It can be such a challenge to come up with emergency sub plans on the fly. Especially if you want your students to have a cohesive day of learning instead of a mismatched combination of activities that you (or your team members) pull together at the last minute. I have found that a day of cohesive learning activities centered around a read aloud can be an effective option for last-minute subs. These Grumpy Monkey activities are a great example!
Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang
“Grumpy Monkey” by Suzanne Lang is such a fun read aloud for kindergarten and first grade students. In this book, the other animals are concerned about Jim Panzee’s grumpy mood, but he insists that he’s not! I think all students (and teachers…who am I kidding) can absolutely relate to Jim Panzee in this story. Some days are just rough!
Your substitute can read this book out loud to your class as a fun way to start the day. If you aren’t able to grab a physical copy of the book, you can send the sub a link to the readaloud on YouTube. Here’s one example:
Grumpy Monkey Activities
I have created a set of fun companion activities for Grumpy Monkey that are easy to share with a last-minute substitute. The set include an introduction letter and activities in a PDF format, so they’re easy to attach to an email for the sub to print at school. The activities are also preloaded into Seesaw so the teacher can quickly assign daily tasks with just one click. Plus, a PowerPoint with moveable pieces is included for the classrooms that do not use Seesaw.

For this unit, there are a variety of learning activities that can be used throughout the daily learning routine. Students can practice comprehension skills through written response. They can work on math activities inspired by the Grumpy Monkey book. Students can also work on phonics skills with themed literacy activities. Let’s take a closer look at a handful of these low-prep Grumpy Monkey activities.
1. Written Response
For this unit, there are three writing activities where students can respond to literature by drawing a picture and constructing a written response. Students practice making connections, using their inferring skills, and expressing their opinions throughout these lessons.

For example, this writing activity prompts students to draw and write about a time when they felt grumpy. This gives them a chance to make connections with the text. By having space to both draw and write, the sub can differentiate the activity as needed.
2. Character Sort
In another lesson, students practice developing their reading comprehension by identifying animals that were in the story versus animals that were not in the story. This character sorting worksheet gives them a chance to practice their fine motor skills, as well!

We all know that it can be tricky to time things in an unfamiliar schedule, so if the sub needs the activity to take a little longer, students can also color the characters for additional fine motor practice.
3. Number Bonds
There are several math activities included in this resource – three for both kindergarten and first grade. This makes it easy to choose activities that are the best fit for your students.

One of these activities is number bond practice. Students will find the missing number to complete the number bond, then they will write a corresponding addition sentence.
4. Subtraction Sort
Students can also practice subtraction by sorting different representations of subtraction under the correct number. This helps students review different subtraction strategies, like crossing off a certain number of objects in a group.

The sub could extend the activity by asking early finishers to write some of their own subtraction problems for each number or even try it with a new number.
5. Subtraction Practice
In this activity, students will draw a picture to help them understand the subtraction equation, They can draw the total number objects in the group, then see how many they need to cross off in order to have that number left. Once they’ve figured it out, they can fill in the missing number in the equation.

6. Syllable Count
This set of Grumpy Monkey book activities also gives students the chance to practice phonemic awareness and phonics. In this activity, students can sort the animals from the story by counting the number of syllables as they identify each animal.

7. Ending Sound Sort
Students can practice listening for ending sounds with this sorting activity. They will identify a picture and listen for the ending sound as they name the picture. Once they’ve figured out which ending sound they hear, they’ll cut and paste the picture onto the sorting mat.

8. Beginning Blends Sort
Similar to the ending sound sort, students will sort pictures based on the initial blend they hear. Since these activities are also digital, they could easily be used for whole-group practice by giving individual students the chance to drag and drop a picture into the correct space.

Grumpy Monkey Activity Bundle (and More!)
Even though I shared how these Grumpy Monkey activities are helpful for last-minute sub plans, they can also be a fun addition to your lesson plans anytime! If you’d like to take a closer look at all of the activities included in this resource, you can find the kindergarten and first grade lessons bundled together in this resource:
If you’ve found the perfect use for a book unit in your classroom and would love more book options, check out these blog posts for more ideas:
These book activities are also bundled by season, so the skills match up with the typical scope and sequence of kindergarten and first grade. You can find the bundles on Teachers Pay Teachers by clicking below: