Monkey Puzzle - Flashcards and game cards

Have fun learning animals, animal body parts and useful story language with these Monkey Puzzle flashcards and game cards.

♦ Help your young learners learn key animal, body parts, and story language from the Monkey Puzzle story in a fun, dynamic way.

♦ Try out the included game ideas for interactive practise and easy learning.

♦ A choice of three card types provide plenty of learning opportunities so your esl kids never get bored.

♦ Perfect for helping you plan engaging and effective lessons so you have structure to your Monkey Puzzle story lessons.

Ready for fun with Monkey Puzzle flashcards and game cards ? Get your templates and lesson ideas here:

Or get them in one of the Monkey Puzzle Activities Bundles. Best value!

What will my ESL young learners learn?

These Monkey Puzzle flashcards and game cards can be used to practise all the vocabulary, but you can also use them to practise useful phrases from the story and structures you’re working on. You can even use them to practise sequencing skills and story retelling.

The text cards can help you work on reading and spelling with older learners. They’re helpful as a support for writing activities too.

See vocabulary included on the cards and other structures you can focus on below:

Animal vocabulary

monkey, butterfly, elephant, snake, spider, parrot, frog, spider, parrot, frog, bat, caterpillar, alligator, lizard, tiger

Animal body parts

nose, wings, fur, moist skin, feathers, tusks, claws, beak, fingers, tail, legs, trunk

Adjectives of description

big, small, curly, hairy, slimy, moist, furry

Sample story language

I’ve lost my mum.
I want my mum.
Don’t cry.
I can help.
I know! Come with me.
No, no, no. That’s not my mum.
That’s a (frog).

Structures

verb ‘to be’ – 3rd person
e.g. My mum is big. / A bat is small. / She isn’t grey. / My mum isn’t tall.

‘have’ / ‘have got’ for possession – 3rd person
e.g. My mum has got a tail. / A spider has got 8 legs. / She hasn’t got tusks. / A snake hasn’t got legs
‘can’ for ability
e.g. My mum can jump. / A parrot can fly. / She can’t fly. / a frog can’t run.

Game and activity language

Where’s the…? It’s here. It’s there. Is it…? Yes, it is. No, it isn’t. What is it? What are they? It’s a.. They are…

Whose turn is it? It’s my turn. It’s your turn. Let’s play. I have a match! You win! I lost. Never mind. Again! I know!

Can you find the…? I can see a… Where does this go? Here. There.

Can I have..? Here you are. Thank you. You’re welcome.

What do teachers say about the resources?

Wow! I used this resource for one of my labs and it has been explosive. Children were super excited and of course, I was as well! Nothing to complain about! Great work!

I have recently started to use storytelling in my classes and ESL labs. Fiona’s resources are a real treasure. Lots of useful tips and ready-to-use material to bring the story to life and help kids use the language. Excellent, couldn’t ask for more.

The resources were great and saved me so much time, the teaching tips gave me ideas. We had a lot of fun with it : the kids loved the activities, learnt the animals and movements and understood the story. And I feel like there is so much more I could have done. Thank you !

I found this resources few weeks ago and now I’m always have a look first on this web. The range of activities are awesome!

I love the resources and the kids seemed to enjoy too. I had a hard time today with a mixed-age group (from 6 to 14!), but the abundance of differentiated activities Fiona offers made it much easier for me to make the time spent together meaningful.

Most importantly, my students really enjoyed the process of making their own mini book. It also served as an assessment, as I was able to see clearly which students were having issues with reading and matching – but it didn’t feel like an exam or test for the students at all. I only wish I’d found this at the beginning of the academic year.

Frequently asked questions

Can't I just make these resources myself for nothing?

Yes, of course! Maybe you have the time and enjoy creating things, but it has to be said that being a young learner teacher can involve a HUGE amount of extra work making materials. Give yourself a break!

How do I know these materials will work?

All my materials have been tried and tested in the classroom. As well as having almost 20 years of teaching experience, I am also a qualified trainer for the Trinity TYLEC (Teaching Young Learners Extension Certificate), so you can rely on the quality.

I'm teaching mixed aged groups. Will these materials work?

Yes! With lower levels you may choose to work on a fewer number of items at a time, and with higher levels you can stretch them with the whole gambit.

I need a ready to go lesson plan. Can I use this?

These card sets aren’t designed to be used for a whole lesson, but they can certainly be used across a complete series of lessons on the story. You can even use them in other topic based lessons.

Once you’ve had a chance to use your materials, don’t forget to come back to leave a review. As a thank you, you’ll receive a 20% discount on any other resource : )

Monkey Puzzle Flashcards and Game cards