Five Little Monkeys

This internet thing is pretty cool.   In the past two weeks I've had a chance to communicate with teachers and musicians in Japan, Chile, Argentina, South Korea, Taiwan, France, and the U.S., mostly by contacts made through this blog and through the Super Simple Songs youTube channel.  Amazing. 

I had a brief exchange with a teacher about the popularity of the Five Little Monkeys.   She was was working on a play and chant with her students based on those 5 monkeys teasing Mr. Crocodile and wrote, "BTW… what Is it with 5 monkeys doing everything??" Good question.  What IS with the 5 little monkeys doing everything, why do kids love it so much, and why has it become a staple of preschools everywhere? 

Well, it starts with the rhythm of the lyrics.   You can sing and chant the lyrics in any number of ways and it always rolls off the tongue just right.   

And then you have another hallmark of great songs and chants for preschoolers...repetition.  Like the Wheels on the Bus, The Hokey Pokey, 5 little ducks, etc., the verses stay the same with small changes each time.   This allows young learners to gain confidence in their ability to sing the song, an important factor in their "I can do it by myself" stage, while still challenging them a little bit.

It's also comforting to know that Mama is always there to take care of the monkeys when they fall.   Falling off the bed and bumping your head sounds a bit rough, but young kids bump their heads 5 times a day.   It's nice to know Mama will be there for you.

It's an active chant that's easy to make up gestures for.   And perhaps above all, it's one of those songs/chants which you can immediately picture in your head.  Monkeys are FUNNY!  Monkeys jumping on the bed???  VERY FUNNY! Here's our version of 5 Little Monkeys...music by Troy-sensei, video by Jeremy-sensei.  Enjoy!

Comments

[Mama Lisa]

That's awesome! I particularly liked the music and the way the monkeys look when jumping on the bed. Great animation!

[Patrick]

Indeed kids like repetition but the delicious thing about this song is the anticipation...is the next Monkey going to fall? And of course the pain! Ouch!

[Adam]

What about the fact that all the doctor does is say, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed." No shots. My daughter likes doctors that don't give shots or yucky tasting medicine.

[Devon T]

Great points!

[Annie]

Hi, there, just wanna say I love the works you've done here. I'll include this in my EFL workshop presentation with my fellow EFL teachers in Taiwan! Good job!