The ancient Egypt facts kids remember best are short, visual and a little surprising: the Nile flooded every summer, cats wore gold jewelry, the Great Pyramid was the tallest building in the world for almost four thousand years, and kids could become pharaoh. Below are short facts grouped by topic, each one easy to read aloud.
Young kids hold onto a fact when they can picture it. So these are written to be read out loud in one breath, and grouped so you can stop after any section.
The Nile, Egypt's river
- The Nile is one of the longest rivers in the world, more than four thousand miles long.
- Every summer the Nile flooded and left behind rich black mud that was perfect for growing food.
- On the Nile, the river carried boats north, and the wind blew them back south.
- Hippos lived in the Nile, and Egyptians were careful around them, because hippos are very strong.
- Ancient Egyptians didn't use coins. At the market, people traded things, like bread for sandals.
Ask your child: if you could trade one toy at a market, what would you trade it for?
Pyramids and the Sphinx
- The Great Pyramid is made of more than two million giant stone blocks.
- It was the tallest building in the world for almost four thousand years.
- Workers pulled giant stones on wooden sleds and wet the sand so the sleds slid more easily.
- Pyramid builders lived in a town nearby and ate lots of bread and onions.
- The Sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a king.
Pharaohs, temples and writing
- The pharaoh was the king of Egypt. King Tutankhamun became pharaoh when he was only about nine years old.
- Hieroglyphs are pictures used for writing, and there were hundreds of different ones.
- Giant temple columns were carved to look like papyrus and lotus plants.
- Temple walls were painted in bright colors like red, blue, green and gold.
- Egyptians made music with harps, flutes and rattles called sistrums.
- Egyptians believed a giant scarab beetle rolled the sun across the sky every day.
Tombs and treasure
- King Tutankhamun's tomb was full of treasure, including a mask made of solid gold.
- Egyptians made mummies to protect a person's body for the next life.
- Tombs were filled with things people might need in the next life, like food, games and furniture.
- Anubis was an Egyptian god with the head of a jackal, and he watched over tombs.
- Egyptians played a board game called senet, one of the oldest board games in the world.
- The ankh was the ancient Egyptian symbol for life.
Trade with faraway lands
Egypt is in Africa, and it traded with neighbors near and far.
- Nubia, south of Egypt, was famous for its gold. Kings from Nubia even ruled Egypt for a while.
- Egyptian ships sailed to a faraway land called Punt to trade for gold, spices and amazing animals.
- Queen Hatshepsut sent ships to Punt, and they came back with incense trees and even baboons.
- Egyptians burned sweet-smelling incense from Punt in their temples.
Everyday life
- Cats were so special that some of them wore gold jewelry, just like people.
- Ancient Egyptians kept ducks and geese as pets and painted them on palace walls.
- Both men and women wore dark eye makeup called kohl.
- Many Egyptians shaved their heads and wore wigs to stay cool in the hot sun.
- Egyptians made a calendar with three hundred sixty-five days, just like ours.
- When a bright star called Sirius rose with the sun, Egyptians knew the Nile flood was coming.
Making the facts stick
Facts stick better when kids find something first and hear the fact as a reward. That's how Hidden Object Kids: Find Ellie works: kids search a big painted scene of the Nile, a temple or a pyramid site, and when they finish, the game reads one of 42 facts like the ones above. You can also turn this list into a game at home: read a fact, then ask your child to draw it.
For more ideas that mix searching with counting, see hidden object games for kids that teach counting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest ancient Egypt fact for a 4 year old?
Start with animals. "Cats wore gold jewelry" or "hippos lived in the Nile" are easy to picture and fun to repeat.
Was ancient Egypt in Africa?
Yes. Egypt is in the northeast of Africa, along the Nile River, and it traded with African neighbors like Nubia and Punt.
How old was King Tutankhamun when he became pharaoh?
About nine years old, which kids love to hear.
