20+ Interesting Monkey Activities to Do with Your Kids

While researching this article, my kids and I watched a couple of documentaries that illuminated the many similarities between human beings and monkeys 🐒. 

Did you know that human beings share over 90% of their DNA with monkeys, lemurs, apes, and other primates? 

Human beings and primates, like monkeys, evolved from a common ancestor. This explains why we share a lot of social and physical attributes. 

For instance, monkeys 🐒 love to socialize and tend to form stronger bonds with certain members of their tribe over others. My aim for this article was to introduce children to monkeys and make them realize how amazing they are. 

fascinating Monkey Activities For Kids

In this article, I have listed several arts and crafts, learning lessons, and snack ideas that are inspired by monkeys 🐒. 

There are many similarities between monkeys and human beings, like having a thumb to hold onto things, longer life spans, having only one to two children at a time, and the need for socialization. 

Hopefully, through these activities, you can impart compassion for monkeys and other primates in your children. 

Paper Plate Monkey Craft 

Making paper plate crafts is one of my toddler’s favorite activities. 

What you need- Paper plates, brown construction paper, beige construction paper, black marker, glue, scissors, and pencil. 

Steps- 

• Help your child paint 🎨 the paper plates completely brown.  
• After the paint has dried, trim one of the paper plates in such a way that it looks like a monkey’s head with ears. 
• From the brown construction paper, make two hands, two feet and legs, and a tail. 
• On the beige construction paper, draw a monkey’s face with eyes, nose, and mouth. Cut with scissors. 
• Now, let us assemble. The full paper plate is the monkey’s body. Paste the two hands, tails, and legs around the body. 
• Now, paste the monkey’s head on the monkey’s 🐒 body. Finally, the construction paper with the monkey’s face is pasted inside the paper plate with the monkey’s head. 

Visit an Animal Sanctuary or an Ethical Zoo 

Visiting an animal sanctuary or an ethical zoo to see monkeys 🐒 is a great way to educate your children about animal welfare and conservation efforts. 

The guides and zoologists at the ethical zoo that my children and I visited were incredibly gracious and answered my children’s queries. 

Pro tip- Ask your child to write an essay on the monkeys at the monkey 🐒 enclosure at the zoo or animal sanctuary. 

Popsicle Stick Monkey Craft for Toddlers 

It was the summer, and my kids and I ate many popsicles, which inspired me to make this craft. 

What you need- Clean used popsicle sticks, glue, brown paper, brown paint 🎨, brown pipe cleaner, and a black marker. 

Steps- 

• Line up four popsicle sticks. Cut another popsicle stick in half and apply glue on both halves. Place the two halves on the four sticks in such a way that it holds them together. 
• Help your child paint 🎨 the sticks completely with brown paint. 
• On the construction paper, help your child draw a monkey’s 🐒 face, chest, and ears. 
• Paste the construction paper on the popsicle sticks. 
• Use the pipe cleaners to make the hands, legs, and tail of the monkey. 

Monkey Tail Celery Snack 

This monkey 🐒 tail celery snack is just a fun way to make your child eat healthy, fresh vegetables. 

What you need- Celery stalks and peanut butter 🧈. 

Steps- 

• Cut the celery stalks into long, thin sticks and then soak them in water. 
• Meanwhile, in serving cups, put a tablespoon of peanut butter. 
• Before serving, place the celery stalk in the peanut butter 🧈 cups. 

Pro tip- You can replace the peanut butter with a yogurt dip.  

Monkey Feet Painting Craft 

My kids love to take part in any painting or craft that has the potential to get messy, and this was no different. 

What you need- Non-toxic paint 🎨and construction paper. 

Steps- 

• Paint one of your child’s feet with brown paint and stamp it on the construction paper. 
• The toes are the monkey’s feet, and the heel is its face. 
• Help your child paint the monkey’s 🐒 chest, tail, face, and ears with their finger. 
• Now, use your fingers to make the tree from which the monkey is hanging. 

Paper Tube Monkey 

This toilet paper tube monkey 🐒 is super easy to make and is super adorable. 

What you need- Empty toilet paper or kitchen paper roll, scissors, brown and white paper, scissors, and a pencil. 

Steps- 

• From the brown construction paper, make the monkey’s ears, eyes, nostrils, and face. 
• From the white construction paper, make the monkey’s white eyes. 
• Now, let us assemble, apply glue to the monkey’s 🐒 ears, and paste on the opposite sides of the toilet paper. 
• Paste the monkey’s face between the two ears. 
• Paste the white eyeballs and black eyes inside the monkey’s face. 
• Also, paste the nostrils underneath the eyes. 

Watch Family Movies and Television Shows About Monkeys 

There are plenty of fictional and educational movies and television shows that feature monkeys 🐒. You can also show your kids documentaries about different types of monkeys to teach them about their habitat, their relationship with human beings and other animals, and what they eat.  

Egg Carton Monkey 

Repurpose used egg cartons for this cute monkey 🐒 craft. 

What you need- An egg carton, googly eyes, brown pipe cleaners, brown paint, scissors, and a paintbrush 🖌️. 

Steps- 

• Cut two cups from an egg carton and help your child paint 🎨them with brown paint. 
• Once the brown paint has dried, use a light brown paint color to draw two circles on the egg cups. 
• To make the eyes, draw two white eyeballs and two small eyes in the middle of them. 
• Use the black paint to make the monkey’s 🐒nostrils and a mouth, 
• Cut the brown pipe cleaners into seven different pieces to make the ears, tail, arms, and legs. 

Monkey Cupcakes 

This monkey 🐒 cupcake recipe is the perfect dessert and is also super easy to make. 

What you need- Chocolate 🍫 cupcake mix, softened salted butter 🧈, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, mini Nilla wafers, chocolate sanding sugar, candy eyeballs, black gel icing, and cupcake liners. 

Steps- 

• Follow the instructions on the back of the chocolate cupcake mix box and bake the cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool down. You can also buy store-bought chocolate 🍫cupcakes and use them for this dessert. 
• To make the vanilla buttercream, in a large mixing bowl, add one and a half sticks of salted butter and whip with a hand mixer. Whip the butter until it becomes slightly fluffy and smooth. 
• Now, start adding powdered sugar to the butter 🧈 one cup at a time. I like to mix until I can’t see any powdered sugar, and then add the second cup. 
• Once the sugar has been incorporated, add three tablespoons of heavy cream and one and a half of teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix on high for at least 2 to 3 minutes or until the required consistency is achieved. Fill the piping bag with the buttercream. 
• Pipe a generous amount of buttercream on top of the cupcakes after they have cooled down. 
• On a plate, dump some sanding sugar and gently press the cupcakes into it to cover their top.
• To make the monkey’s mouth, place a Nilla wafer on the cupcake. Make the ears by breaking the nilla wafers in half and placing them next to the mouth. 
• Next, place the googly eyes above the mouth and make features like a smile and a nose with the black gel icing. The monkey 🐒 cupcakes are ready to be served. 

Monkey Mask 

Your kids will love to play the part of a monkey 🐒with this monkey mask. 

What you need- Construction paper, paint, paintbrush 🖌️, black marker, and popsicle sticks. 

Steps- 

• I downloaded a simple template of a monkey’s face and printed it on construction paper. 
• Then, with the help of a box cutter, I helped my kids make eye holes. 
• My kids painted the monkey 🐒 with brown and beige paint. 
• And we cut the excess paper from around the monkey’s face. 
• Apply glue on the back of a popsicle stick and glue it under the monkey’s face. 

Monkey Ice Cream 

You and your kids will love this monkey 🐒ice cream on a hot summer’s day. 

What you need- Ice cream cones, candy eyeballs, vanilla wafers, edible markers, and chocolate ice cream. 

Steps- 

• Scoop one scoop of chocolate 🍫 ice cream in an ice cream cone. 
• Place two candy eyeballs on the ice cream scoop. 
• Underneath the eyeballs, place one vanilla wafer and draw the nostrils and mouth with the edible marker. 
• Put two vanilla wafers on either side of the eyeballs to make the ears. 

Teach Your Children About The Three Wise Monkeys  

The Three Wise Monkeys 🐒 is a popular proverb that urges people not to turn a blind eye to injustice and to speak up against it. Other interpretations of the imagery of the three wise monkeys include urging people to be well-meaning towards other people with their speech and actions. 

Paper Cup Monkey Craft 

Reuse a used paper cup for this monkey 🐒craft. 

What you need- Paper cups, pipe cleaners, paint, and paintbrush 🖌️. 

Steps- 

• Paint the paper cup completely with brown paint. 
• Mix some brown and white paint 🎨 together to make the monkey’s face; once the paint has dried, use a black marker to draw the eyes, nose, and mouth. 
• Use the remaining paint to draw the chest underneath the face. 
• Cut a small piece from a brown pipe cleaner for the tail and make two ears as well. Glue the pipe cleaners on the cup, and your paper cup monkey 🐒 is done. 

Monkey Pancakes

Made from simple ingredients found in your kitchen and fridge, these monkey 🐒pancakes were a massive hit amongst my children, who loved the artistry, along with the taste. 

What you need- Flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, egg, buttermilk, oil, bananas, peanut butter, Nutella, and chocolate chips. 

Steps- 

• To make the pancake mix, mix a cup of flour, a cup of oatmeal, one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of baking soda, a quarter of a teaspoon of salt, one egg, one cup of buttermilk, two mashed bananas, and two teaspoons of oil in a large mixing bowl. 
• Heat a non-stick pan on medium-high heat. To make the monkey 🐒, you’ll need two circular pancakes, one regular size and one small. 
• Cook the pancakes on each side until they are golden brown on each side. 
• Let the pancakes slightly cool down before spreading a dollop of Nutella on the large pancake. 
• Spread a dollop of Peanut butter on the smaller pancake. 
• On the serving plate, place the smaller pancake at the bottom of the larger pancake. 
• Slice a banana into circles and use that to make the eyes and ears. 
• Use the chocolate 🍫 chips to make the eyeballs, nostrils, and smile. 

Handprint Monkey 

This adorable handprint monkey 🐒 craft is definitely a keepsake from your child’s toddler stage. 

What you need- Beige and brown construction paper, googly eyes, green pipe cleaner, black marker, and glue. 

Steps- 

• On the brown construction paper, trace your child’s hand with a black marker. Cut with scissors. 
• Also, draw a tail and a monkey’s head from the brown construction paper. Careful cut with scissors. 
• On the beige construction paper, draw the monkey’s 🐒 inner ear, mouth, and nose. 
• Apply glue to the back of the monkey’s head and paste it on the thumb. 
• Similarly, paste the tail below the pinky finger. 
• Finally, paste the inner ear, mouth, and nose on the monkey’s head, along with the googly eyes. 
• Cut a piece of green pipe cleaner and paste it on the tips of the finger. 

The Three Wise Monkeys Craft 

This adorable craft is a wonderful way to teach your children that they should never turn a blind eye to any type of injustice and always speak up for what is right. 

What you need- Paper plate, paint, pencil, paintbrush 🖌️, and construction paper. 

Steps- 

• Ask your child to paint 🎨 three paper plates with brown paint. Let it dry completely. 
• Next, draw the monkey’s 🐒 face on each plate with white and black paint. 
• Draw three pairs of arms with hands and cut with scissors. 
• Glue them to the back of the plates. 
• Fold one pair of arms in such a way that it covers the monkey’s mouth, fold the other in such a way that it covers the monkey’s eyes, and the remaining in such a way that it covers the monkey’s 🐒ears. 

Read Books About Monkeys 

There are several great children’s books about monkeys that you can read to your children to improve their speaking skills, pronunciation, diction, and spelling.

These monkey-related books are- The Monkey with a Bright Blue Bottom by Steve Smallman, Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet, Mr Big by Ed Vere, and Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl. 

Monkey Cake 

Everybody was in awe of this monkey 🐒 cake. 

What you need- All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter 🧈, banana, sour cream, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, eggs, dark chocolate, heavy cream, peanut butter, icing sugar, and whole milk. 

Steps- 

• In a mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients for the banana cake- 350 grams of all-purpose flour, 5 grams of baking powder and baking soda, and 2 grams of salt. Set aside. 
• In another bowl, mash two ripe bananas and add 170 grams of unsalted butter 🧈, 60 milliliters of sour cream, 5 ml of vanilla extract, four eggs, and 300 grams of granulated sugar. Mix with a handheld whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl every other minute to ensure that everything is getting mixed properly. 
• Slowly start adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, one cup at a time. 
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, grease two 9-inch round pans with butter 🧈, line the bottom with parchment paper, and prepare a small muffin pan (6 muffins) in a similar fashion. 
• Fill 4 out of the six muffin cups with the cake mix and use the remaining to fill the two cake pans. Bake in the oven until the center is set. Check with the skewer to ensure that the cakes are properly cooked. 
• Remove the cake from the baking pan and transfer it to a cooling rack. 
• To make the chocolate 🍫 ganache, heat 500 ml of heavy cream for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 450 grams of dark chocolate in the bowl with the heavy cream and let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes before slowly stirring until the mixture turns into a thin syrup. 
• Let the mixture cool down, first at room temperature and then in the fridge. Transfer it to a metal mixing bowl and whisk with a hand mixture until it becomes fluffy. 
• To make the peanut frosting, whisk 400 grams of peanut butter, 100 grams of unsalted butter 🧈, two tablespoons of whole milk, and 200 grams of icing sugar until a smooth, fluffy consistency is achieved. 
• Trim the top of the baked cake rounds until it is flat. On top of the bottom layer of the cake, with a spatula, spread a dollop of chocolate ganache. 
• Place the other cake layer on top and cover the entire cake with the chocolate frosting. Similarly, cover two of the chocolate 🍫 cupcakes with chocolate frosting. 
• Use the peanut frosting to make the monkey’s face. Apply peanut butter frosting to the top of the chocolate cupcakes as well. Place the chocolate 🍫cupcakes on opposite sides of the cake. 
• Make features like the nose, eyes, and mouth with the remaining chocolate frosting. Put the cake in the fridge until it is ready to serve. 

Pro tip- From parchment paper, cut a template for the monkey’s face so that you can apply the peanut butter frosting evenly on the cake. 

Fingerprint Monkey Card 

I helped my son make this get-well-soon card for a close family friend. The family friend really enjoyed the joke that my son came up with. 

What you need- White construction paper, twine, glue, and white watercolor. 

Steps- 

• Fold the construction paper in half. 
• Apply glue on the back of a piece of twine and paste in the middle of the front of the folded white construction paper. 
• In a small cup, mix brown paper with water. 
• Dip your child’s thumb in the cup and stamp underneath the twine in such a way that it looks like a small monkey 🐒. Make two to three impressions under the twine. 
• Now, use a brown marker and draw the monkey’s hands as if they are holding onto the twine. Also, draw other features like legs and tail.
• Once the paint 🎨 has dried, ask your child to write a sweet message on the card for their loved ones.  

Accordion Paper Monkey Craft 

This activity is a great test for your child’s listening abilities and comprehension skills. 

What you need is scissors, a black marker, yellow, brown, tan, white, and black construction paper, and glue. 

Steps- 

• Ask your child to draw a monkey’s 🐒 face and body on the brown construction paper. Cut with scissors. 
• Then, ask your child to make an oval for the monkey’s mouth and cut with your child. Draw a smile and two nostrils with the black marker. 
• Make two eyeballs from the white construction paper and two eyes from the black construction paper. Paste the black eyes on the white construction paper. 
• Now, paste the eyeballs on the monkey’s 🐒 face, along with the monkey’s mouth.  
• Next, ask your child to cut out long strips from the brown construction paper for the monkey’s arms, legs, and tail. Glue them to the body, like the monkey is dancing. Once the glue has dried, fold the arms and legs back and forth like an accordion. 
• Make the hands and feet from the tan-colored construction paper. Glue them on the arms and legs. 
• On the yellow construction paper, draw a banana and cut it with scissors. Paste it in such a way that it seems like the monkey🐒is holding onto the banana. The accordion paper monkey craft is ready. 

Chunky Monkey Chocolate Truffles 

If your children are just as obsessed with chocolates as you are, then they’ll love it. 

What you need- Banana pudding mix, water, almonds, coconut oil, chocolate 🍫 chips, walnuts, butter, and powdered sugar. 

Steps- 

• In a mixing bowl, whisk a packet of banana pudding mix and a quarter of a cup of butter. Slowly add a quarter of a cup of water to the mixture until it resembles a pudding. 
• Start adding one and a half cups of powdered sugar to the pudding mixture and whisk once again once the mixture stiffens. 
• Use an ice cream scooper to form the pudding mixture into small balls and place them on the baking sheet. 
• Freeze the pudding balls. 
• To make the almond chocolate 🍫 bark, line a baking sheet with wax paper. 
• On a double boiler, melt some chocolate chips and coconut oil until all of the chocolate is smooth. 
• Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and add a cup of chopped almonds to it. Mix well, and then pour the mixture into a bowl. Let it sit aside. 
• Dip the pudding balls in the melted chocolate bark. While the chocolate is still wet, place a walnut on top. Let the chocolate 🍫 set and serve. 

Monkey on a Tree 

My daughter not only loved making this craft but also wanted to use it as a decoration in her room. 

What you need- Green construction paper, white construction paper, green foam sheet, crayons, tape, scissors, pencil, paper cup, and crayons. 

Steps- 

• On the white construction paper, help your child draw a monkey 🐒 and a hand of bananas. Fill in the color, both front and back, and cut with scissors. 
• Roll the construction paper into a narrow cone and insert a paper cup at the base to provide support and secure its shape by taping its edges. 
• Draw banana tree leaves on the green foam sheet and cut with scissors. 
• Now, let us assemble this craft. Firstly, at the top of the green construction paper cone, paste the green foam leaves. 
• Then, paste the hand of bananas and the monkey 🐒 on the cone with tape. Your craft is ready. 

Monkey Counting Clothespin Number Activity 

Improve your child’s counting skills with this number-counting activity. 

What you need- Wooden clothespin, Monkeyface stickers, glue, and construction paper. 

Steps- 

• Paint several wooden clothespins with brown paint. 
• Paste the monkey 🐒 face stickers on top of the clothespin. 
• Now, write the numbers from 1 to 10 on ten flashcards. 
• Shuffle the flashcards and hand them to your children along with the wooden clothespin. 
• Ask your child to read the number written on the flashcard out loud and paste the corresponding number of clothespins to them. 

Pro tip- I used this concept as an inspiration for another mathematics activity to improve my child’s multiplication skills. You can also use it to teach them how to spell words and improve their letter recognition skills. 

Chocolate Dipped Bananas 

Monkeys love eating bananas. I was inspired to make this treat for my kids while we were learning about monkeys 🐒at home. 

What you need- Ripe bananas, popsicle sticks, banana-shaped candy, sprinkles, and dark chocolate chips. 

Steps- 

• Remove the banana peel carefully and insert a popsicle stick through each banana. Place on a plate and put it in the freezer. 
• Let the bananas freeze for at least an hour. 
• After an hour, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt some dark chocolate 🍫 chips. 
• Take the bananas out of the freezer and dip them directly into the melted chocolate. The chocolate will be set right away. 
• Sprinkle the sprinkles immediately and decorate with the banana-shaped candy. 

Monkey Headband 

My kids looked so cute while wearing this adorable headband around the house. 

What you need- Brown construction paper, marker, stapler, and scissors. 

Steps- 

• In the middle of the brown construction paper, draw a monkey’s 🐒face. 
• Make two rectangles on either side of the monkey’s chin. 
• Cut the entire thing with scissors. 
• Adjust the strips around your child’s head and then secure the strips with the staples. 

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys 

My daughter wrapped these adorable pipe cleaner monkeys 🐒 around the top of her pencils and her water bottle. 

What you need- Brown and yellow pipe cleaners, googly eyes, large wooden beads, acrylic paint, and glue. 

Steps- 

• Paint 🎨 two large wooden beads with brown acrylic paint. 
• One of the large beads will be the monkey’s head. Use tan and black acrylic paint to paint the monkey’s mouth, nose, and eyes. 
• From the brown pipe cleaner, cut three equal pieces. The pipe cleaners will be the monkey’s arms, legs, and tail. 
• Place one pipe cleaner in the center and the two other pipe cleaners on both sides. Twist them in such a way that there is a knot in the center, and the pipe cleaners are divided into six strands on the top and at the bottom. 
• The top strands will be the monkey’s head and arms, whereas the bottom strand will be the monkey’s 🐒 legs and tails. 
• Hold the three bottom strands together and slide the remaining bead through them. 
• Now, bend the bottom strand that is in the middle to make the tail and the two remaining strands into the legs. 
• Similarly, cut the middle strand at the top and bend the two remaining strands on its sides into the monkey’s hands. 
• Apply glue at the bottom of the wooden bead with the face drawn on and paste on top of the middle strand. The pipe cleaner monkey 🐒 is ready. 

Conclusion 

When kids are young, they are mesmerized by animals. Fostering this curiosity through arts and crafts and learning lessons is a great way to build compassion towards animals and raise awareness about conservation efforts. This was my aim while writing this article about monkeys 🐒. 

Hopefully, your kids will have fun engaging in these activities. Let us know in the comments down below which activity was your child’s favorite.