Younger children may be interacting more with technology right now, than they have done ever before. There are lots of creative and educational ways to help them learn how to do this in a safe and balanced way. Use our activities below to help them manage their online lives whilst staying at home.
We’ve selected a couple of activities from across our resources to help this group manage their time online and stay safe too.
1. Family tech rules
Download our Family Agreement; an easy-to-use guide to having a family discussion on how you all agree to use the internet. After you’ve answered the questions and come to an agreement, ask your child to draw pictures to illustrate your new family rules about using the internet. By giving your child a role, they will feel more empowered and invested in following the boundaries you agree together.
Download the Family Agreement here
2. Get SMART with Sammi
Watch our SMART with a Heart video lessons together with your child. There are 6 short videos full of fun activities, games and discussion points to learn the facts about using the internet safely. Sammi the Parrot is there to help you along the way! Be sure to let us know how you and your child get on with the 3 challenges we set at the end of each video lesson at education@childnet.com. These are best suited for children aged 6-9 years.
If you’re looking for more SMART rules activities, you could also show your child our animated cartoons about each rule with our SMART Crew. Once they’ve watched the films, there is guidance, and further activities that you can do as a family to discuss what you’ve watched.
Watch the SMART video lessons here and the SMART Crew cartoons here
3. Learn with Digiduck®
The Digiduck story collection has been created to help parents, carers and teachers educate children aged 3-7 about online safety. The collection includes ebooks, PDFs, a poster and an interactive app.
Follow Digiduck® and his pals in these stories about friendship, responsibility and critical thinking online.
Digiduck’s Famous Friend
In the latest of our Digiduck online safety stories for young children, Digiduck and his classmates are set the task of finding out who their special guest will be at school today. Through chatting online and asking questions they try to decide who the mystery guest is. This story revolves around the themes of critical thinking and reliability online.
Read Digiduck’s Famous Friend here
Digiduck’s Big Decision
Help arrives just in time for Digiduck when faced with a difficult decision! This story revolves around the themes of friendship and responsibility online.
Read Digiduck’s Big Decision here
4. Have an adventure with Smartie the Penguin
Smartie the Penguin is an online safety story for use with 3-7 year olds.
Join in with Mummy Penguin’s song and follow the adventures of Smartie the Penguin as he learns how to be safe on the internet.
Download the story and follow on resources here
5. This is me!
Read the poem created for Safer Internet Day 2020 and use as a conversation to start talking with your child about what they like to do online and what they already know about staying safe. After you read it through, encourage your child to write their own poem using the things they like to do and what they know about going online safely.
Download the ‘This is Me’ poem here. This is part of an Education Pack for Safer Internet Day 2020 that can be found here.
6. Watch our 2020 Film Competition entries and winners!
Our film competition this year saw some amazingly creative entries! If you have a budding film maker at home, why not have a go at creating your own online safety film. The competition will open again in 2021 and so now is the perfect time to hone your skills and try something new!