Foundations of Language and Literacy · Junior Infants

Active learning ideas

Safe Online Exploration

Active learning helps young children grasp abstract safety concepts through concrete, memorable experiences. Role-plays and games make invisible risks visible, while hands-on practice builds habits that last beyond the classroom. This topic requires movement and repetition to move from knowing rules to applying them in real time.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Digital Literacy
• NCCA: Primary - Online Safety

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 30 min · Pairs

Role-Play: Online Choices

Pairs draw scenario cards like 'a screen friend asks for your address' or 'clicking unknown links.' One child acts as user, the other as helpful grown-up, then switch and discuss safe responses with the class.

Why is it important to ask a grown-up before you use the internet?

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play: Online Choices, assign clear roles using props like pretend tablets or headphones to heighten realism.

What to look for

Hold up picture cards showing different actions (e.g., sharing a photo, closing an app, talking to a stranger online). Ask students to give a thumbs up if the action is safe and a thumbs down if it is not, explaining their choice.

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

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 25 min · Small Groups

Sorting Game: Safe or Unsafe

Small groups sort laminated cards showing actions, such as sharing a photo or asking an adult first, into 'safe' and 'unsafe' hoops. Groups share one example with the class and explain why.

What information about yourself should you keep private and not share online?

Facilitation Tip

For the Sorting Game: Safe or Unsafe, use large, colorful picture cards so every child can see and participate.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you are playing a game on a tablet and someone you don't know sends you a message. What is the first thing you should do and why?' Listen for responses that include asking a grown-up.

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

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 35 min · Whole Class

Safety Pledge Circle

Whole class brainstorms 3-4 rules together, then draws or dictates them on a shared poster. Children stand in a circle to recite the pledge and sign with fingerprints or names.

Can you name one rule for staying safe when using a computer or tablet?

Facilitation Tip

In Safety Pledge Circle, let children hold a small stuffed animal while taking the pledge to give each turn a gentle, tangible focus.

What to look for

Give each child a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one thing they learned about staying safe online. Collect these drawings to check for understanding of key concepts.

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

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 40 min · Pairs

Device Demo Stations

Stations show safe tablet use: logging out, no personal shares, hand signals for help. Pairs rotate, practice each step, and note one rule learned on sticky notes.

Why is it important to ask a grown-up before you use the internet?

Facilitation Tip

At Device Demo Stations, position devices at child height and keep adult helpers nearby to guide safe handling.

What to look for

Hold up picture cards showing different actions (e.g., sharing a photo, closing an app, talking to a stranger online). Ask students to give a thumbs up if the action is safe and a thumbs down if it is not, explaining their choice.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers guide children through scenarios slowly, repeating key phrases like 'Ask a grown-up first' until they become automatic. Avoid overwhelming young learners with too many rules at once. Research shows that short, frequent practice with immediate feedback strengthens memory and confidence in safety routines.

Children will confidently identify safe online actions, explain why privacy matters, and demonstrate routines like seeking a grown-up or closing apps. Their language will show understanding of personal information boundaries, and their body language will reflect calm decision-making in role-play situations.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Online Choices, watch for children who giggle or treat risky scenarios lightly, indicating they see screens as safe like TV.

  Pause the role-play to ask, 'How is this different from watching TV? What could happen here that can't happen on TV?' Use their answers to highlight unpredictability in online spaces.

• During Sorting Game: Safe or Unsafe, watch for children who sort sharing a photo or name under 'safe' because it feels friendly.

  Hold up two photos, one of a smiling friend and one of an unknown character, and ask, 'Would both friends know your full name already? Who else might see this photo?' Guide them to see privacy as a friend-protector.

• During Device Demo Stations, watch for children who assume screens are always watched by adults.

  Ask each pair to name one time they might use a device without a grown-up nearby, then role-play what to do in that moment, like closing the app or finding help.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play