Sharing interesting facts for kids about Africa is a great way to introduce or refresh information on this amazing continent. Also, grab more ideas on my post Free Africa Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning | Free Continent & Country Reports.
There is much to be learned about Africa as a continent.
For, you want to learn about its people, customs, animals, plants, landforms, and the resources that we get from there.
It is truly one of the most diverse places on earth from the Savanna to the Congo.
We’re focusing on the amazing African wildlife that covers it and makes its homes in all the different biomes.
Too, we’re creating a cute handprint cheetah and then digging into some interesting facts.
Whether you are just looking for a single activity or want to create a whole unit there is no shortage of ideas and information.
Books About Africa for Kids
Also, add some of these books to your reading diet.
13 Resources for Children Studying About Africa
Add one or two of these books to your study about the art of Africa.
Africa For Kids: People, Places, Culture gives children not only a peek into the land and its people but the artwork of even simple everyday items like weaving and serving plates.
Here is a coloring book filled with African souvenirs to color that is soothing and a great springboard for discussion.
I found this beautiful book of African Patterned Scrapbook paper that can be used for many craft projects.
Atinuke’s first non-fiction title is a major publishing event: a celebration of all 55 countries on the African continent! Her beautifully-written text captures Africa’s unique mix of the modern and the traditional, as she explores its geography, its peoples, its animals, its history, its resources and its cultural diversity. The book divides Africa into five sections: South, East, West, Central and North, each with its own introduction. This is followed by a page per country, containing a delightful mix of friendly, informative text and colourful illustrations.
Enter into the daily life of children in the many countries of modern Africa. Countering stereotypes, Africa Is Not a Country celebrates the extraordinary diversity of this vibrant continent as experienced by children at home, at school, at work, and at play.
With its wide sky and warm earth, Princess Gie Gie’s kingdom is a beautiful land. But clean drinking water is scarce in her small African village. And try as she might, Gie Gie cannot bring the water closer; she cannot make it run clearer. Every morning, she rises before the sun to make the long journey to the well. Instead of a crown, she wears a heavy pot on her head to collect the water. After the voyage home, after boiling the water to drink and clean with, Gie Gie thinks of the trip that tomorrow will bring. And she dreams. She dreams of a day when her village will have cool, crystal-clear water of its own.
Artists Leo and Diane Dillon won their second consecutive Caldecott Medal for this stunning ABC of African culture. "Another virtuoso performance. . . . Such an astute blend of aesthetics and information is admirable, the child's eye will be rewarded many times over."
Omar and his brother Hassan, two Somali boys, have spent a long time in the Dadaab refugee camp. Separated from their mother, they are looked after by a friendly stranger. Life in the camp isn't always easy. The hunger is constant . . . but there's football to look forward to, and now there's a chance Omar will get to go to school . . .With a heart-wrenching fairytale ending, this incredible true story is brought to life by Victoria's stunning illustrations. This book perfectly depicts life in a refugee camp for 8-12 year olds.
When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land. Retold for a younger audience, this exciting memoir shows how, even in a desperate situation, one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world. Complete with photographs, illustrations, and an epilogue that will bring readers up to date on William's story, this is the perfect edition to read and share with the whole family.
Things Fall Apart is the first of three novels in Chinua Achebe's critically acclaimed African Trilogy. It is a classic narrative about Africa's cataclysmic encounter with Europe as it establishes a colonial presence on the continent. Told through the fictional experiences of Okonkwo, a wealthy and fearless Igbo warrior of Umuofia in the late 1800s, Things Fall Apart explores one man's futile resistance to the devaluing of his Igbo traditions by British political andreligious forces and his despair as his community capitulates to the powerful new order. With more than 20 million copies sold and translated into fifty-seven languages, Things Fall Apart provides one of the most illuminating and permanent monuments to African experience. Achebe does not only capture life in a pre-colonial African village, he conveys the tragedy of the loss of that world while broadening our understanding of our contemporary realities.
Those looking for a concise yet informative, visually breathtaking yet affordable East African safari need look no further than this spectacular field guide. Featuring full-color photos of 475 common species of bird, mammal, snake, lizard, insect, tree, and flower, Wildlife of East Africa takes us on an exquisite one-volume tour through the living splendor of the main national parks and game reserves of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Many of the species included--from pelicans to plovers, ostriches to elephants, from the daintiest of antelopes to cattlelike giants, from leopards to lions, baboons to gorillas, chameleons to crocodiles, acacias to aloes--also inhabit neighboring countries. The selection was based on the personal experiences of the authors, wildlife experts who have been leading safaris in the region for more than twenty years.
Heads up: this is a great book but there is a rite of passage and has a part about circumcision.
Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton gives American kids a firsthand look at growing up in Kenya as a member of a tribe of nomads whose livelihood centers on the raising and grazing of cattle. Readers share Lekuton's first encounter with a lion, the epitome of bravery in the warrior tradition. They follow his mischievous antics as a young Maasai cattle herder, coming-of-age initiation, boarding school escapades, soccer success, and journey to America for college. Lekuton's riveting text combines exotic details of nomadic life with the universal experience and emotions of a growing boy.
Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. The higher the number the safer they are. The higher the number the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home. Maybe. The problem is Amadou doesn’t know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won’t tell him. The boys only wanted to make money to help their impoverished family, instead they were tricked into forced labor on a plantation in the Ivory Coast. With no hope of escape, all they can do is try their best to stay alive—until Khadija comes into their lives. She’s the first girl who’s ever come to camp, and she’s a wild thing. She fights bravely every day, attempting escape again and again, reminding Amadou what it means to be free. But finally, the bosses break her, and what happens next to the brother he has always tried to protect almost breaks Amadou. The three band together as family and try just once more to escape.
Next, look at some of the interesting facts for kids about Africa.
12 Interesting Facts For Kids About Africa
- The 4 main biomes in Africa are Deserts (the Sahara, Kalahari) Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands.
- The Congo rainforest is located here and is the second largest rainforest in the world and is home to over 10,000 species of animals.
- There are over 2,000 spoken languages here but the most widely spoken language is Arabic.
- Africa is home to three of the seven species of “Big Cats”, the lion, leopard, and cheetah.
- Giraffes have a blue tongue; this blue color gives their tongue extra protection since they are exposed to a lot of sunlight while they feed all day long.
- African Lions are nocturnal animals and spend roughly 15-20 hours of every day sleeping.
- The same way that babies will suck their thumb for comfort the African elephant sucks on its trunk.
- The most abundant animal in Africa is the antelopes which cover the entire continent and have over 80 species.
- Africa has the tallest animal on earth, the giraffe, as well as the heaviest on earth, the elephant.
- Africa is the world’s hottest continent, temperatures in the Sahara often reach over 100 degrees F.
- The deadliest African animal is the adorable hippopotamus, they are primarily herbivores but are aggressive when it comes to protecting their territory, themselves, and their offspring.
- The country Nigeria sets the record for the most twins born in the world with an average of 50 sets of twins in every 1,000 births.
You can learn more about this fascinating continent as a family by watching Africa: Destination World by Nat Geo Kids.
Also, here is some information to add to your study about the African Cheetah.
The African Cheetah
Almost all wild cheetahs can be found in sub-Saharan Africa.
And they are the fastest land animal in the world, reaching speeds of almost 70mph in short bursts.
They are very distinctive with long slender bodies and of course those spots.
African Cheetahs are unfortunately in the “vulnerable” category and are at risk of extinction in the wild.
Education and conservation are the best ways to protect these gorgeous creatures, December 4th has been marked as International Cheetah Day to call attention to them.
So, we’re recreating one in its habitat with a cute little handprint, a classic preschool craft.
Cute Handprint Cheetah
I thought this time we could dress up the usual handprint craft by adding some layers to create a beautiful Savanna sunset and a Baobab tree.
You will need:
- Pink construction paper
- Orange construction paper
- Yellow construction paper
- Brown construction paper
- Green construction paper
- tan/cream construction paper
- Yellow craft paint
- Black craft paint
- Black pen
- Glue stick
Demonstrate how to tear the pink, orange, and yellow paper into strips, you will only need about 2 of each.
At the same time have them tear smaller strips of brown for the tree and green for the leaves. You help them tear a half circle for the sun.
Use a glue stick to lay down your sunset-colored strips and the sun in the center on just the top half of the tan construction paper.
Add the tree trunk, branches, and leaves.
Paint the entire hand yellow and press down on to the paper, with the fingers pointed down toward the bottom of the page.
You can either paint on the tail with a paintbrush or repaint a single finger and press onto the back to make a tail.
Allow the yellow paint to dry at least partially and then make spots by painting your child’s finger black and having them stamp wherever they like on the yellow.
Once everything has dried you can use a small black fine point pen to add face details.
