Computing · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Being Kind Online

Active learning works best for this topic because young children understand emotions and social rules through doing, not just listening. Role-plays and hands-on sharing let Year 1 students feel the difference between kind and unkind online messages in a safe, visual way.

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

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

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 25 min · Pairs

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.

How do you think someone might feel if they received a mean message online?

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play, give each child a ‘feeling card’ to hold up after delivering a message so emotions stay visible and tied to actions.

What to look for

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.

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

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 30 min · Whole Class

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.

What rules do you think we should follow to be kind when using the internet?

Facilitation Tip

In Circle Time, write every child’s rule idea on chart paper with matching pictures to reinforce shared ownership.

What to look for

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.

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

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 35 min · Small Groups

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.

Is it easier to be kind to someone face to face or in an online message? Why?

Facilitation Tip

At Feelings Station, pause after each story to ask: ‘What could we say instead that would help?’

What to look for

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.

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

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 20 min · Pairs

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.

How do you think someone might feel if they received a mean message online?

Facilitation Tip

For My Kind Rules posters, provide sentence starters like ‘We will…’ to support emergent writers.

What to look for

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.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with concrete emotions before abstract rules, because empathy develops earlier than self-regulation in young learners. Avoid abstract lectures about ‘digital citizenship’; instead, ground every discussion in the here-and-now of their drawings, messages, and apps. Research shows that when children act out scenarios, they better connect actions to feelings and remember the rules longer.

Successful learning looks like children using kind language in role-plays, contributing clear rules during circle time, identifying emotions in stories, and creating posters with simple, memorable kindness guidelines. Listen for language like ‘I feel sad when…’ and watch for thumbs up or thumbs down responses.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Kind vs Unkind Messages, watch for children who say, ‘Words online do not hurt because you cannot see the person's face.’

  After the role-play, have the unkind message receiver hold up a sad feeling card and ask the sender, ‘How did your words make me feel?’ This makes the emotional impact visible and personal.

• During Circle Time: Rule Brainstorm, watch for children who say, ‘It is easy to be kind online without thinking.’

  After brainstorming, ask the group to act out a message without facial expressions, then ask, ‘How did you know it was kind or unkind?’ This highlights the need for extra care when tone is missing.

• During Feelings Station: Story Share, watch for children who say, ‘Jokes are always okay online.’

  After reading the joke scenario, ask the class to vote with thumbs up or down, then invite students to revise the joke by adding ‘only if they laugh’ to the rule cards on the wall.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play