Welcome to this spooky but silly English story for beginners. 'The Skeleton Dance' is a very old tale about a skeleton who comes alive at night and has a party in the graveyard. In this simple retelling, you will meet a friendly skeleton who loves to move his bones.
This story is perfect for A1 learners. You can read the whole story for free, with clickable words to help you understand. There is also professional audio so you can listen and read at the same time. At the end, find easy lesson notes to practice new words.
The skeleton dances in the moonlight and makes funny sounds. But what happens when the sun comes up? Read and find out!
It is night. The moon is . In the , a skeleton .
He . "Hello, bones!" he says. "Time to !"
He . He his arms. He his legs. He dances and dances.
A cat and a mouse . "Wow!" says the mouse. "Let's !"
"Shake your bones with me!" says the skeleton. They all and together.
The sun . The skeleton . "Good night, bones!" he says.
At night, with a big bright moon, a skeleton wakes up in an old graveyard.
He opens his mouth and says, "Hello, bones! It's time to dance!"
He shakes his head, rattles his arms, wiggles his legs, and dances a lot.
A cat and a mouse watch. The mouse says, "Wow! Let's dance too!"
The skeleton says, "Shake your bones with me!" They all shake and rattle together.
When the sun comes up, the skeleton lies down and says, "Good night, bones!"
The skeleton moves different body parts. Let's learn their names in English!
Point to each part as you say the word. Try it with a friend or in front of a mirror.
- head
- arms
- legs
- mouth
- bones
Look at how the skeleton dances. These words describe the movements.
Repeat each action word and do the movement. It's fun and helps you remember!
- shake
- rattle
- wiggle
- dance
The skeleton says "Hello, bones!" and "Good night, bones!" These are simple, friendly phrases.
You can use them in real life. Change the word after the greeting to talk to people or even things!
- "Hello, [name]!" - a warm greeting
- "Good night, [name]!" - a farewell at night
Now it's your turn! Stand up, move your body, and say the English words.
Dancing like the skeleton is a great way to practice and smile. Keep moving and learning!
- Point to your head and say "head".
- Shake your arms and say "shake".
- Wiggle your legs and say "wiggle".
- Say "Hello, my bones!" and laugh.
The Skeleton Dance comes from the American / public-domain screen or print culture tradition and is best known as a animated short film. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on 1929 film; public domain in U.S., so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually kids/general, but this version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying English. Original Silly Symphony short; avoid later Disney art/audio.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try 1,200 English Phrases and Expressions for another useful next step.
