Activity Cards: Fun Ways of Teaching Kids about Online Safety
Online safety and the importance of preserving it are concepts that all kids must learn. This is why it’s vital for parents to teach their kids about safe Internet use and proper netiquette or Web decorum. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Kids’ behavior online can be difficult to control, so parents need all the help they can get.
One strategy that can be effective is to make the learning process more fun. Through this, kids become more open to learning about concepts of online safety. One of the best ways to help kids enjoy learning about these concepts is through activity cards.
NetSmartz, a resource from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, provides a wide variety of activity cards that parents can download and print out for their kids. The activity cards are categorized for each grade level: primary, intermediate, middle school, and high school. The cards contain age-appropriate activities that teach kids about the safe use of instant messaging, online profiles, and chat rooms.
The activity cards for the primary level are appropriate for kids aged 5 to 7. Since kids at these ages are usually only starting to learn how to use the Internet, the cards suggest enjoyable online activities. Some guidelines on Internet safety are also taught, as well as tips on what they should do in case they meet potentially dangerous people online. The importance of keeping information private when using instant messaging is also discussed.
Intermediate level activity cards move on to teaching kids about the consequences of cyberbullying through the Internet and text messaging. The cards suggest activities that discuss Web viruses and their effects on computers. For kids in the middle school level, the activity cards recommend watching a movie about a girl who runs away from home to meet a man she meets through the Web. The dangers of such behavior are discussed, along with concepts on proper etiquette when playing online games and using social networking sites.
