Animal Fair Song: Lessons and Activities

Nursery Rhymes began in the 18th century. Throughout history, we have sung them, read them, and done finger plays with them. They are a true method of capturing and inspiring young minds and engaging them in literacy. Simply put, they help children learn language formation. Below, you will learn how the Animal Fair Song can be used in the classroom to teach lessons in academics.

Learning Objectives

Nursery Rhymes have lots of rhyming words which is a great skill for kids to learn. But, there are other ways you can use this nursery rhyme. Here are some objectives for both preschool and kindergarten:

• Students will be able to find the title of the nursery rhyme.
• Students will be able to track print from right to left.
• Students will be able to orally recite the nursery rhyme and read it by memory.
• Students will be able to define the word auburn and baboon.
• Students will be able to locate the “unk” word family
• Students will be able to state two words that rhyme.

Lessons and Activities To Do

To get the most out of the Animal Fair Song, there are various lessons and activities you can do with students. Here are just a few:

1. Print the rhyming words on index cards for the kids to match up.
2. Make a word family chart and write words that are in the “unk” word family.
3. Sing the song, read the song together, and then have students follow along with the words.
4. Point out the title and how to read the text from left to right.
5. Practice reading the song individually with students to build reading skills. Memorization of the words will help them build confidence.
6. Ask comprehension questions such as what do you think happened to the monkey when the elephant sneezed?
7. Make a Monkey craft, bee craft, or bird craft to go along with the rhyme.

I Went To The Animal Fair Song Lyrics

Here are the words for The Animal Fair song.

I went to the animal fair,

The birds and the bees were there,

The big baboon by the light of the moon

Was combing his auburn hair,

The monkey flew out of his bunk,

And sat on the elephant’s trunk,

The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees,

And what became of the  monkey,

monkey, monkey, monkey.

Download The Animal Fair Song Sheet Here