Today is Monkey Around Day! What on earth could that mean? Well, it’s a day to let go of stress and pressure, choosing instead to do whatever you feel like doing. Think of it as a goof-off day! And you can take this as far as you want to or keep it low key. How much would our kids love to have a Monkey Around Day?
Are there crazy ideas that you have set aside because they aren’t practical? Do your kids have silly or over-the-top ideas? Since today is Monkey Around Day, it’s exactly the right time to consider these wild ideas.
Monkey Around Day started just a few years ago when a man in Rochester, New York wanted to honor his daughter and help his family. His daughter’s birthday was on June 14, and she loved monkeys. This man, Bob Matthews, saw how stressed out his family had been. So he decided to set a special day for them to let go of their stress and just monkey around.
So how do we have a Monkey Around Day? Here are a couple of ideas to get you going.
A time for extra fun
Think about fun or “extra” things you’d like to do. Ask your kids too, if they haven’t already been talking about their wild ideas.
Is there a new or fancy food to try? Maybe there’s a place you’d like to visit or a new activity you’d like to try?
For your kids, an epic blanket fort might be the best thing ever. Or a food that they’ve been asking for could do the trick.
A day at the trampoline park or at the aquarium could be what makes today a monkey around day. Or you could head to the zoo to see actual monkeys. This can go on and on. The point is, today is Monkey Around Day, so what extra fun would make this a fun day for you and your family?
A time for some learning
Kids tend to enjoy learning about animals, so why not learn some fun facts about monkeys today? While that may not sound like a stress-free, goof-off activity, it could be just that kind of thing for your kids. Books and videos about monkeys could be super fun!
And why not not learn the sign for monkey while we’re at it?
At My Signing Time, we have plenty of shows to help you learn about monkeys.
There is the 5 Little Monkeys song in our Mother Goose Club Sing and Sign series.
We also have Rachel & The Treeschoolers: Awesome Animals. If you don’t have a subscription to My Signing Time, you can watch the first episode of the TreeSchoolers series to help decide if you’d like to try us out. We offer a 14-day free trial to help you know for sure.
For creative fun, check out Art Time at the TreeSchool to learn to draw Penny, Simon, or Bongo.
Then in our Classic Signing Time series, we have The Zoo Train.
And for some fun learning Spanish, try out the video Animales from Basho and Friends.
And remember, just because today is Monkey Around Day, it doesn’t mean that you can’t set your own Monkey Around Day. Do what works for your family. The point is to pick a time to let go of the stress in our lives and go have some fun.
So what will you do for Monkey Around Day?