1. Spot the pressure
Show students several short messages. Some should be ordinary and some should contain urgency, prizes, password requests or suspicious links. Ask students to identify what feeling each message is trying to create before deciding whether it is trustworthy.
This shifts the activity from 'find the spelling mistake' to recognising the persuasion techniques that can appear even in polished scams.
2. Trusted route challenge
Give students a situation such as an account warning, a message from a friend asking for money, or a school notice asking them to sign in. Their task is to suggest a second way to check the claim without using the contact details or link inside the message.
Possible answers include opening the real app, typing the known website address, speaking to the person face to face, calling a known number or asking a teacher or parent.
3. Password dominoes
Create several fictional accounts and show what happens when the same password is reused across all of them. Then 'expose' the password from one account and ask which other accounts are now at risk.
Repeat the activity with unique passwords. Students can see why one compromised service should not automatically unlock everything else.
4. Who are you really talking to?
Present a message that appears to come from a friend but contains an unusual request. Ask students what evidence they actually have that the friend sent it and how they could verify the person using another route.
This introduces digital identity without needing complex terminology. A familiar name or profile picture is evidence of appearance, not proof of identity.
5. Build an ask-for-help plan
Have students identify two or three trusted adults or support routes they could use if something online made them worried, confused or unsure. The exercise can include home, school and account support options.
Cyber safety improves when children know exactly where to go before a problem happens. 'Ask an adult' becomes much more useful when the child can name who that adult is.
The strongest activities practise a repeatable mindset: notice what feels unusual, slow down, verify another way and ask for help when the evidence is not clear.
Continue with the Cyber Safety Hub, practise the ideas in Ranger Academy, or use the free printable resources at home or in the classroom.