Honouring Heritage Through Play: The Importance of Indigenous Toys in Early Childhood Education

Why Indigenous Representation Matters in Early Learning

The foundation of identity, belonging, and cultural understanding is built early through stories, play, and the materials children engage with each day. In Canada, integrating Indigenous toys and learning resources into early childhood environments is a powerful step toward truth, reconciliation, and inclusion.

For Indigenous children, seeing their cultures, languages, and traditions reflected in the learning environment fosters pride and self-worth. For non-Indigenous children, it opens up a window of curiosity, respect, and connection to Canada’s diverse cultural landscape.

What Are Indigenous Toys and Why Are They Important?

Incorporating Indigenous toys and learning materials into early learning environments is a meaningful step toward fostering diversity, inclusion, and cultural understanding through play-based learning. Indigenous toys and learning materials are designed with cultural teachings, traditional stories, nature-based elements, and language preservation in mind. These materials reflect Indigenous ways of knowing and being, and their incorporation into early years education is rooted in respect, representation, and cultural sustainability. When children see themselves—and others—represented in their play spaces, it nurtures empathy, respect, and a strong sense of identity. Indigenous toys often include elements of nature, oral storytelling, and traditional teachings, making them powerful tools for hands-on exploration, creativity, and holistic development. By making these materials part of our everyday classrooms and play spaces, educators and families help create inclusive, culturally responsive environments where every child can feel seen, valued, and connected.

A Brief Look at Indigenous History in Canada

Indigenous Peoples are the original caretakers of the land we now call Canada. However, colonization, residential schools, and systemic inequities have led to generations of cultural erasure. Recognizing and integrating Indigenous culture in early learning environments is one way we can actively support reconciliation, promote equity, and help raise a generation that understands the value of diversity, land-based knowledge, and community connection.

Here’s how incorporating Indigenous play materials supports early childhood development and meaningful learning:

Cultural Identity and Pride

Incorporating Indigenous learning materials into play spaces is a powerful way to foster cultural identity and pride in all learners. For Indigenous children, toys and games that reflect traditional symbols, languages, art, and storytelling serve as mirrors affirming their identities, validating their lived experiences, and nurturing a strong sense of belonging and self-worth.

These culturally grounded materials help children feel seen, valued, and respected within their learning environment. For non-Indigenous children, these same resources act as windows offering authentic opportunities to learn about and appreciate the richness of Indigenous cultures in Canada. Whether it’s a matching game featuring traditional artwork, a storytelling activity using animal figures from Indigenous teachings, or puzzles with Indigenous syllabics, these tools celebrate diversity, encourage curiosity, and promote empathy.

By embedding cultural representation in everyday play, we help build classrooms and homes where all children can grow with confidence, connection, and compassion.

Language Revitalization

Incorporating Indigenous learning materials into play is a meaningful way to support language revitalization—a vital part of preserving Indigenous cultures for future generations. Many of these resources feature traditional languages such as Cree, Ojibwe, Inuktitut, and others, introducing children to the sounds, symbols, and vocabulary of Indigenous languages through engaging, play-based activities.

For Indigenous children, hearing and using their ancestral language during play reinforces cultural identity and strengthens intergenerational connections. For non-Indigenous learners, these materials offer an opportunity to build cultural awareness and respect through meaningful exposure to languages that have long been marginalized.

Whether through labelled puzzles, story cards, counting games, or toys marked with syllabics, these tools create everyday moments that normalize and celebrate Indigenous languages in early learning environments. By including these materials in classrooms and homes, educators and families take an active role in supporting Indigenous language preservation, promoting inclusion, and helping children of all backgrounds grow up in a Canada that values linguistic and cultural diversity.

Respect, Understanding & Diversity

Creating inclusive classrooms begins with thoughtful choices like incorporating Indigenous learning materials that reflect the rich diversity of cultures, traditions, and worldviews in Canada.

These resources help foster respect, understanding, and appreciation among young learners by offering hands-on opportunities to explore different ways of life through play. When children engage with toys, games, and storytelling materials that highlight Indigenous teachings, symbols, and cultural practices, they develop empathy and a deeper awareness of the people and histories that shape our communities.

For both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, this kind of inclusive play reinforces the values of kindness, curiosity, and connection. It teaches children that differences are not just to be accepted, but celebrated and that learning about others strengthens our shared humanity. By embedding these materials in early learning environments, educators and families lay the foundation for a more equitable, inclusive, and respectful future; one play-based experience at a time.

Holistic, Land-Based Learning

Holistic learning in early childhood is deeply enriched when Indigenous toys and learning materials are intentionally integrated into play. Unlike conventional resources that often isolate academic skills, Indigenous learning tools are designed to reflect cultural values, traditional teachings, and community-rooted wisdom.

These materials nurture the whole child; mind, body, and spirit by weaving together storytelling, sensory play, emotional connection, and environmental understanding. A key aspect of this approach is land-based learning, which emphasizes a child’s direct connection to the natural world. Many Indigenous toys are crafted from organic or locally sourced materials like wood, stone, fur, or shell and reflect the teachings of living in harmony with nature. 

Through exploring these materials, children learn about seasons, stewardship, animals, plants, and the interconnectedness of all living things. Whether it’s sorting natural loose parts, retelling traditional stories about the land, or playing with animal figures that represent local wildlife, these experiences foster a deep respect for the environment while supporting physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Incorporating Indigenous toys into learning spaces offers a rich, grounded, and culturally responsive path to holistic education.

Imaginative and Open-Ended Play

Indigenous toys and materials naturally inspire imaginative and open-ended play, offering rich opportunities for children to explore the world through creativity and storytelling. Many of these resources are handcrafted, nature-based, and embedded with traditional stories and teachings, allowing children to invent, build, narrate, and problem-solve in their own unique ways.

Whether it’s wooden animal figures from Indigenous teachings, miniature canoes, or felt storytelling pieces, these materials are not prescriptive they invite children to direct the play, ask questions, and make connections between their imagination and the cultural narratives they are engaging with. This kind of open-ended play fosters critical thinking, communication, and emotional expression while also honouring Indigenous knowledge systems and the importance of oral tradition.

For both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, play that’s grounded in cultural storytelling and symbolism expands their worldview and helps them grow as curious, empathetic learners.

Community and Intergenerational Connections

Incorporating Indigenous learning materials into early childhood play spaces creates meaningful opportunities to strengthen community ties and intergenerational connections.

These culturally rich resources often invite Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members into classrooms and child care settings to share traditional stories, songs, languages, and teachings. This presence helps children see learning as a shared, living experience one that goes beyond the walls of the classroom and honours the wisdom of generations past.

Whether it’s through a traditional lullaby, a handcrafted toy, or a story about local animals and the land, these moments build bridges between children and their wider community, fostering a deep sense of belonging and cultural continuity.

For Indigenous families, this creates space for identity and pride to flourish. For non-Indigenous families, it cultivates respect, understanding, and authentic relationships rooted in reconciliation. By embracing Indigenous materials and voices in early education, we ensure that every child grows up connected to culture, community, and shared humanity.