Five little monkeys - Rhymes and songs
Five little monkeys swinging from a tree, teasing Mr Crocodile, 'You can't catch me!'
Along came Mr Crocodile as quietly as can be
and snap! went the crocodile
then there were...
Four little monkeys… (continue down to one)
Last verse
One little monkey swinging from a tree, teasing Mr Crocodile, 'You can't catch me!'
Along came Mr Crocodile as quietly as can be
and snap! went the crocodile
then there were...
NO little monkeys swinging from a tree...oh no!
Younger children
Say the rhyme to your child and hold up fingers to show the number of monkeys in each verse.
Use your hand to pretend to the crocodile snapping his teeth. Gently ‘snap’ at your child’s toes when you get to that part.
Older children
Teach your child the rhyme and make up actions to go with it.
Vary the volume to reflect the monkey loudly taunting the crocodile and the crocodile quietly creeping up on the monkey.
Encourage your child to use their fingers to count out how many monkeys are left each time.
Sleeping crocodiles
Play sleeping crocodiles (outside on a dry day is best!).
Get your child to lie down on the floor with their eyes closed and encourage them to listen carefully.
Pretend to be the monkey and creep up on them. If your child hears you, they can jump up and try to catch you with a ‘snap, snap, snap’.
Encouraging children to listen for particular sounds is good for developing their listening and attention skills.
Other ideas you can try
Share a story together which links to the rhyme and chat about the pictures and story.
Examples of stories:
- The crocodile under the bed by Judith Kerr
- The little monkeys by Mike Brownlow
- Night monkey, day monkey by Julia Donaldson
- Alan’s big scary teeth by Jarvis
- The selfish crocodile by Faustin Charles
- Monkey puzzle by Julia Donaldson
- Monkey Do! By Allan Ahlberg
Older children may enjoy the traditional African story translated from Swahili ‘Why Elephant has a trunk’ which includes a snappy crocodile!
Watch the ‘Tinga Tinga Tales’ version on YouTube and talk about the different animals you see.
Non-fiction books
Some children are more interested in information books than stories.
Can you find a book on crocodiles or monkeys in your local library to share?
Older children might enjoy learning some fun facts about crocodiles or monkeys to share with others. Use the following links:
- Nile crocodile on The National Geographic Kids website
- Howler monkey on The National Geographic Kids website
Action verbs game
In the song the monkey is ‘swinging’ in the tree. ‘Swing’ is an example of an action verb as it shows the action that the monkey is doing.
See how many action verbs you can think of and as you name them encourage your child to listen and see if they can act out the verb as you say it. For example walking, jumping, sleeping, brushing, eating.
Once they get the idea can your child suggest any action verbs for you to act out?