Staying safe online: a KS1 computing game

Staying safe online: a KS1 computing game: what children learn

Children use tablets, games and videos from a young age, so Key Stage 1 computing includes using technology safely and respectfully. Children learn to keep personal information private, to be kind online and to know where to go for help if something they see or someone they meet online worries them.

This game gives short, realistic situations, such as a stranger asking for an address or a pop-up offering a prize, and asks what to do. The answers follow Childnet’s SMART rules from the UK Safer Internet Centre. The most important message is repeated on purpose: if anything online makes you feel worried, upset or confused, tell a grown-up you trust. You will not be in trouble.

This topic covers a Key Stage 1 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Subject content): pupils should be taught to “use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies”. The programme of study sets this for the whole of Key Stage 1, so schools choose when to teach it; we have placed this game in Year 2 (ages 6–7).

There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards.

How to play

Answer 10 questions before the clock runs out. Tap an answer, or press 1 to 4. Each game has 10 multiple-choice questions and a 150-second timer. A wrong answer shows the correct one before moving on. You earn up to three stars depending on your score.

Step by step

1. Name the trusted adults. Help your child list the grown-ups they could tell: parents, carers, teachers, a grandparent. Make it concrete.
2. Know what is private. Full name, address, school, phone number, passwords and photos in school uniform are private.
3. Think before you click. Pop-ups, prizes and messages from people you do not know: stop and ask first.
4. Be kind. Talk online as you would face to face. If someone is unkind, do not reply, and tell an adult.
5. Practise saying it. Role-play: “I saw something that made me feel funny.” Children who have practised are more likely to speak up.

Worked examples

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Being afraid of getting into trouble for telling. Tell your child often that they will never be in trouble for telling you about something online.
• Thinking people online are always who they say. Explain that anyone can choose a picture and a name online.
• Thinking a first name and school are harmless. Together, these can help someone find a child. Keep them private.

Activities to try at home

• Agree family rules together: where devices are used, and what to do if something goes wrong.
• Set up parental controls and child-friendly search, and explain why.
• Ask about what your child does online as often as you ask about school.
• Print the game sheet and talk through each answer together.

Ideas for the classroom

• Read a Childnet SMART Crew story and discuss each rule.
• Sort cards into “safe to share” and “keep private”.
• Role-play telling a trusted adult in pairs.
• Play the quiz during Safer Internet Day and at the start of any unit that uses devices.

Free printable game and worksheet

The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.

Open the free printable game and worksheet

Frequently asked questions

Related topics

• Algorithms: put the steps in the right order (Year 1 computing) – Brush your teeth, plant a seed, program a floor robot: put the steps in order. A free KS1 computing game about algorithms, with a printable sheet.

Back to Year 2 computing