alligator. You can even number each monkey to help preschoolers practice number recognition. Allow the children to dramatize the rhyme using props and costumes. Retelling and acting out the rhyme strengthens preschoolers’ literacy skills to prepare them for reading.
Draw monkeys on a paper and put a number or letter on each one. Make enough copies for the class. Roll a die or draw a letter card, and the students must find that number or letter on their papers. They can use a stamp to mark each one off as it is called, or they can color the monkey that has the correct number or letter. This activity strengthens listening and recognition skills. It also helps students practice following directions.
The monkeys in the rhyme copy each other, and you can use the same idea to strengthen math skills. Give each student a geoboard and bands or pattern blocks. Divide the class into pairs. One student must make a design on the geoboard or a pattern with the blocks. The partner must be able to copy the design or pattern correctly. Once they have correctly copied their partners’ designs, the students switch places.