To the Baobab Tree and Back: Physical Education in Kenya

Being kindergartners, we don’t really have to entice our kids to be active. They pretty much bounce off the walls at all times. On Wednesday mornings though, we have official PE time. The kids get to wear colorful t-shirts instead of their uniforms which they adorably call “PE kit”, kit being the British word for outfit.

After singing in assembly, we line the kids up by age and gender. We have 6 races since we have 3 classes and the boys and girls run separately. We count to 3 and they’re off with their classmates screaming the winning child’s name as they cross the “finish line”. They race to the giant Baobab tree that shadows the playground and back. They knock into one another, trip and fall, get dirty, and generally have an awesome time.

KG2 boys lined up:


And they're off!




We acknowledge who won, give them a high-five and move on. There’s no one whining about making the kids competitive or wanting to complain that everyone is a ‘winner’ and frankly, it’s refreshing. It’s a footrace so someone wins, period.

Abednego winning the KG2 boys race:


Keccy winning the girls KG2 race:


Baby class girls:


Baby class boys:


After races, we generally play some fun variations of tag in a circle and finish up with some silly songs that are very active. It’s all simple stuff that doesn’t require fancy equipment, medical waivers, or even a PE teacher.