Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Lyrics

A classic American counting rhyme that teaches children to count down from five. The repetitive structure helps develop memory and number skills, while the playful narrative introduces subtraction as a story rather than an abstract operation. Best for ages 2–5. Pediatric researchers note that songs like this build cardinality — the understanding that each number maps to a quantity, not just a memorized sequence. Pause at each verse and ask "how many now?" to turn it into active math practice. Pair with finger play (hold up five fingers and lower one each verse) to reinforce one-to-one correspondence. For more counting songs, see our [best counting songs for preschoolers](/blog/best-counting-songs-preschoolers) and [5 nursery rhymes that secretly teach math](/blog/5-nursery-rhymes-that-secretly-teach-math).

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!"

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped her head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Three 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!"

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped her head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

One little monkey jumping on the bed,
He fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"Put those monkeys straight to bed!"