Little Roots | Before Columbus: The People Who Were Already Here
A thoughtful, age-appropriate look at 1492 that begins before Columbus ever crossed the Atlantic. 🌿
When we teach the story of Christopher Columbus, it's important that our children understand something first: the Americas were already home.
Designed for ages 5–9, this Little Roots history investigation explores the people, places, and events surrounding 1492 while helping children understand that Indigenous peoples had thriving communities, cultures, knowledge, and histories long before European arrival.
Children will learn about the TaÃno people of the Caribbean, trace Columbus's voyage, examine common misconceptions, explore what colonization meant and consider how the same historical event can look different depending on whose perspective we examine.
Rather than simply memorizing names and dates, learners are encouraged to ask questions, look at evidence, think about language, and consider whose stories are being told.
🌿 Inside you'll explore:
- The Americas before Columbus
- The TaÃno people and life in the Caribbean
- Who Christopher Columbus was and why he sailed west
- Mapping Columbus's voyage across the Atlantic
- What happened when Europeans arrived in an already-inhabited place
- Historical facts vs. common misconceptions
- Colonization, its consequences, and Indigenous resistance
- Perspective and historical evidence
- Past, present, and future
- Columbus Day & Indigenous Peoples' Day
- The Wabanaki peoples and Maine history
- A final Young Historian Investigation
Activities include mapping, sequencing, matching, fact checking, drawing, writing, perspective work, and historical thinking prompts.
Ages: 5–9
Length: 12 pages
Format: Digital PDF / printable homeschool resource
Price: FREE
This study is part of the Little Roots Learning 1492 History Collection, with separate age-appropriate studies for Tiny Learners, Little Roots, and Growing Learners.
Different ages. Different ways of learning. Same roots. Growing together. 🌿
