Preteens (Ages 10-12)

As children navigate the expanding digital landscape, it becomes crucial to understand how to safeguard their personal information. Social media and gaming platforms, while offering vast opportunities for fun and learning, also pose potential privacy risks.

Activity 1: "Privacy Protector" Workshop

Objective: Educate children on the importance of privacy settings on social media and gaming platforms and how to adjust them.

Materials Needed:

Privacy Protector Guide: A simple, illustrated guide tailored for children explaining privacy settings on popular social media and gaming platforms.

Privacy Settings Checklist: A checklist for children to use when reviewing privacy settings on any platform.

Role-Playing Scenarios: Cards with different scenarios that might happen online require the use of privacy settings.

Activity Description:

Interactive Presentation: Start with a short, interactive presentation using the Privacy Protector Guide to explain what privacy settings are and why they're important. Use metaphors like "locks on your personal diary" to make the concept relatable.

Privacy Checkup: Children are then given the Privacy Settings Checklist and, with the help of a facilitator or in pairs, go through hypotheticals or their own accounts (with supervision) to identify if their privacy settings are strong.

Role-Playing Game: Using the role-playing scenarios, children act out different situations where privacy settings could impact their online experience. For example, a scenario card might say, "Someone you don't know is asking to be your friend on a game. What do you do?" This leads to discussions on how privacy settings can help manage these situations.

Reflection and Discussion: Conclude with a discussion on what they've learned about privacy settings and encourage sharing thoughts and questions.

In an age where information is abundant and easily accessible, discerning fact from fiction online has become an essential skill for all, especially for young, impressionable minds. With the internet flooded with varying degrees of accurate and misleading information, it's imperative that our children learn to navigate these waters with a critical eye.

Activity 2: "Truth Seeker" Challenge

Objective: Foster critical thinking regarding the information found online and the importance of verifying facts before believing or sharing them.

Materials Needed:

Truth Seeker Missions: Printed cards or digital prompts with various statements or news headlines, some true and some false.

Fact-Checking Guide: A guide that teaches basic fact-checking techniques, such as looking for reputable sources or checking against fact-checking websites.

Discussion Guide: Questions to spark conversation about each mission.

Activity Description:

Mission Briefing: Explain to the children that not everything they read or see online is true. The Truth Seeker Challenge will help them become detectives searching for the truth.

Truth Seeker Missions: Children receive missions (cards or prompts) and use the Fact-Checking Guide to determine if the information is true or false. Missions should be age-appropriate and could be related to popular culture, science facts, or current events suitable for their age.

Group Discussion: After investigating, children present their findings to the group. Use the Discussion Guide to ask questions like, "How did you decide if this was true or not?" and "What would happen if someone believed this false information?"

Critical Thinking Badge: Award children a "Critical Thinking Badge" for completing their missions, reinforcing the importance of questioning and verifying online information.