A Kid’s Guide to Native American History is a great book for kids that teaches them about the history and cultures of Native Americans. Whether you are looking for a book about Native American history for your homeschool history lessons or even just for your Thanksgiving Native American unit this book is full of good information and activities.
A Kid’s Guide to Native American History Book Review
I came across this book in my search for a more realistic book of Native American history for my homeschool and daycare. It has a ton of great information about many tribes throughout the Americas and takes a more realistic view of interactions with Europeans.
There is a wealth of information in this book. It provides a lot of interesting and informative facts about many different Native cultures from a realistic and respectful perspective.
A Kid’s Guide to Native American History
by Book Blurb:
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 skywalkers, 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.
I use this book as more of a teacher’s guide than a book I’d leave in a book basket for my children to view. There is nothing objectionable, but it is very text-heavy and my kids are visual learners so it works best for us as a teachers’ guide.
One of my favorite sections in this book is the part that addresses stereotypes of Native peoples in our society. I thought was a really good teaching moment. History and movies often paint Native peoples in an unfavorable light but this section puts many of those stereotypes to bed with the real truths.
The book is organized by region and each section contains a map to accompany the information. We read the information together and do the crafts and activities in the book. The information presented is engaging and interesting. My kids especially like to read the sidebar information provided about notable members of Native tribes and their accomplishments.
Each unit also has crafts that we can do together. The crafts give us an opportunity to talk more about what we read and learned about the Native American tribes. It also helps the kids connect the values and traditions of Native tribes to their own experiences. I appreciated that there are no crafts around ceremonial objects or clothing.
A Kid’s Guide to Native American History covers many tribes but there is no way that they could cover every tribe so there are some that are not included. I think the authors did a good job of trying to include as many as possible. Personally, I use this as an introductory guide. After reading each section we pick one tribe to learn more about.
This book includes a timeline and a glossary that we found very helpful. Also, included are recommendations for websites, books, movies, and even museums you can visit all around the United States!
This book is the perfect addition to any homeschool, Thanksgiving unit, or even just your home library! I highly suggest you add it to your collection. There is so much good information about Native American culture and history. My kids and I have learned so much and I’m glad that we have this book as part of our home library.
Buy your copy of A Kid’s Guide to Native American History today!
Looking for more crafts and activities? Check out our index for 100+ plus kids activities! Find activities by theme, materials, skills, age, and much more!
Note: I received a digital copy of this book in change for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. I decided to purchase a physical copy of this book myself to have in my homeschool after reviewing the digital copy provided to me for free.