Safer Internet Day – Young children

  Plan an online safety learning experience

eSafety Early Years resources include simple key messages to help young children develop online safety awareness and habits they can take to school and beyond.

The key messages are: Be safe, Be kind, Ask for help and Make good choices.

Meet Swoosh and Glide

• Read the new eSafety Early Years picture book Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 to your class – there's a read-along video too! 
• Sing My Family Rules song by Lah-Lah with your children, so they learn the online safety key messages: Be safe, Be kind, Ask for help and Make good choices – there's a sing-along video too! 
• Play the Swoosh and Glide story puzzles.
• Use the Online safety teaching posters and educator notes to explain the key messages. 
• Follow the tips in Co-creating an Online Safety Agreement – it's a great way to develop critical thinking and self-regulation skills while encouraging good habits with digital technologies. 
• Bookmark the Quick Links for interactive devices so your always have online safety resources and advice at your fingertips.

 

Share tips and resources with parents

• Encourage your parents and carers to join Safety's free, live webinars. Sign up now!
• Host a face-to-face or virtual online safety event for your community – you could play the book and song videos, get the children to wear their Swoosh and Glide masks while doing the story puzzles, show parents and carers where to find the book and song online and tell them about all the other free online safety advice, support and resources available at esafety.gov.au.
• Tell your community about the online safety key messages – Be safe, Be kind, Ask for help and Make good choices – and give them the link to esafety.gov.au so they can download the book and song to help young children remember the advice.
• Let the book and song speak for themselves! Re-share eSafety's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts of the read-along and sing-along videos. Include your own message encouraging others to check out the great new Australian online safety resources for young children.
• Continue to remind your parents and carers about the advice, support and resources available at esafety.gov.au, so they can keep up with all the latest online safety messaging and practices, including:

 – the Children under 5 page for parents and carers

 – a special ABC Play School episode to view with their child and spark a conversation about online safety

 – our Family Tech Agreement, with familiar faces from ABC Play School

 – advice about How to choose good online content

 – the Online Safety for under 5s booklet

 – lots of other handy information at eSafety Parents.

 

  Review your service's online safety

eSafety recognises that early years educators work closely with the families of the children in their care, so we support that important relationship. Together, we can improve the online safety of our youngest Australians!

Check the online safety of your service

• eSafety's Checklist for early learning services will help directors and managers assess and address the risks in your online environment.

 

Keep your professional learning up-to-date

• eSafety has collaborated with Early Childhood Australia to bring you a series of online professional learning modules that help educators and service leaders develop online safety skills and knowledge.

 

Online safety at the click of a link

Bookmark the Quick Links for interactive devices, so you always have online safety advice at your fingertips.