Elephants are easy for children to love. They are huge, and they have a trunk. Here are six facts to read aloud, then a game, then a few words about our own elephants.
Six facts to read aloud
- The African elephant is the largest animal on land.
- The trunk does many jobs. An elephant breathes, smells, drinks and picks things up with it. It also uses it to make loud trumpet calls and to show affection.
- Tusks are very long front teeth. Elephants use them to look for food and water.
- Elephants live in family groups. An older female, called the matriarch, leads. Her female relatives of different ages stay with her.
- Grown males mostly live on their own.
- In one day an elephant eats a huge amount of plants and drinks many buckets of water.
Elephants in Kenya today
In 2021 the IUCN listed the African bush elephant as Endangered. This means there are fewer of them than there should be, and they could disappear if nothing changes.
Elephants are hunted illegally for their ivory. People who do this are called poachers. In Kenya, rangers and conservation groups work in conservancies to protect elephants from them.
How to talk about it with a child
Keep it short. Say that an Endangered animal is one with not many left, and that people are trying to help. Then stop and let your child ask questions.
If you do not know an answer, say so. A library book, a ranger at a park or a conservation website are good places to check. We list our sources at the end of this page.
Our elephants
Our elephants are crocheted by hand in Nairobi from recycled acrylic yarn. They have white tusks, big ears and a long trunk. The colours are grey, caramel brown, slate blue, lavender and dusty purple.
A plain elephant has no plastic in it and no parts that come off. It is easy to clean too. Read the care guide before you wash anything, and keep watch while a young child plays.
A herd walk game
This game turns a floor into a savanna. You need three or more animals and a blue cloth.
- Line up the animals. The biggest elephant is the matriarch, and she leads.
- Lay the blue cloth at the far end of the room. That is the water.
- Walk the herd across the floor, one animal at a time, to find the water.
- Stop for a rest in the shade under a table.
Let your child decide where the water is. If the herd gets lost, the matriarch chooses the next way. Then move the cloth and go again.
Picking a size
Elephants come in Small, Medium, Large and Extra large. A large elephant is big enough for a smaller animal to sit on its back. A small one fits in a bag. Think about where it will sit: a bed, a shelf or a bag.
The Size Finder asks a few questions and gives you a size to start with. Pick a colour, pick a size, and let the matriarch lead the way.
