Five Little Monkeys
Lyrics
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor, and
the doctor said “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Four little monkeys jumping on the bed one fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor, and
the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Three little monkeys jumping on the bed one fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor and
the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Two little monkeys jumping on the bed one fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor and
the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
One little monkey jumping on the bed he fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor and the
doctor said, “Put those monkeys right to bed!”
classic song, “5 Little Monkeys”, children get to have it all! They not only get to sing about funny
monkeys, but also play the doctor who repeats his message: “No more monkeys, jumping on the
bed!” with the greatest authority.
To make this song especially fun, try incorporating actions, with hands and fingers or with full
bodies!
For toddlers and preschoolers who have some fine motor skills (ability to control their fingers and
hands), perform the following actions with your own hands to correspond with the following lyrics
and encourage your child to do the same:
Verse 1:
“Five little monkeys jumping on the bed”: Hold up five fingers and bounce your hand up and down
“One fell off”: Your hand falls down a few inches
“ And bumped his head”: Gently “bump” your head with your hand
“Mama called the doctor and the doctor said”: Extend your thumb and pinky finger and place to your
ear for a “phone”
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”: Point your index finger and sing the words with a funny,
stern face
Verse 2: “Four little monkeys…” hold up 4 fingers
Verse 3: “Three little monkeys…” hold up 3 fingers
Verse 4: “Two little mokeys…” hold up 2 fingers
Verse 5: “One little monkey…” hold up 1 finger
You might be surprised to find that simply holding up the right number of fingers is a physical
challenge for young children who might need your help to gently put their fingers into correct
positions.
Use the experience of holding up different fingers to allow children to develop those tiny finger
muscles (which they’ll need to become good writers in kindergarten!) and to practice counting those
little fingers.
You can even modify this song to be fun for infants by follow these steps:
“Five little monkeys jumping on the bed”: Bounce your baby gently on your lap, facing towards you
“One fell off”: Holding on tightly, gently tip them to the side
“And bumped his head”: “Bump” their head gently with a kiss, a stuffed animal or a very soft pat with
your hand
“Mama called the doctor and the doctor said”: Bounce some more to the rhythm of the song
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”: Make a playful stern face while delivering this line
For babies, the experience of feeling the rhythm of a song and hearing the melody of the chant will
instill in them the beginnings of language.
For older children who need to get more energy out than just dancing with their hands, incorporate
full-body actions for the song. Jump like the monkeys, dramatically fall onto a carpeted surface,
make a passionate “phone call”, and be sure the doctor’s line (“no more monkeys jumping on the
bed”) is delivered with a hand on the hip or any other way parents show someone’s in trouble.
An added benefit of this song for children’s learning is that it is so repetitive. Songs that use the
same words, verse after verse, help children truly learn the content and they’ll have it so well
memorized that they won’t even realize it’s learning because all they’re focusing on is delivering
the best angry doctor speech around!
Now you’re ready to go have a “barrel of monkeys” with this entertaining song.
See the 5 Little Monkeys and More on YouTube.
