Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree Printables

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When my youngest son was a preschooler, he loved the fingerplay of the five monkeys teasing Mr. Crocodile. I made a math mat and manipulatives for him. We would sing the song, and he would act it out and practice counting at the same time. Your early learners can do the same with these free five little monkeys swinging in a tree printables.

Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree Lyrics

If you need a quick refresher, here are the lyrics to the “Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree” song.

Five little monkeys
Swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile–
“You can’t catch me.”
“You can’t catch me.”
Along comes Mr. Crocodile
As quiet as can be
And snaps that monkey
Out of the tree!

You continue singing the song with your child with number four.

Four little monkeys
Swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile–
“You can’t catch me.”
“You can’t catch me.”
Along comes Mr. Crocodile
As quiet as can be
And snaps that monkey
Out of the tree!

Repeat and countdown with numbers three, two, one, and finally zero.

What’s Included in the Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree Printables?

This set of free printables includes the following popsicle stick puppets:

Monkey with the Number 1
Monkey with the Number 2
Monkey with the Number 3
Monkey with the Number 4
Monkey with the Number 5
Crocodile

It also includes a background scene you to use as well as a copy of the song lyrics.

How to Assemble the Five Little Monkeys Printable Puppets

Assemble the puppets by following these simple instructions:

Print the puppets on cardstock.
If desired, laminate the puppets for durability.
Cut out the puppets.
Glue the puppets to popsicle sticks. You can glue them with the character at the bottom of the stick or with the character at the top of the stick.

Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree Story Retelling Activity

This set of puppets is a fantastic way for kids to act out the Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree fingerplay.

If you want, you can create a puppet stage for this activity. We created a simple stage with a box (the flat kind that holds 12 cans), a wooden rod, and some red fabric.

If you laminate the background scene that comes in this printable pack, you can easily tape and remove it from the box. Then you can use and reuse the stage with other popsicle puppets.

You could also buy a puppet stage, or you could make one from a cereal box.