Computing · Year 1 · Safety and Digital Citizenship · Summer Term

Being Kind Online

Students discuss the importance of respectful communication and behavior when interacting with others in digital spaces.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Computing - Online Safety
• KS1: Computing - Digital Citizenship

About This Topic

Being Kind Online teaches Year 1 students the value of respectful communication in digital spaces. Children discuss how mean messages can hurt feelings, much like unkind words in person, and agree on simple rules for kind online behaviour. This topic meets KS1 Computing standards for online safety and digital citizenship by encouraging reflection on emotions and actions during interactions like sharing drawings or messages in class apps.

Links to PSHE strengthen social skills as students answer key questions: how someone might feel after a mean online message, rules to follow for internet kindness, and why kindness differs online versus face to face. Short discussions reveal that screens can hide expressions, making tone harder to read, which builds empathy and thoughtful habits early.

Active learning suits this topic perfectly. Role-plays let children experience kind and unkind scenarios firsthand, while group rule creation gives ownership over guidelines. These methods turn abstract ideas into concrete memories, helping students apply kindness consistently across digital and real-world settings.

Key Questions

1. How do you think someone might feel if they received a mean message online?
2. What rules do you think we should follow to be kind when using the internet?
3. Is it easier to be kind to someone face to face or in an online message? Why?

Learning Objectives

• Identify examples of kind and unkind digital communication.
• Explain how specific online actions can impact others' feelings.
• Formulate rules for respectful online interaction.
• Compare the ease of expressing kindness face-to-face versus online.

Before You Start

Understanding Emotions

Why: Students need a basic understanding of feelings like happy, sad, and angry to discuss how online messages might affect others.

Basic Communication Skills

Why: Students should have foundational skills in speaking and listening to understand the concept of communication, both offline and online.

Key Vocabulary

Digital Footprint	The trail of data a person leaves behind when they use the internet. This includes websites visited, emails sent, and information submitted online.
Empathy	The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It means imagining how someone else might feel in a situation.
Respectful Communication	Talking or writing to others in a way that shows politeness and consideration for their feelings and opinions, especially online.
Online Persona	The image or character that a person presents to others on the internet. This can sometimes be different from how they are in real life.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Words online do not hurt because you cannot see the person's face.

What to Teach Instead

Role-plays show hidden sad faces behind screens, helping children connect actions to emotions. Pair discussions build empathy as they share real feelings from scenarios.

Common Misconception

It is easy to be kind online without thinking.

What to Teach Instead

Group brainstorming reveals tone challenges online, like missing smiles. Acting out messages clarifies need for extra care, making rules feel essential.

Common Misconception

Jokes are always okay online.

What to Teach Instead

Stations with joke scenarios prompt talks on misunderstandings. Children correct by adding 'only if they laugh' rules, seeing impacts through peer feedback.

Active Learning Ideas

Role-Play: Kind vs Unkind Messages

Pairs take turns sending pretend messages on paper phones: one kind, one unkind. Switch roles and discuss feelings after each. Class shares insights on a board.

25 min·Pairs

Circle Time: Rule Brainstorm

Sit in a circle. Pose key questions and record children's ideas for kindness rules on a shared poster. Vote on top three rules to display in class.

30 min·Whole Class

Story Share: Feelings Station

Small groups rotate through stations with picture cards of online scenarios. At each, draw or describe feelings and kind responses. Present one back to class.

35 min·Small Groups

Poster Pair-Up: My Kind Rules

Pairs draw and label three rules for being kind online, using smiley faces for emotions. Add to a class display wall for reference.

20 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Children using school-approved apps like Purple Mash or Seesaw to share artwork or messages with classmates and teachers. They learn to offer positive comments or constructive feedback.
• Families using video calls with grandparents or other relatives. Students can practice polite conversation and active listening, even through a screen.
• Young people engaging with moderated online games or educational platforms where they might interact with others through text chat or pre-set messages.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Present students with a scenario: 'Imagine you see a drawing online that you don't like. What are two kind things you could say or type, and one unkind thing you should avoid saying or typing?' Discuss their responses, focusing on the impact of words.

Quick Check

Show students two simple digital messages: one is kind, and one is unkind. Ask them to give a thumbs up if the message is kind and a thumbs down if it is unkind. Follow up by asking a few students to explain why they chose thumbs up or down.

Exit Ticket

Give each student a small card. Ask them to draw one symbol that represents being kind online and write one word about why it is important to be kind when using computers or tablets.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you teach Year 1 children about being kind online?

Start with familiar face-to-face examples, then use paper 'devices' for online scenarios. Discuss feelings from key questions and co-create three class rules. Display rules daily and reference during computing sessions to reinforce habits over time.

What activities work best for online kindness in KS1?

Role-plays in pairs simulate messages, circle times build shared rules, and drawing stations explore emotions. These keep sessions short, engaging, and tied to curriculum standards, with displays for ongoing reminders.

How can active learning help students understand being kind online?

Active methods like role-plays and group rule-making make emotional effects visible and rules personal. Children act out scenarios to feel impacts, discuss in pairs for empathy, and own class guidelines through voting. This hands-on approach boosts retention and real application over passive talks.

Why is online kindness harder than face-to-face for young children?

Screens hide facial cues, so tone misreads easily. Key question discussions highlight this, with activities like pretend messaging showing careful word choice matters. Builds skills for safe digital citizenship from Year 1.