M is for monkey is a lovely theme that can be stretched out to include zoos, rainforests, bananas, trees, or any other direction you would like to go with it. Also, I have more alphabet letter fun on my page How to Homeschool Preschool.
It naturally includes science as you learn about different species.
And you can work in geography by locating places on a map or globe where different monkeys are native.
Use banana manipulatives for simple math, and introduce geography/history concepts like teaching about people in the community such as zookeepers.
I found great ideas to cover all subjects to make your M is for monkey study fun, easy, and a great learning experience.
More How to Homeschool Preschool Letter of the Week Activities
- Alphabet Letter A is for Apple Craft for Preschool | Fun Apple Study
- Letter O is for Owl Preschool Craft | Fun Great Horned Owl Study
- Alphabet Letter H Handprint Craft For Fun Preschool Horse Study
- How To Make An Alphabet Teeth Cleaning Activity | 5 Preschool Letter T Crafts
- Alphabet Letter R is for Rainbow Craft for Preschool | Fun Rain Mobile
- Alphabet Letter M is for Monkey Handprint Preschool Fun Monkey Study
- Alphabet Letter G is for Gorilla Fun Paper Plate Preschool Mask
- W Is For Winter Craft Easy Snowman Oobleck Activity
- Letter E Is For Eagle Easy Preschool Eagle Study
- Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft
- B is for Bird Craft | Free Preschool Bluebird Study
- X is for X Ray Craft | Unique Crayon Resist Skeleton
Language Arts Focus Day 1
Letter M Song -I like to begin with a song that builds on letter recognition, the sound, and words that begin with that letter and it can be repeated throughout the week to reinforce it.
Letter/Sound Recognition- Cut banana shapes out of cardstock or construction paper.
Use a marker to write letters in upper and lowercase letters, or even numbers.
Mix up a few at a time and let your child match the letters.
For children who already know all their letters, you can write out the whole alphabet and let them place the letters in the correct order in a line.
Book- A Book of Monkeys- I just love the illustrations of this book that covers not only monkeys but all other primates breaking each one down with their characteristics.
This is a great opportunity to teach comparison of differences as well as similarities.
Craft/Activity- Start off the week with this Monkey Ears Headband so they can wear them all week as you learn about M and of course monkeys.
Song/Fingerplay- Let’s jump right into the obvious song for this theme-5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, it’s classic and fun.
Snack-Bake some cupcakes and then decorate them together using this Monkey Cupcake Tutorial, enjoy them with a glass of milk.
Science Focus Day 2
Letter/Sound Recognition- Take this Monkey Sensory Bin activity and add lower and uppercase M’s to it,
You can use magnet letters, letter tiles, flashcards, letters cut from magazines, or whatever you have on hand. These magnetic letters will get a lot of use for all your preschool years.
Book- Use today to learn what a monkey is, before they are ready for more complicated taxonomy preschoolers can still learn to sort and classify.
Primates cover a wide variety of creatures but are not all monkeys.
The easiest way to learn and remember is that everything that is not an ape is a monkey and monkeys have tails while apes do not.
Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons all do not have tails, so they are apes.
Wildlife Anatomy contains so much information on different monkeys.
For example, it has Howler Monkey, Squirrel Monkeys, Capuchin, Baboons, and Mandrills, and the illustrations are outstanding you will use this book again and again for different zoology topics.
Here is a great video that teaches different Monkey species.
Craft/Activity- Barrel of Monkeys is a great addition to your homeschool supplies, these monkeys can be used as manipulatives for math, in a sensory bin, or as the game is meant to be played for fine motor work.
Song/Finger Play- Three Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree with finger motions.
Snack- We are going to keep it simple today with this free Printable Monkeys for Banana Treats all you need is a printer and a banana for this treat.
Math Focus Day 3
Letter/Sound Recognition – These Monkey and Banana Counting cards are a great thematic way to practice number recognition, counting, and sequencing.
I highly suggest laminating them, so they last throughout your unit.
Book- Sometimes the best way to open a dialogue about feelings and how to handle them is through a silly book like Grumpy Monkey.
Emotional intelligence is a very important part of preschool learning.
Craft/Activity- While the Smart Bananas Math Activities may seem simple but children will be getting so much natural math exposure through addition and subtraction, comparison, measuring, weighing, and counting.
Song/Fingerplay– 5 Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree, oh those little monkeys were teasing Mr. Alligator, and this song and fingerplay is really easy to learn and so much fun to act out, teaching through Makaton Signing.
Snack- Kids will go bananas over these adorable Monkey Sandwiches and they are pretty simple to make if you buy premade PBJ sandwiches.
History/Geography/ Day 4
Learn about zookeepers as a simple social studies lesson and what it takes to care for the animals.
In addition, look at my Rainforest Unit Study and Free Lapbook.
Kids Learn About Zookeepers and Taking Care of Animals is a short 3-minute video set to music to keep it engaging.
Letter/Sound Recognition – Use Wikki Stix to create upper and lower case m’s, remember to repeat the /m/ sound often.
Book- How could we do a preschool monkey unit without the classic Curious George?
Craft/Activity- Create a Paper Bag Monkey Craft or create an entire troop of unique monkey puppets.
Song/Finger Play- Itsy Bitsy Monkey – (Sung to the tune of The Itsy Bitsy Spider)
The Itsy Bitsy monkey climbed up the coconut tree.
(“Climb” up the tree, alternating cupped hands one on top of the other in the air.)
Down came a coconut & hit him on his knee—OWWW!!!!
(Make a double fist above your head & hit your knee)
Out came a lion a-shaking’ his mighty mane—AND—
(Frame your face with your hands, fanning fingers out for mane.
Shake head & hands.
The Itsy Bitsy monkey climbed up the tree again!
Repeat motions.
Snack- Make a Monkey Rice Cake Curious George Snack to go along with today’s book selection and it is a relatively healthy snack to boot.
Books for Learning About M is for Monkey
11 M is for Monkey Preschool Books & Resources
Add these fun books and resources about monkey to your preschool theme.
Can you tell a slow loris from a slender loris? Did you know that when it rains orangutans make umbrellas using leaves? What's the difference between a monkey and an ape? Discover all of this (and many more monkey facts!) in Kate Viggers' humorous, illustrated guide to monkeys and other primates.
Children will delight in following the peddler’s efforts to outwit the monkeys and will ask to read it again and again. Caps for Sale is an excellent easy-to-read book that includes repetition, patterns, and colors, perfect for early readers.
This tale of a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth,
humor, and simplicity and also teaches children about problem and resolution.
Suitable for preschoolers and young children：EVA foam magnetic letters are an innovative early education toy suitable for preschoolers and young children. They can help children learn English letters, improve spelling abilities, and enhance their oral expression skills.
Classic Skill Game
These realistic stuffed animals are created with high-quality materials and are surface washable in case you get its luscious fur coat dirty.
Jim the chimpanzee is in a terrible mood for no good reason. His friends can't understand it--how can he be in a bad mood when it's SUCH a beautiful day? They have lots of suggestions for how to make him feel better. But Jim can't take all the advice...and has a BIT of a meltdown. Could it be that he just needs a day to feel grumpy?
Calming Sensory Fidget Toy: Soft And Pliable, Easy To Have On Hand To Help Tame Those Fidgety Fingers
In this book, George meets his friend, the man with the yellow hat, and begins the life of mischief and adventure so beloved by generations of readers. The inspiration for television, films, and hundreds of books, Curious George is a mainstay of children's picture books
"I've lost my mum!" It's not too much fun being lost in the jungle, and little monkey wants his mummy. A kindly butterfly is keen to help, but they don't seem to be having much luck as the well-meaning butterfly misunderstands monkey's descriptions and leads him to all sorts of unsuitable animals! But eventually, they find... Dad! It's just as well that he knows exactly where mum is, and she's waiting with a well-deserved cuddle.
Soft and Quality: monkey stuffed animals are made of plush, with evenly and full filling, which are skin friendly and comfortable to touch, not easy to deform; They have exquisite workmanship, are sturdy enough for long term use.
Julia Rothman's series of Anatomy books are beloved by children and adults alike. In Wildlife Anatomy, Rothman captures the excitement and distinctive attributes of wild animals around the world. The book is packed with hundreds of her charming, original illustrations, detailing the unique features of animals of the rainforest, desert, grasslands, oceans, and much more. From lions, bears, and zebras to monkeys, mongoose, bats, elephants, giraffes, hippos, and much more, Rothman's visual guide covers all the key features, right down to the anatomy of a lion's claw and a wild horse's hoof. All the illustrations are accompanied by labels, intriguing facts, and identifying details, such as: When is a Panther Not a Panther? and What Makes Aardvarks So Odd? Rothman's characteristic combination of curiosity and an artist's eye makes this wildlife treasury rich and full, and promises new discoveries every time it's opened.
Also, add day 5.
Language Arts Focus Day 5
Learning letter recognition and phonics are key facets for a foundation of language arts in the early years. I think that hands-on fun and repetition are key for the mastery of these skills.
Letter/Sound Recognition-I found this cute song- M Monkey, and it’s a cute repetitive song covering many of the simple words that start with M.
Craft/Activity- Gather up some old magazines and go on a Magazine Letter Hunt and Sort Activity for the letter M not only is it good for letter recognition but cutting and pasting help those fine motor skills by building up hand muscles.
Song/Fingerplay- Try out the Letter M song by ABCmouse.com, the tune is so much fun even for grown-ups.
Snack- Make this cute little Banana Sushi treat to finish off your week, after all little monkeys love those tasty bananas.
M is for Monkey Handprint
You will need:
- Blue construction paper
- Brown construction paper
- Google eyes
- Green craft paint
- Brown craft paint
- Paintbrush
First, let your child paint green vines wherever they like on the blue construction paper. Allow to dry.
Paint your child’s hand brown.
Stamp it down over the vines with the thumb pointing upward. Be sure to press down firmly over the whole hand.
Paint a circle of brown over the thumb to create the monkey’s head and give him a curling little tail as well.
Paint your child brown and use it like a stamp to create two round ears.
While the paint is drying, cut out a small brown oval for the mouth and two smaller ones for the inside of the ears.
After the paint has dried your child can glue on the mouth, inner ears, and some googly eyes with a glue stick.
Finally, use a pen to add a little more detail like a mouth and nostrils.
I like to also write down the upper and lowercase letters on the paper to reinforce what they are learning.
