Looking for meaningful Orange Shirt Day activities for kids? As a First Nations educator, I believe the learning that comes before an activity matters. Crafts, writing and art can help students reflect on what they have learned, but they should always be supported by truthful, age-appropriate teaching about residential schools and Orange Shirt Day.
The three resources below combine lessons, reflection, writing, research and creative activities. Whether you teach primary, intermediate or middle school students, you can choose an Orange Shirt Day activity that fits your students’ ages and your learning goals.
Choosing Age Appropriate Orange Shirt Day Activities
Before selecting an Orange Shirt Day craft, consider what students will learn before, during and after the activity. A craft should give students a way to respond to their learning, rather than becoming the entire lesson.
Meaningful Truth and Reconciliation activities for kids can help students:
- Learn why Orange Shirt Day is recognized
- Begin understanding the history and impacts of residential schools
- Reflect on identity, culture, family and belonging
- Explore how children can help others feel safe and included
- Recognize that Indigenous Peoples and cultures are present today
- Consider how learning can continue after September 30
The depth of this learning will look different in a primary classroom than it does in an intermediate or middle school classroom
Three Orange Shirt Day Activities for Kids
1. Orange Shirt Day Dreamcatcher Craft and Lesson
This meaningful Orange Shirt Day dreamcatcher craft and lesson combines cultural learning with a hands-on art activity.
Before creating, students learn about the cultural significance of dreamcatchers and why culturally meaningful items should be introduced with understanding and respect. They then follow step-by-step instructions to cut, colour, write and assemble their dreamcatcher art.
Templates are included in French and English, making this Orange Shirt Day craft suitable for English, French immersion and bilingual classrooms. The finished artwork can also become part of an Orange Shirt Day classroom display.
Why students will enjoy it:
Students get to learn, reflect and create while practising cutting, colouring and writing. Each completed piece is unique, creating a meaningful collaborative display.
2. Orange Shirt Day Activities for Primary Students
This Orange Shirt Day activity bundle for primary students includes five complementary resources for teaching about Orange Shirt Day, residential schools, land acknowledgements and Truth and Reconciliation.
Students learn through a six page lesson, reflection questions, an empathy writing activity, land acknowledgement activities and Orange Shirt Day printables. A complete bulletin board kit is also included for displaying student writing and artwork.
Teachers can use these Orange Shirt Day activities for kids together during Truth and Reconciliation Week or select individual lessons and activities throughout the school year.
Why students will enjoy it:
Students can read, write, colour, reflect and create while exploring important topics in ways designed for primary learners.
3. Orange Shirt Day Activities for Intermediate Students
This Orange Shirt Day activities bundle for intermediate students helps older students move beyond a single day of awareness through research, writing and reflection.
Students learn about the 94 Calls to Action through a guided research project and explore why land acknowledgements matter before creating their own. The bundle also includes lessons and activities about Orange Shirt Day and residential schools.
These Orange Shirt Day activities for intermediate students can be taught as a multi-day unit or used throughout September and the school year.
Why students will connect with it:
Students investigate real reconciliation efforts, reflect on the lands where they live and consider how learning can lead to meaningful action beyond September 30.
Meaningful Orange Shirt Day Activities for the Classroom
The best Orange Shirt Day activities for kids begin with truthful, age-appropriate learning. A craft, writing activity or research project should help students process and respond to that learning, rather than becoming the entire lesson.
Whether you teach primary, intermediate or middle school students, these resources provide meaningful ways to approach Orange Shirt Day through lessons, discussion, reflection and creativity.
Explore the complete collection of Orange Shirt Day resources for teachers to find more lessons, crafts, writing activities and classroom displays.
Explore These Orange Shirt Day Resources
Whether you teach primary or intermediate students, these Orange Shirt Day activities for kids provide meaningful ways to support learning through lessons, writing, research, reflection and art.
🧡 Orange Shirt Day Dreamcatcher Craft and Lesson
A hands-on art activity with cultural learning and French and English templates.
🧡 Orange Shirt Day Activities for Primary Students
Five lessons and activities, including writing, land acknowledgements, printables and a bulletin board.
🧡 Orange Shirt Day Activities for Intermediate Students
Explore residential schools, land acknowledgements and the 94 Calls to Action through research and reflection.