Indigenous Peoples’ Day is observed in the United States on the second Monday of October, as a way to honor the history, culture, and contributions of Indigenous communities. It is recognized as a federal holiday in some areas, while other individual states also observe it in place of or alongside Columbus Day.
The day acknowledges the original peoples of North America, the native nations, and the deep connections that Native American tribes and indigenous cultures continue to maintain with the land, language, and traditions.
More and more schools are including Indigenous Peoples’ Day lesson plans in their social studies and history curriculum for 1st grade, 2nd grade, middle school, and even high school students. These types of educational resources are a great way for young children and young learners to better understand indigenous rights, cultural traditions, and the contributions of Native Americans throughout history and today.
Our Indigenous Peoples’ Day worksheets are designed to be a great addition to classroom lesson plans, homeschool activities, or community celebrations. They’re engaging, age-appropriate, and can be used across different grade levels to spark critical thinking while also giving kids fun activities like mazes, word scrambles, and coloring pages.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Worksheets Pack
This PDF format activity booklet includes a mix of facts, puzzles, and creative exercises that introduce students to indigenous cultures and the history of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Each page combines educational materials with fun stuff that is easy to print and use for younger students, small group activities, or even at home with young peoplelearning more about native culture.
Cover Page & Belongs To
The booklet opens with a cover page that children can personalize with their name. This helps younger learners take ownership of the resource and makes it feel like their own special picture book of activities.
What Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
This page explains what the holiday is, when it is celebrated, and why it matters. Students learn that it’s a national holiday in some states like South Dakota (the first state to officially recognize it) and that it’s meant to honor the history of indigenous peoples, including the traditions and values of native groups.
Maze Activity
A fun maze puzzle where kids help a girl reach the celebration circle. This is an easy way for younger students to practice problem-solving while staying connected to the theme of cultural gatherings and celebrations.
Dreamcatcher Coloring Page
This section introduces the meaning of dreamcatchers in Native American culture, explaining how they are used as symbols of protection and heritage. Children can also color in the dreamcatcher graphic making it both a fact sheet and a coloring page.
Indigenous Peoples’ Symbols
Here, students learn about important symbols such as the feather, sun, turtle, corn, and eagle. Each symbol carries a special meaning in native culture, and children are asked to match the images with their definitions.
Word Search
A classic holiday game where kids search for words like culture, land, family, history, tradition, and respect. This page encourages vocabulary building and reinforces key concepts about native communities.
Amazing Facts About Indigenous People
This page highlights two key aspects of indigenous peoples’ history: the importance of storytelling and language, and the respect shown for natural resources such as land, water, and animals.
Word Scramble
Students unscramble words connected to indigenous cultures and traditions, such as “Indigenous,” “Tribe,” “Respect,” and “Culture.” A great activity for critical thinking across multiple grade levels.
Draw & Share Activity + Thank You Feather
This creative section encourages kids to draw a plant, food, or medicine used by Native American tribes and write its name underneath. The Thank You Feather invites them to write down something they are thankful for that was contributed by indigenous people, teaching gratitude and respect.
Famous Contributions
This page introduces the contributions of Indigenous Peoples that still benefit us today, such as farming, herbal medicine, respect for nature, crafts, and knowledge of the seasons. It’s a wonderful way for young learners to see how contributions of Native Americans continue to shape our lives.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Facts Page
This page reinforces learning with clear, easy-to-read facts about indigenous kids. It explains how indigenous children learn many things from their elders and more about the indigenous lifestyle, relating to children.
Tracing Lines
The tracing lines page is perfect for young children and early grade levels like preschool and 1st grade. Kids can follow along dotted paths between animals such as eagles, bears, turtles, and foxes, practicing fine motor skills and pre-writing skills. It’s a fun way to build handwriting readiness while still connecting with the theme of Native American culture.
Learning from Indigenous People
This page introduces the meaning of totem poles in native culture. Students learn that each carving on a pole carries an important message—like the eagle representing strength or the bear symbolizing courage. Totem poles are described as a way of telling stories about families, traditions, and history, making them like history books made of wood. This encourages critical thinking and helps kids understand how different native nations share knowledge through cultural traditions.
Music of Indigenous People
This section focuses on the beauty of indigenous music, created with instruments like drums, flutes, and rattles. The steady beat of the drum is explained as the “heartbeat of nature,” while flutes create calming sounds and rattles add rhythm to ceremonies. Children learn that music in indigenous communities is not just for fun but also for celebrations, prayers, storytelling, and cultural traditions. It helps young learners see music as a way to stay connected to the land, the people, and their heritage.
Color the Images That Are the Same Size
This activity challenges children to look closely and color only the images that are the same size. With feathers, suns, foxes, and dreamcatchers, it strengthens observation skills and attention to detail while keeping the Indigenous Peoples’ Day worksheets fun and interactive.
Indigenous Lifestyle Homes Worksheet
Here, students learn how different Native American tribes lived depending on their environment. For example, Plains tribes lived in tipis, Southwest tribes like the Hopi built adobe homes, and Eastern Woodlands tribes such as the Iroquois and Cherokee used longhouses or wigwams.
Children are also encouraged to think critically with a writing and drawing prompt about how objects from the past reflect daily life and survival. This is a wonderful social studies activity for 2nd grade through middle school.
Indigenous People’s Day Worksheets Answer Key Page
The booklet also includes an answer key page to make things easier for teachers, parents, and students. This page provides the correct solutions for activities such as the word search, word scramble, count and color, match the symbol, and music fun questions. Having the answers in one place makes it simple to check work quickly and ensures the Indigenous Peoples’ Day worksheets can be used smoothly across different grade levels as part of lesson plans or independent practice.
Download the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Worksheets PDF
You can download the full Indigenous Peoples’ Day worksheets booklet in PDF format and use it with your class, homeschool, or community group. It’s designed to be flexible, printable, and engaging for children across many grade levels, from 1st grade to middle school.
These Indigenous Peoples’ Day worksheets provide a great way to teach children about native culture, cultural traditions, and the ongoing importance of indigenous rights. Whether you are planning lesson plans for social studies, creating prep activities for Native American Heritage Month, or simply looking for fun stuff to help young peoplelearn, this booklet is a favorite resource you’ll want to include.
More Worksheets for Kids
If you enjoyed these Indigenous Peoples’ Day worksheets, be sure to check out our other educational resources and holiday games for children. From coloring pages to social studies activities, we have plenty of printables that are a great addition to your classroom or home.
- 25 Black History Worksheets to Celebrate Iconic Figures
- Free Printable Animal Habitat Worksheets
- Free Printable Superbowl Coordinate Graphing Math Worksheets
- Chinese New Year Secret Code Pictures
- Free Blackout Poetry Worksheets PDF for Kids
- Women’s History Month Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages
If you found this post helpful, please share it with other parents and teachers who may be looking for Indigenous Peoples’ Day lesson plans.
Don’t forget to save this post on Pinterest so you can come back to it later when preparing your classroom activities.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
1 thought on “Indigenous Peoples’ Day Worksheets for Kids”