Looking for a meaningful Ribbon Skirt lesson or National Ribbon Skirt Day activity? This printable resource introduces students to the history, construction and cultural significance of ribbon skirts before guiding them through a reflection and paper design activity.
Students learn that ribbon skirts can represent identity, strength, pride, resilience and connections to culture and community. They then design a paper ribbon skirt using colours and details that reflect their own identity, values or learning.
Ribbon Skirt Lesson and Activity Includes
❤︎ Four-page Ribbon Skirt lesson
❤︎ Introduction to Ribbon Skirt history
❤︎ Cultural meaning and significance
❤︎ Information about how ribbon skirts are made
❤︎ Exploration of colour and personal meaning
❤︎ Student reflection activity
❤︎ Design-your-own paper Ribbon Skirt activity
❤︎ Ribbon Skirt bulletin board kit
Learn About Ribbon Skirts
Students explore the history and present-day importance of ribbon skirts in many First Nations and Métis communities.
The lesson helps students understand that ribbon skirts are not costumes or artifacts from the past. They are living cultural expressions worn by many Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people to represent identity, strength, pride and relationships with culture and community.
Teachings and protocols connected to ribbon skirts vary among Nations, communities, families and individuals. Colours do not have one universal meaning, and a person’s choices may reflect personal, familial or cultural teachings.
Design a Ribbon Skirt Activity
After completing the lesson, students design a ribbon skirt on paper. They select colours and visual details that represent something meaningful about their identity, values, family or community.
This is a paper art and reflection activity. Students are not asked to reproduce ceremonial designs or create a wearable ribbon skirt without community guidance.
National Ribbon Skirt Day Activities
Use this resource to recognize National Ribbon Skirt Day on January 4. The day celebrates ribbon skirts as meaningful expressions of Indigenous identity, culture, strength and resilience.
The lesson can also be used throughout the year for:
❤︎ Grades 4–7
❤︎ Indigenous education
❤︎ National Ribbon Skirt Day activities
❤︎ Canadian social studies
❤︎ Indigenous identity lessons
❤︎ National Indigenous History Month
❤︎ National Indigenous Peoples Day
❤︎ Art and social studies integration
❤︎ Classroom bulletin boards
Ribbon Skirt Bulletin Board
Display student designs and reflections using the included Ribbon Skirt bulletin board kit. The finished display provides a colourful way to share student learning while keeping cultural context and student voices at the centre.
This Ribbon Skirt lesson and activity gives educators a thoughtful way to introduce ribbon skirts through cultural learning, reflection and creativity.
