Seven Sacred Teachings activities can be a meaningful way for students to explore love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth while learning about Indigenous perspectives.
But teaching the Seven Sacred Teachings should be about more than memorizing seven animals and seven words.
These teachings can open up conversations about relationships, choices, community, responsibility and how we treat ourselves, other people and the world around us. With the right Seven Sacred Teachings activities, students can begin to make personal connections to each teaching and consider what these values can look like in their own lives.
There is also something important to remember before introducing the teachings in your classroom: the Seven Sacred Teachings are shared and understood differently among Indigenous communities and Knowledge Keepers. Stories, interpretations and animal associations can vary.
The resources below introduce one commonly shared version of the teachings and can be complemented with local Indigenous knowledge, books and community voices whenever possible.
If you’re looking for a place to begin, here are four different ways to explore the Seven Sacred Teachings with students.
Seven Sacred Teachings Activities for Primary Students
For younger students, I like to keep the Seven Sacred Teachings visual, hands on and connected to situations they already understand.
My Seven Sacred Teachings for Kids Primary Resource introduces each teaching using simple language and its corresponding animal.
Students complete an activity for each of the seven teachings and create their own Seven Sacred Teachings booklet along the way. The activities encourage students to think about ideas like showing respect, recognizing their strengths, having courage and treating themselves and others with love.
Because the learning is broken into individual activities, you can teach the Seven Sacred Teachings together as a unit or introduce them gradually throughout the school year.
This is the resource I would choose if you’re introducing the Seven Sacred Teachings for kids for the first time.
♡ Explore the Seven Sacred Teachings Primary Resource
Seven Sacred Teachings Lesson for Intermediate Students
As students get older, they can begin to think more deeply about how the Seven Sacred Teachings connect to their own choices, relationships and responsibilities.
My Intermediate Seven Sacred Teachings Lesson and Booklet introduces all seven teachings and then gives students opportunities to apply them to real-life situations.
Students work through a booklet, written reflections and classroom scenarios that encourage conversations about what the teachings can actually look like in everyday life.
For example, students might consider how courage can help someone make a difficult decision, what respect looks like during a disagreement or why humility matters when we are part of a community.
I like this resource for Grades 3–7 because it moves beyond matching the teaching with its animal and gives students more space to reflect.
♡ Explore the Intermediate Seven Sacred Teachings Lesson
Learn More About the Seven Sacred Teachings Animals
One of my favourite ways to extend this learning is to explore the animals themselves.
My Seven Sacred Teachings Animals Bundle combines Indigenous education with science and nature learning.
Students learn about the bear, eagle, wolf, Sasquatch, bison, beaver and turtle while also exploring the teaching connected with each one. The animal lessons include topics such as habitat, diet, life cycles, adaptations, behaviour and conservation.
There is also a bonus orca lesson.
I especially like this approach because students begin to see the animals as more than symbols on a Seven Sacred Teachings poster. They learn about the animals themselves, their relationships with the land and their cultural connections.
This makes the bundle an easy way to connect Seven Sacred Teachings activities with science, social studies, outdoor learning and Indigenous education.
You can use all of the lessons together or pull individual animals into units you are already teaching throughout the year.
♡ Explore the Seven Sacred Teachings Animals Bundle
Explore the Seven Sacred Teachings Through Métis Dot Art
If your students love art, you can also explore the teachings through my Seven Sacred Teachings Métis Dot Art Activity.
Students first learn about the Seven Sacred Teachings and Métis art before completing seven animal art templates, one for each teaching.
The activity uses painted dots and patterns to visually echo the detailed appearance of Métis beadwork. It is important that students learn about Métis beadwork and cultural context first, rather than presenting the finished artwork as traditional beadwork itself.
Students can create the eagle, buffalo, bear, Sasquatch, beaver, wolf and turtle while discussing the teaching connected with each animal.
The finished pieces also make a beautiful classroom or hallway display.
This Seven Sacred Teachings art activity works well on its own or as a creative addition to a larger unit.
♡ Explore the Seven Sacred Teachings Métis Dot Art Activity
Which Seven Sacred Teachings Activity Should You Choose?
If you’re teaching younger students, I would start with the Primary Seven Sacred Teachings resource. It gives students a simple introduction with individual activities and a booklet they can build as they learn.
For intermediate students, the lesson and reflection booklet allows for deeper discussion and more personal connections.
If you’re teaching science, animals or outdoor education, the Seven Sacred Teachings Animals Bundle gives you the most cross-curricular options.
And if you’re looking for an art activity, the Métis Dot Art resource gives students a creative way to revisit all seven teachings after learning about their cultural context.
You certainly don’t need to use all four.
Start with the learning you want your students to walk away with, then choose the activity that helps you get there.
Explore Seven Sacred Teachings Activities
You can find all four of these Seven Sacred Teachings activities in my shop:
♡ Seven Sacred Teachings for Kids | Primary Activities
♡ Intermediate Seven Sacred Teachings Lesson and Booklet
♡ Seven Sacred Teachings Animals | 8 Animal Lessons
♡ Seven Sacred Teachings Métis Dot Art Activity
Each resource offers a different way for students to explore the teachings through reflection, discussion, science, nature or art.
Choose the one that fits naturally with your students and the learning already happening in your classroom.