Jungle Jam: Move Like Jungle Animals

Jungle Jam: Move Like Jungle Animals

Head into the jungle for a lively musical movement adventure! Children can stomp like elephants, shake like monkeys, stretch like giraffes, roar like lions and slither like snakes. Through music, movement and imaginative play, they practise coordination, listening and following instructions, then reinforce their learning with a jungle-themed printable activity.

Ages 2–5 15 minutes Download Lesson Plan (pdf)

Learning objectives

  • Practise gross motor movements such as stomping, jumping, stretching, spinning and wiggling
  • Develop coordination and body awareness by copying different animal movements
  • Listen and respond to movement instructions and changes in the song
  • Use imagination to represent familiar animals through movement and sound
  • Identify jungle animals and associate them with characteristic movements
  • Develop counting, pattern recognition or fine motor skills through a selected printable activity

What you'll need

  • Screen or device to play the Jungle Jam video
  • Jungle Jam activity pack PDF
  • Pencils or crayons
  • Clear, safe space for movement

Watch and sing

Watch the song together, then follow the activities below.

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Prefer streaming?

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Lesson activities

Step 1: Welcome to the jungle

2 minutes

Introduce the jungle adventure and ask children which animals they might find there. Invite them to choose an animal and show how it might move or sound. Encourage all suggestions and demonstrate a few movements, such as a slow elephant stomp or a monkey wiggle.

Step 2: Dance like jungle animals

5 minutes

Play the Jungle Jam video and encourage children to follow the actions. Stomp slowly like an elephant, shake shoulders like a monkey, jump and wiggle, roar like a lion, spin carefully, stretch tall like a giraffe and slither like a snake. When the song asks children to move faster, invite them to change pace if comfortable. Adapt actions for different abilities and keep enough space between children.

Step 3: Choose a jungle challenge

6 minutes

Choose one activity from the printable pack. Children might match animals to their movements or sounds, count groups of jungle animals, continue an animal pattern, trace a path, find hidden snakes, complete the maze or draw a favourite jungle animal. Offer pointing, verbal answers or adult support for younger children who are not ready to write or trace independently.

Step 4: Jungle animal recap

2 minutes

Call out a few animals from the song and invite children to show the matching movement. Ask them which animal they enjoyed pretending to be. Finish with a final group jungle dance or a gentle stretch and celebrate everyone's participation.

Questions to ask

  • How does an elephant move?
  • Can you shake like a monkey or stretch like a giraffe?
  • Which animal slithers along the ground?
  • Can you match an animal to its movement or sound?
  • Can you count the jungle animals in your activity?
  • Which animal would you choose to be, and how would you move?

Finish together

Children have explored jungle animals through music, movement and imaginative play. They have practised coordination, listening and following instructions, with a selected printable activity providing further practice in counting, matching, patterns or fine motor control.

Free printable activity pack

Continue the lesson with the matching activity sheets.

Download activity pack (pdf) Explore all activity packs