Swing into fun with five little monkeys

The game “5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” offers several benefits to children’s numeracy development:

• Counting Skills: The repetitive nature of the song allows children to practice counting backward from five to one. Each time a monkey falls off, the number decreases by one, reinforcing the concept of subtraction by one.
• One-to-One Correspondence: As children sing the song and act it out, they can match each monkey to a corresponding number, helping them understand that each number represents a specific quantity.
• Subtraction Introduction: The game introduces the basic concept of subtraction in a fun and interactive way. Each time a monkey falls off the bed, one is subtracted from the total, helping children grasp the idea of taking away.
• Number Recognition: By using their fingers to represent the number of monkeys left on the bed, children practice recognizing and representing numbers using their fingers.
• Predictive Skills: As the song progresses and monkeys fall off, children can predict how many monkeys will be left, reinforcing the concept of sequential number order.
• Cognitive Flexibility: In advanced versions of the game, children are encouraged to show numbers using different finger configurations, promoting flexibility in thinking about numbers.
• Memory and Recall: Remembering the sequence of the song and the corresponding actions helps enhance children’s memory skills, which are crucial for numeracy.
• Problem Solving: Children are encouraged to think about questions like “What happens next?” or “How many monkeys are left?” This promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills related to numbers.
• Physical Representation: Acting out the song or using props (like monkey and bed cutouts) provides a tangible representation of abstract numerical concepts, making them more accessible to young learners.