November 1, 2023 - Teaching Children about Native Americans

Native Americans have a long tradition of storytelling. You can easily introduce your kids to these rich cultures with a compilation of powerful tales from multiple tribes.

Native American Stories for Kids: 12 Traditional Stories from Indigenous Tribes across North America

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Native Americans in History: A History Book for Kids

This collection of biographies for kids explores 15 Native Americans and some of the incredible things they achieved. Kids will explore the ways each of these people used their talents and beliefs to stand up for what’s right and stay true to themselves and their community.

This Indian Kid: A Native American Memoir

Award-winning author Eddie Chuculate brings his childhood to life with spare, unflinching prose. This book is at once a love letter to his Native American roots and an inspiring and essential message for young readers everywhere, who are coming of age in an era when conversations about acceptance and empathy, love and perspective are more necessary than ever before.

Explore Native American Cultures!: With 25 Great Projects

Readers will enjoy the fascinating stories about America’s First People as leaders, inventors, diplomats, and artists. To enrich the historical information, hands-on activities bring to life each region’s traditions, including region-specific festivals, technology, and art.

Readers can learn Native American sign language and create a salt dough map of the Native American regions. Each project is outlined with clear step-by-step instructions and diagrams and requires minimal adult supervision.

Powwow Day

In this uplifting, contemporary Native American story, River is recovering from illness and can’t dance at the powwow this year. Will she ever dance again?

River wants so badly to dance at powwow day as she does every year. In this uplifting and contemporary picture book perfect for beginning readers, follow River’s journey from feeling isolated after an illness to learning the healing power of community.

Additional information explains the history and functions of powwows, which are commonplace across the United States and Canada and are open to both Native Americans and non-Native visitors. Author Traci Sorell is a member of the Cherokee Nation, and illustrator Madelyn Goodnight is a member of the Chickasaw Nation.

Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale

A young boy searches for his father, but before he can claim his heritage, he must first prove his worthiness by passing through the four ceremonial chambers: the kiva of lions, the kiva of snakes, the kiva of bees, and the kiva of lightning. Striking in its simplicity and grace, Arrow to the Sun vividly evokes the Native American reverence for the source of all life—the Solar Fire.

American Indians in Texas – Conflict and Survival – Grade 4

Groups of American Indians had been living in the Texas region for thousands of years when American settlers decided to expand westward. This captivating book explores the Texas history and the history of American Indians and how each group found different ways to live on the region they inhabited. Readers will learn about a variety of tribes, including Karankawa tribe, Jumano, Caddo, Lipan Apache, and Shosone and discover how they struggled to survive European colonization, the Indian Removal Act, and American expansion. Other topics include the Dawes Act, Indian Civil Rights Act, and peace treaties. Through plenty of interesting and intriguing facts, engaging sidebars, accommodating glossary and index, and supportive text, readers will be encouraged to learn and explore the history of the Indians of North America.

American Indians of the East: Woodland People – Grades 4-5

Finding My Dance

In her debut picture book, professional Indigenous dancer Ria Thundercloud tells the true story of her path to dance and how it helped her take pride in her Native American heritage.

At four years old, Ria Thundercloud was brought into the powwow circle, ready to dance in the special jingle dress her mother made for her. As she grew up, she danced with her brothers all over Indian country. Then Ria learned more styles—tap, jazz, ballet—but still loved the expressiveness of Indigenous dance. And despite feeling different as one of the only Native American kids in her school, she always knew she could turn to dance to cheer herself up.

Follow along as Ria shares her dance journey—from dreaming of her future to performing as a professional—accompanied by striking illustrations that depict it while bringing her graceful movements to life.

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History: More than 50 Activities

Hands-on activities, games, and crafts introduce children to the diversity of Native American cultures and teach them about the people, experiences, and events that have helped shape America, past and present. Nine geographical areas cover a variety of communities like the Mohawk in the Northeast, Ojibway in the Midwest, Shoshone in the Great Basin, Apache in the Southwest, Yupik in Alaska, and Native Hawaiians, among others. Lives of historical and contemporary notable individuals like Chief Joseph and Maria Tallchief are featured, and the book is packed with a variety of topics like first encounters with Europeans, Indian removal, Mohawk sky walkers, and Navajo code talkers.

Readers travel Native America through activities that highlight the arts, games, food, clothing, and unique celebrations, language, and life ways of various nations. Kids can make Haudensaunee corn husk dolls, play Washoe stone jacks, design Inupiat sun goggles, or create a Hawaiian Ma’o-hauhele bag. A timeline, glossary, and recommendations for Web sites, books, movies, and museums round out this multicultural guide.

Caddo and Comanche: American Tribes in Texas

The Caddo and Comanche were two of the largest American Indian groups living in Texas before European contact. This nonfiction title explores the history of the Caddo and Comanche, how they adapted to European colonists and American settlers, and the impact they made on Texas history. The Hasinai, Kadohadacho, Natchitoches, Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, and Shoshone are some of the tribes that readers will discover through engaging sidebars and facts, intriguing images, easy-to-read text, and a supportive glossary, index, and table of contents.

Encyclopedia of Native American Bow, Arrows, and Quivers

The Creek and the Cherokee

Learn about the fascinating history of two of Georgia’s Native American tribes: the Creek and the Cherokee. This high-interest reader explores the history, culture, customs, and traditions of the Creek and the Cherokee Indians. This text connects to Georgia state studies standards and promotes social studies content literacy with appropriately leveled text that will keep students engaged with full-color illustrations and dynamic primary source documents.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers Edition

Getting to Know the Native American Indian Tribes – U.S. History for Kids | Children’s American History

There are several Native American tribes introduced in this US history book for kids. By going over the facts of the most influential tribes, you will see subtle similarities and differences. You will also be able to identify key indicators that make all these tribes Native American Indians. A whole world is waiting for you whenever you read books. Get into the habit today!

Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story

In this Wampanoag story told in a Native tradition, two kids from the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe learn the story of Weeâchumun (corn) and the first Thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving story that most Americans know celebrates the Pilgrims. But without members of the Wampanoag tribe who already lived on the land where the Pilgrims settled, the Pilgrims would never have made it through their first winter. And without Weeâchumun (corn), the Native people wouldn’t have helped.

An important picture book honoring both the history and tradition that surrounds the story of the first Thanksgiving.

The Native American Story Book: Stories of the American Indians for Children

Plains Indians (First Nations of North America)

This title teaches readers about the first people to live in the Plains region of North America. It discusses their culture, customs, ways of life, interactions with other settlers, and their lives today.

Crafts and Skills of the Native Americans: Tipis, Canoes, Jewelry, Moccasins, and More

National Geographic Kids Encyclopedia of American Indian History and Culture

More than 160 tribes are featured in this outstanding new encyclopedia, which presents a comprehensive overview of the history of North America’s Native peoples. From the Apache to the Zuni, readers will learn about each tribe’s history, traditions, and culture, including the impact of European expansion across the land and how tribes live today.

Features include maps of ancestral lands; timelines of important dates and events; fact boxes for each tribe; bios of influential American Indians such as Sitting Bull; sidebars on daily life, homes, food, clothing, jewelry, and games; Did You Know facts with photographs; and traditional Native stories. The design is compelling and colorful, packed with full-color photographs.

Atlas of Indian Nations

Organized by region, this encyclopedic reference details Indian tribes in these areas: beliefs, sustenance, shelter, alliances and animosities, key historical events, and more. Told through maps, photos, art, and archival cartography, this is the story of American Indians that only National Geographic can tell.

Encyclopedia of Native Tribes of North America

This superb, fully illustrated reference offers the most up-to-date and essential facts on the identity, kinships, locations, populations and cultural characteristics of some 400 separately identifiable peoples native to the North American continent, both living and extinct, from the Canadian Arctic to the Rio Grande.

The U.S. began recognizing Native American Heritage Month as a week-long observance in 1986 and was expanded to a month-long commemoration in 1990.

National Museum of the American Indian—Calendar of Events

Creative and Fun Hobby Projects for Adults and Teens

Interesting Hobby Ideas for Boys and Men

Whispers of Wisdom: Native America’s Timeless Teachings

This is a treasure trove of engaging rhymes and captivating facts that will have children wanting to learn more. With beautifully designed pages, this book is perfect for parents, teachers, and anyone who loves to learn.

Spotlight on Native American Indians Heritage and History

Teaching Children about Native Americans