Singing to Learn

We Love to Sing!!

Toddlers learn language from the rhyme, rhythm, and repetition in songs. Here is one example of the kiddos favorite songs. We thought you might want to know the words so you can sing along with them at home.


Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree

Five little monkeys swinging in the tree
teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can’t catch me…."
along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
and snap!

Four little monkeys swinging in the tree
teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can’t catch me…."
along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
and snap!

Three little monkeys swinging in the tree
teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can’t catch me…."
along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
and snap!

Two little monkeys swinging in the tree
teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can’t catch me…."
along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
and snap!

One little monkey swinging in the tree
teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can’t catch me…."
along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
and snap!

No more monkeys swinging in the tree.


There are many reasons why we like this song as a way to teach language. One reason is the use of repetition. The words and actions are repeated over five versus, so children begin to expect what will happen next. For example, during the lines "along comes Mister Alligator" our faces show anticipation of what will happen next.

Another reason we like this song is that it has pitch and volume changes that help children to predict what is happening next. At first our voices are happy because the monkeys are playing in the tree. Then are voices are quiet, to show that the alligator is sneaking up. Suddenly, we are loud for when the alligator "SNAPs" the monkey. At the very end of the song, we are sad because there are "No more monkeys swinging in the tree."

When you look at the video clip below you can also see that we use certain movement to help tell the story. Our goal here is to engage children in joint attention and imitation. For example, our hands show the monkeys swinging back-and-forth, and then they show how the alligator sneaks up and "SNAP!" This makes singing the song fun and engaging. In fact, children imitate these movements before they're able to sing along. We also use animated facial expressions to help tell the story. It is helpful to use features like voice quality and facial expression when communicating an important message to toddlers.

There are many times during the day to sing these songs, for example, when riding in the car, waking-up from nap or getting dressed. We hope you have fun singing this song with your little ones!



Amanda & Erika