Being Kind OnlineActivities & Teaching Strategies
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.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify examples of kind and unkind digital communication.
- 2Explain how specific online actions can impact others' feelings.
- 3Formulate rules for respectful online interaction.
- 4Compare the ease of expressing kindness face-to-face versus online.
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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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
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.
Prepare & details
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?’
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
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.
Prepare & details
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.
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
Teaching This Topic
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.
What to Expect
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.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Role-Play: Kind vs Unkind Messages, watch for children who say, ‘Words online do not hurt because you cannot see the person's face.’
What to Teach Instead
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.
Common MisconceptionDuring Circle Time: Rule Brainstorm, watch for children who say, ‘It is easy to be kind online without thinking.’
What to Teach Instead
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.
Common MisconceptionDuring Feelings Station: Story Share, watch for children who say, ‘Jokes are always okay online.’
What to Teach Instead
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.
Assessment Ideas
After Role-Play: Kind vs Unkind Messages, present the 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?’ Listen for responses that reference feelings and use the sentence stems practiced during the role-play.
After Circle Time: Rule Brainstorm, show two simple digital messages: one kind, one unkind. Ask students to give a thumbs up or down. Follow up by calling on three students to explain their choice using the class rule poster.
After Poster Pair-Up: My Kind Rules, give each student a small card to draw one symbol representing kindness online and write one word explaining why it matters. Collect these to check for understanding and emotional connection.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask early finishers to write a short caption for their poster that explains one rule to a younger child.
- Scaffolding: Provide word banks or picture cards for students who need help expressing their ideas during poster creation.
- Deeper exploration: Set up a ‘Kind Message Station’ where students can record voice messages for peers using tablets, practicing tone and clarity.
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. |
Suggested Methodologies
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My Digital Footprint Explained
Students understand that actions online can be seen by others and remain accessible, introducing the concept of a digital footprint.
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Asking for Help Online
Students identify trusted adults and learn when and how to seek help if something online feels strange, upsetting, or unsafe.
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Keeping Personal Information Private
Students learn about passwords and why certain information, like their home address or full name, should remain private online.
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Recognizing Unsafe Content
Students learn to identify common signs of unsafe or inappropriate content online and understand what to do if they encounter it.
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Digital Balance and Wellbeing
Students reflect on the importance of balancing screen time with physical activity, creative play, and social interaction for overall wellbeing.
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