This age group may find the opportunity to spend lots of extra time online, and on their devices, hard to manage. With lots of their entertainment and social time coming from the internet, it can be hard to know when to switch off. Use our activities below to help them manage their online lives whilst spending more time at home.
We’ve selected a couple of activities from across our resources to help this group manage their time online, support each other and stay safe too.
1. Family tech check
Ask your child to take notes on what tech you have in your home, which devices have controls or filters on, and monitor how much time your family is spending on each one for a couple of days. Ask them to bring this information with them to a family discussion involving how you all use the internet, and what your guidelines should be. Our Family Agreement is an easy-to-use guide to having these conversations. By giving your child a key 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. Be a quiz master
Ask your child to brush up on their online safety skills by working their way through our interactive quiz for primary pupils. After they have completed all the sections, they could run the quiz with other members of your family, and compare scores. Are there any areas that your family need more knowledge on? Set your child the challenge of running a mini-tutorial to get everyone up to speed.
Take the primary online safety quiz here.
4. Screen time – spot the signs
When it comes to children and technology, parents and carers often have the same question: How much screen time should children have? Now more than ever, children will be turning to the internet for their entertainment and social connections. It can be easy to lose track of time online.
Use our bank of quick activities, together with your child, to help them recognise the signs they may experience when they’ve been online too long and the importance of balancing online and offline activities.
Download the Screen Time and Healthy Balance Quick Activities here.
5. Poem time
Show your child the following video, ‘Jessica’s Wish’ https://vimeo.com/152415364 .
Discuss the following questions together:
- What would it be like if we were all the same?
- What’s good about being different online?
- How many ways are we all different online?
- Do we always have to agree with/have the same views as other people?
Your child could create a storyboard to accompany the poem, and could even turn this into a short film or animation, using the original video as inspiration.
Can your child create their own poem about what they like to use the internet for?
Download the full text for the Jessica’s Wish poem here. This is part of an Education Pack for Safer Internet Day 2020 that can be found here.
6. Online identity detective
The Safer Internet Day 2020 quiz explores whether children feel free to be themselves online. Get your child to test their knowledge about what identity means online, and how it shapes what we think of ourselves and others.
Once they have completed the quiz, can they write their own to run with other members of your family?
Take the Online Identity Quiz here.
7. 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!