Technologies · Foundation

Active learning ideas

Staying Safe Online: Personal Safety Basics

Active learning works for this topic because young children learn best by doing, especially when topics feel abstract or distant from their daily experience. Role-plays and games turn safety habits into tangible actions they can practise and remember, which builds confidence and reduces anxiety about online spaces.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9TDEFK03

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 30 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Online Scenarios

Prepare cards with simple scenarios like 'a stranger asks for your photo' or 'a game asks for your address'. In small groups, students act out the situation, choose a safe action such as telling a teacher, then share with the class. Debrief by listing class rules on chart paper.

Explain appropriate actions to take when encountering unfamiliar or uncomfortable online content.

Facilitation Tip

During the Role-Play: Online Scenarios, assign roles quietly before starting so all students feel prepared to participate.

What to look for

Present students with three scenarios on cards: 1) Seeing a picture they don't understand, 2) A stranger asking for their name online, 3) Wanting to play a game on a tablet. Ask students to point to or name the 'Trusted Adult' they would tell for scenario 1 and 2, and to 'Ask Permission' for scenario 3.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 20 min · Pairs

Sorting Game: Safe or Not

Print pictures of actions like sharing a photo, asking permission, or clicking unknown links. Students sort them into 'safe' and 'not safe' hoops. Discuss choices as a class and create a visual safety chart for the classroom wall.

Justify the importance of seeking permission before engaging with digital devices.

Facilitation Tip

For the Sorting Game: Safe or Not, use real examples children might encounter, like their first name or a school photo, so the activity feels relevant.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you are playing a game online and a pop-up asks for your name and where you live. What should you do?' Guide the discussion to include not typing the information and telling a trusted adult.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 35 min · Individual

Personal Safety Pledge

Students draw or dictate their own safety pledge, such as 'I ask first' or 'I tell if scared'. Share pledges in a circle, then display them near devices. Follow up by practising pledges during device time.

Analyze strategies for safeguarding personal information in digital environments.

Facilitation Tip

In the Personal Safety Pledge, have students sign or initial their pledge to create ownership and make the promise feel real.

What to look for

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one thing they can do to stay safe online and write one word to describe how they feel when they use technology safely (e.g., happy, safe, smart).

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 25 min · Whole Class

Discussion Circle: Trusted Helpers

Sit in a circle and pass a talking stick. Each child names one trusted adult for online help and why. Teacher models responses to sample issues, then children practise saying 'stop' to pretend uncomfortable content.

Explain appropriate actions to take when encountering unfamiliar or uncomfortable online content.

Facilitation Tip

In the Discussion Circle: Trusted Helpers, sit in a circle yourself to model attentive listening and equal participation.

What to look for

Present students with three scenarios on cards: 1) Seeing a picture they don't understand, 2) A stranger asking for their name online, 3) Wanting to play a game on a tablet. Ask students to point to or name the 'Trusted Adult' they would tell for scenario 1 and 2, and to 'Ask Permission' for scenario 3.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic with repetition and positive reinforcement. Young learners need to hear safety rules multiple times in different contexts before habits form. Avoid lengthy explanations that lose their attention. Instead, use short, clear statements paired with actions. Research shows that children retain safety habits best when they practise them in low-stakes, guided situations first, before encountering real online spaces. Always connect rules to their immediate environment, like classroom devices or home tablets, to make the learning feel practical.

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying safe choices in role-plays, sorting personal information correctly in games, and verbally committing to safety rules in the pledge. They should also name trusted adults and explain why sharing personal details online requires caution.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Online Scenarios, watch for children treating online interactions like watching TV. Redirect them by asking, ‘Would you walk up to a stranger in the playground and tell them your name? This is the same.’

  During Sorting Game: Safe or Not, correct children who think sharing their name or photo is always okay by guiding them to separate personal information (name, school, address) from fun images (drawings, cartoon avatars). Ask, ‘Is this something only your family should know, or can anyone see it?’

• During Role-Play: Online Scenarios, listen for students saying they would try to fix an online problem alone. Stop the role-play and ask, ‘Who in your real life helps you when something feels wrong? That’s your trusted adult too.’

  During Discussion Circle: Trusted Helpers, challenge the idea that independence means solving problems alone by having students name three adults they trust and explain why each one is helpful.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play