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Why Monkey Puzzle Is the Perfect Back-to-School Story

If you’ve read any of Julia Donaldson’s books, you already know they’re practically made for the elementary music classroom. (Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child… they’re all favorites around here!)

In Monkey Puzzle, a baby monkey has become separated from his mom. A well-meaning butterfly tries to help, but keeps bringing him to the wrong animals based on his descriptions. Every page introduces a new animal, making it the perfect opportunity to build movement, musical concepts, and plenty of student participation into your lesson.

Start with Solfege and a Simple Chant

Before we dive into the story, I like to do a quick solfege review.

We practice where each pitch “lives” on the staff, review our Curwen hand signs, and then immediately put those skills to use while reading.

One of my favorite moments comes from the butterfly’s comforting words:

“Hush little monkey, don’t you cry.”

It almost begs to become a classroom chant. We add a steady beat, practice together, and before students realize it, they’ve already reviewed rhythm, steady beat, and pitch in the first few minutes of class.

Let Classical Music Bring the Animals to Life

Every time the butterfly introduces a new animal, it’s another opportunity to get students moving.

When the elephant appears, we listen to “The Elephant” from Carnival of the Animals and ask a simple question:

How would an elephant move to this music?

Suddenly students are exploring:

• loud vs. soft
• heavy vs. light
• smooth vs. bouncy
• fast vs. slow

without ever needing a vocabulary worksheet. They’re experiencing the music with their bodies first—which is exactly how I want them learning at the beginning of the year.

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Gather Meaningful Assessments Along the Way

One of the biggest changes I made to my teaching was stopping the habit of saving assessments until the very end of class.

Instead, this lesson includes digital and printable assessments woven throughout the experience. Students complete short rhythm and solfege activities as they go, allowing you to gather meaningful data without interrupting the flow of the lesson.

It’s a simple way to see where students are starting while keeping the learning—and the fun—moving forward.

Final Thoughts

The first few weeks of school set the tone for everything that follows. I want my students to leave those first lessons thinking, “Music class is a place where we move, sing, laugh, and tell stories together.”

Monkey Puzzle helps me do exactly that. It gives students the chance to review important musical concepts, build confidence, and experience meaningful movement—all while helping one very lost little monkey find his mom.

I hope this lesson gives you a few new ideas for your own classroom. Here’s to a school year filled with joyful planning, engaged students, and plenty of meaningful music-making. Happy playing!

Happy playing,
Leanna O’Brien
Founder of The Soaring Scarves Academy

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