08/03/2026
Starting in the late nineteenth century, tens of thousands of Native American children were separated from their families and placed in government or church-operated boarding schools that forced them to assimilate into white American society. These boarding schools have left a painful legacy of human rights abuses, cultural genocide, and intergenerational trauma. So how do we begin to talk to children about them? Today, let’s review some guidelines for talking to children about this uncomfortable history.
(1) Educate yourself.
Use trusted sources, such as primary sources and books and articles by Indigenous authors. It’s okay to not have all the answers, as long as you commit yourself to learning. Before and during conversations with children, also check your own feelings and biases. Model that it’s okay to have emotional reactions to difficult content. Many Native children suffered physical, psychological, and sexual abuse in boarding schools, and this reality is incredibly difficult to reckon with.
(2) Create a safe space.
Be patient and compassionate. Ensure that children feel safe asking questions and sharing their reactions to what they’re learning. They may feel a range of emotions, such as grief, anger, and confusion. Though they may not have the words to fully express how they feel, be sure to provide them time and space to process.
(3) Be authentic and accurate.
Frame facts in an age-appropriate and manageable way. While overly graphic details should be avoided around younger children, uncomfortable realities should not be distorted or glossed over. For instance, you could say: “For many years, Native children were separated from their families and forced into boarding schools far away. In these schools, children were treated very poorly: Rules were very strict, and many children got hurt or sick.”
(4) Emphasize empathy.
Humanize the history of boarding schools by focusing on the real experiences of Indigenous Americans, not just statistics. Create opportunities, such as through discussion or art, for children to connect their emotions to these experiences. However, for this type of history, these opportunities should not include role-playing exercises because these types of methods can trivialize systemic oppression and reinforce harmful stereotypes, rather than building genuine empathy.
(5) Focus on resilience and healing.
While it’s important to acknowledge the intergenerational and historical trauma caused by boarding schools, it’s also crucial to recognize the individual and collective strength of Native people. For example, Native Americans have been continually working to reclaim control of their children’s education and to revitalize their languages and cultures. To highlight this resilience, share the vibrant traditions and accomplishments of both historical and contemporary Indigenous communities.
Sources:
Lajimodiere, Denise. 2023. “Legacy of Trauma: The Impact of American Indian Boarding Schools Across Generations.” In Native America | PBS. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/native-america/blog/legacy-of-trauma-the-impact-of-american-indian-boarding-schools-across-generations.
National Museum of the American Indian. “Struggling with Cultural Repression.” Native Words, Native Warriors. Smithsonian. 2020. https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/code-talkers/boarding-schools/.
Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. n.d. “Tribal Boarding School Toolkit for Healing.” https://acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ana/NPAIHB_Thrive_BoardinSchoolToolkit.pdf.
Robbins, Sarah Ruffing. “Reclaiming Voices from Indian Boarding School Narratives.” In Learning Legacies: Archive to Action through Women’s Cross-Cultural Teaching. University of Michigan Press, 2017. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65sxf3.7.
Reyhner, Jon. “American Indian Boarding Schools: What Went Wrong? What Is Going Right?” Journal of American Indian Education 57, no. 1 (2018): 58–78. https://doi.org/10.5749/jamerindieduc.57.1.0058.
Smith, Andrea. “Boarding School Abuses, Human Rights, and Reparations.” Social Justice 31, no. 4 (98) (2004): 89–102. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29768278.
