Songs and Rhymes About Zoo and Wild Animals

Here  is a collection of songs and rhymes that coordinate with the popular early childhood theme Zoo and Wild Animals, and can be used when planning activities and curriculum for Preschool, PreK and Kindergarten children

Zoo Animals theme free printables
African Animals theme free printables
Rainforest animals theme free printables
An elephant goes like this and that (stomp feet)
He's terribly big (raise arms over head)
And he’s terribly fat (stretch arms to side)
He has no fingers (wiggle fingers)
And he has no toes (wiggle feet)
But, goodness gracious WHAT A NOSE!!!! (pull on pretend trunk in front of nose) 
 
5 little monkeys swinging in a tree.
Teasing Mr. Crocodile –
"You can't catch me, you can't catch me,
Along comes Mr. Crocodile just as quiet as he can be.
And SNAP! (clap hands once)
(Continue song counting down until 0 little monkeys).
Along comes Mr. Crocodile, just as fat as he can be!
 

 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!”
 Printable characters for this rhyme
 
Sung to: "Skip to My Lou"
What can a monkey see from a tree?
What can a monkey see from a tree?
What can a monkey see from a tree?
It can see ---------- from a tree.
 
 
Sung to: "Itsy Bitsy Spider”
The itsy bitsy monkey climbed down the coconut tree
Down came a coconut and hit him on his knee - OWW
Out came a lion shaking his mighty mane - AND -
The itsy bitsy monkey climbed up the tree again.
 
 (chant)
1, 1 the zoo is lots of fun!
2, 2 see the kangaroo!
3, 3 see the chimpanzee!
4, 4 hear the lions roar!
5, 5 watch the seal dive!
6, 6 there's a monkey doing tricks!
7, 7 elephants eleven!
8, 8 a tiger and his mate!
9, 9 penguins in a line!
10, 10 I want to come again! (clap)
 
 
Here sits a monkey on a chair, chair, chair
He lost all the true loves he had last year,
So rise upon your feet, greet the first you meet,
The luckiest one I know!
 
 
Jump, jump, jump  (Jump.)
Goes the kangaroo.  (Jump.)
I thought only one--  (Hold up one finger.)
But now I see two!   (Hold up two fingers.)
Mommy and her baby 
With his head popping out,  (Wiggle thumb between index and middle finger.)  
He holds on tight   (Pretend to hold on tight.)
As they jump all about! 
 
 
​Tune: Where is thumbkin?
Cuddly koalas, cuddly koalas
Cockatoo, cockatoo
Wallabies and wombats, wallabies and wombats
Kangaroo, kangaroo
 
 
Said the kind kangaroo, "What can I do?
If I had a cradle, I'd rock it.
But my baby is small, so I think after all,
I'll carry him round in my pocket!"
 

A big, grey elephant I went to see
He had four legs and he was bigger than me
He had two ears so big and round
And one long trunk that made a sound
EEEEEEEEE!
 
 An elephant has a great big trunk
That goes swinging to and fro.
(Clasp hands to make trunk swing)
And he has tiny, tiny eyes,
That show him where to go.
His great big ears go flopping,
While his great big feet go stomping, stomping,  STOMPING on the ground!
 
 The yellow giraffe is tall as can be.
His lunch is a bunch of leaves off a tree.
He has a very long neck and his legs are long too.
And he can run faster than I can, too!
 
 A rhinoceros, a rhinoceros
Sometimes he makes a dreadful fuss.
He has a big horn on his nose.
He snorts and rumbles as he goes.
He's very long and very wide.
He has a very wrinkled hide.
He has big hoofs on his four feet.
We feed him grass and hay to eat.
A rhinoceros, a rhinoceros,
Is surely not a pet for us.
 
 
A hip, a hip, a hippopotamus -
Got on, got on, got on a city bus...
And all, and all, and all the people said,
You're squishing us!!!!!!!!!
 

When we clap, clap, clap our hands.
The monkey claps, claps, claps his hands.
Monkey see, monkey do.
The monkey does the same as you.
 
 
Crazy crabs walk sideways,
(move sideways)
What a silly way to go!
Snails slip slide forwards
(move forward slowly)
And that is very slow!
Ducks waddle, waddle, waddle, 
And that is funny too, 
But what about the hopping
Of the big red kangaroo?
(hop like a kangaroo)
 
A tiny, tiny worm
(wiggle finger like a worm)
Wiggled along like this
Without a sound
It came to a tiny hole
(make circle with thumb and finger)
A tiny hole in the ground
It wiggled right inside
Without a sound 

Chant
Down on the savanna with the beat in your feet,
Think of an animal that you'd like to meet.
(Child chooses animal from the savanna)
A (lion), A (lion) She wants to see a (lion)!
(Everyone becomes a lion. Continue the chant until everyone has had a chance to name an animal)
Please email if you have a song to add, or if you find a broken link. 
Your comments and ideas are always welcome.

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