An Analysis of What Kids Should Know About Cyberspace

Ages and Stages

A positive outlook and accepting nature are the qualities associated with 5-year-olds. Children this age:

• thrive on routine and predictability
  
  
• enjoy practicing and demonstrating intellectual skills
  
  
• like making things and solving puzzles
  
  
• love having books read to them
  
  
• enjoy favourite songs
  
  
• are interested in concepts of time and space (such as days of the week)
  
  
• enjoy playing make-believe
  
  
• tend to be trusting
  
  
• don’t question authority

The sixth year is a time of rapid change and vulnerable emotions. The average 6-year-old:

• hates to lose and is sensitive to criticism
  
  
• is proud of developing reading and counting abilities
  
  
• loves to play guessing games
  
  
• is developing concentration skills
  
  
• loves conversation and sharing ideas
  
  
• is increasingly aware of good behaviour and
  consequences of actions

5- and 6-Year-Olds and Media

In interpreting the Internet and other media, children in this age group:

• have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality
  
  
• tend to trust media personalities and characters
  
  
• accept media stereotypes
  
  
• identify with media heroes
  
  
• accept content at face value
  
  
• often re-enact behaviour seen on television, in films or in video games
  
  
• may be frightened by visual images, both realistic and fantastic
  
  
• can identify brand- and product-related icons, slogans and jingles

Educational Resources Online

Online resources that can stimulate social and intellectual development in this age group include:

• colouring and activity pages that can be downloaded and printed
  
  
• games that provide opportunities to manipulate objects
  
  
• games and activities that develop academic skills
  
  
• problem-solving puzzles that use pictures
  
  
• information about favourite topics and hobbies
  
  
• Web sites where children can post drawings, poems and stories
  
  
• educational freeware and shareware for young children

The following educational directories and portals feature high-quality Web sites for children:

• 2Learn.ca
  
  
• Berit's Best Sites for Children
  
  
• Canadian Educators and Education Resources
  
  
• Finding Great Kids’ Sites
  
  
• Kid-Friendly Search Engines, Portals and Directories
  
  
• The Community Learning Network
  

Online Issues

Parental supervision of 5- and 6-year-olds online tends to be quite strict. However, there are online issues that should be addressed for this age group:

• ease of moving from appropriate to inappropriate sites through hyperlinks
  
  
• lack of parental or teacher experience with Internet environments
  
  
• exposure to soft sell or "edutainment" - commercial games and online environments that are promoted as being “educational,” but that market and sell products
  
  
• use of branded characters, games and activities on commercial sites for children to build brand loyalty and influence parental spending
  
  
• existence of Web sites that develop a false sense of relationship by encouraging children to submit their names for integration into Web content (for instance, children entering a site receive a personalized "welcome" message)
  

Educational Response: Teaching Critical-Thinking skills

In addition to developing computer skills, now is the time for children to acquire an understanding of:

• basic networking technology
  
  
• the open, public nature of online communications
  
  
• basic online skills to protect privacy and ensure personal safety
  
  
• diversity by learning about people from other countries/cultures
  
  
• the differences between real-life friends and branded characters on Web sites

Some MNet resources for getting started:

• Cyber-sense Poem
  A cyber safety poem that encourages students to create a “virtual me” when communicating on the Internet
  
  
• Introducing the Internet: Exploring the Internet
  A lesson that provides students with an understanding of the basic structure of electronic network communications
  
  
• Introducing the Internet: Messages, Envelopes, Addresses
  A lesson that helps students understand how electronic messages are delivered over the Internet
  
  
• Introducing the Internet: Telephones and Networks
  A lesson that helps students understand how hyperlinks work and introduces them to basic Internet safety skills