PP1 + PP2 Lesson Plans Kenya: Activity-Based Pre-Primary (KICD 2026)

Pre-Primary lesson planning in Kenya is a different beast. The KICD format still applies, but the strands are activity-based, the SLOs target development not content mastery, and a 35-minute lesson plan would lose a 5-year-old in three minutes. This guide is the complete 2026 playbook for PP1 and PP2 lesson plans: what the curriculum design actually requires, how to write SLOs that work at age 4-6, and where to find ready-made editable Term 2 packs that save the 8 hours a week most pre-primary teachers spend on planning.

PP1 and PP2: the KICD curriculum at a glance

At pre-primary level (ages 4-6), the KICD curriculum design organises learning into activity areas rather than subjects:

• Language Activities: listening, speaking, early reading, pre-writing
• Mathematical Activities: number sense, measurement, geometry through play
• Environmental Activities: body parts, weather, plants, animals, family
• Psychomotor & Creative Activities: drawing, singing, dance, gross motor
• Religious Education Activities: age-appropriate stories and values (CRE/IRE/HRE)

Each activity area has its own strands and sub-strands per term, exactly like junior school: but the SLOs and learning experiences are play-based.

The KICD lesson plan format for PP1/PP2: what differs

The eleven required sections (covered in detail in our KICD lesson plan format guide) all still apply. What changes at pre-primary level:

1. Lesson length is 25-30 minutes: not 35. Children's attention spans cap there. Time allocations should sum accordingly.
2. SLOs use developmental verbs: "identify", "match", "name", "sort", "imitate", "respond": not "analyse" or "evaluate". A PP1 SLO like "By the end of the lesson the learner should be able to identify three farm animals" passes inspection; "explain the characteristics of farm animals" does not.
3. Assessment is observation-led: no written tests. The assessment field references the observation rubric (BE / AE / ME / EE on activity-specific criteria, not knowledge questions).
4. Learning Experiences are play, song, story, art, manipulation: never "lecture", never "copy from the board". KICD QASOs reject any PP1 plan that includes "teacher explains" without a parallel hands-on activity.
5. Resources lean on physical items: flashcards, sand trays, beads, beanbags, song lyrics, picture storybooks: not workbooks or photocopies.

Sample SLOs that pass inspection: PP1 vs PP2

PP1 (ages 4-5):

• By the end of the lesson the learner should be able to: a) identify 3 colours of clothes b) name the clothes they are wearing c) develop appreciation for clean clothes.
• By the end of the lesson the learner should be able to: a) match similar pictures b) sort objects by colour c) develop attention to detail.

PP2 (ages 5-6):

• By the end of the lesson the learner should be able to: a) count objects up to 20 b) write numbers 1-10 c) develop number confidence.
• By the end of the lesson the learner should be able to: a) listen to a story attentively b) retell two events from the story c) develop listening skills.

Term 2 coverage: what's actually in the PP1 and PP2 schemes

Term 2 at pre-primary level traditionally focuses on:

• Language: Letter recognition (PP1), letter-sound association (PP2), oral storytelling, picture talk, simple greetings.
• Mathematics: Number recognition 1-10 (PP1) / 1-50 (PP2), simple sorting and grouping, body parts and shape recognition.
• Environmental: Home and family, types of food, weather observation, simple plant and animal categorisation.
• Psychomotor & Creative: Drawing, colouring, songs and rhymes, balance and coordination games.
• Religious Education: Stories of kindness, simple prayer / spiritual reflection appropriate to the tradition.

The ready-made editable Term 2 packs

If writing 20+ lesson plans per activity area per term feels like a lot, our editable Term 2 packs cover both PP1 and PP2 across all five activity areas. Each pack is a complete editable Word .docx: open it in Word, Google Docs, or LibreOffice, fill the school + teacher header, and you're done planning for the term.

👉 Browse PP1 and PP2 Term 2 lesson plan packs · KSH 300 per activity area until 7 June 2026 (launch offer; normally KSH 500).

Common pre-primary lesson plan mistakes

1. Writing 35-minute time allocations. Halve them. A 25-min lesson is plenty.
2. Using "evaluate" or "analyse" in SLOs. These are upper Bloom's verbs: wrong cognitive level.
3. Skipping the songs / rhymes column. Music is part of every PP lesson, even maths.
4. No physical resources listed. A plan that only says "chalk and exercise books" fails: PP needs flashcards, manipulatives, songs.
5. Treating the reflection field as optional. KICD QASOs check it specifically at PP level.

Related guides

• CBC Lesson Plans Kenya 2026: Complete Guide
• KICD Lesson Plan Format 2026: Exact Template
• Free Editable Lesson Plan Template
• Lesson Plan vs Lesson Notes vs Scheme of Work