MSU Extension Child & Family Development

Five naughty monkeys pretend as if they are going to bed, but act silly instead. One after an- other they fall and get hurt. Based on the finger play with the same name.

BEFORE READING:

• Show the children the front of the book. Ask them to guess what the book is about.
• Ask them to point to the monkeys and count each one aloud.

WHILE READING:

• Stop at any time if there is something you or the children would like to talk about.
• Ask them questions so that they can connect what is happening in the book to things they already know about. Try some of these ideas:
  • What do you do to get ready for bed?
  • Tell me about a time that you didn’t listen.
  • Tell me about a time when you got hurt

AFTER READING:

• Spend some time talking about the story. Ask the children things like:
  • Who did Mama call?
  • How did the monkeys hurt themselves?
  • What happened to the monkeys at the end?
  • What does the Mama do when she goes to bed?

Read this book several times to the children. Hearing the same story again and again helps them learn new words and understand the ideas the hear better. Each day, pick a different activity to do with the children after reading.

MATH AND SCIENCE

Read the book together, holding one hand with all five fingers extended as you read. As each monkey falls off of the bed, bend one finger down and ask the children to count how many fingers are left.

ART

Have the children draw a picture of their bed. Ask them to draw a picture of their bed covering, their pillows and any stuffed animals or dolls they may have on top.

PRETEND PLAY

Pretend to be a monkey that has bumped his head, and have the children pretend to be the doctor. They can use toilet paper as bandages, or a child’s doctor’s kit if you have one.

READING READINESS

Ask the children to join you in repeating “No more monkeys jumping on the bed” each time you read it. Point to the words “No more mon- keys jumping on the bed” as you read them together.

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

Sing the monkey song together, adding motions where you can. Pretend to jump as you sing “Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.” Hold your head in both hands, pretend to be holding a phone, and shake your index finger.

THINKING SKILLS

Help the children understand the idea of up and down using a step or a chair. Help them jump up on the step (place your hands under their arms to help them). When they “jump” onto the step, say “up” together. Using your hands to help them down, say “down” together. Repeat up and down, letting them say up and down on their own.

MOTOR SKILLS

Place both feet together on the floor in an area with space to move around. Jump as far for- ward as you can. Have the children jump as well. See how many times they have to jump to equal the same distance you can jump in one jump.

For more information, visit the MSU Extension early childhood development site.