[Activity Guide] Ideas for Teaching Cybersecurity in the Classroom

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🎯 Learning Goals

Enable students to identify potential online risks and explain strategies and best practices to improve their own cybersecurity.

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👀 Context

In an era where digital identity and the real world are deeply interconnected, it is essential to help students develop safe and responsible practices, regardless of their age or level of maturity. The field of cybersecurity is broad, encompassing both guidance for online interactions and more specialized aspects related to the devices being used. This can often seem quite complex. What if this topic became an opportunity to provide engaging activities and games that combine enjoyment with skill development?

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💡 Activity Suggestions

☝️ Activity: What Is Cybersecurity?

Activity Description: Using videos and interactive activities, students identify online risks and ways to protect themselves.

Grade Level : Elementary – Cycle 2 (Grades 3–4)

Cybersecurity can be difficult for students to understand. Begin by introducing basic concepts using a visual resource (e.g., a video), either as a whole class or individually depending on available resources, then present simple examples of online risks (e.g., an unknown message, a shared password, a suspicious link).

🎥 Use these short videos to illustrate these situations. They provide concrete examples and help students better understand certain risks.

• Video 1 : Cybersecurity Training for Kids   
• Video 2 : Online Privacy for Kids – Internet Safety and Security for Kids

Invite students to identify one risk and one way to protect themselves while watching. Ask them to explain their answer using a simple example.

Offline: Facilitate a whole-class discussion. Record responses on the board in two columns (risks / protection strategies). You may also use sticky notes (one colour for risks, another for solutions).

Online: Use a polling tool to collect responses (e.g., Wooclap, Digistorm). Organize responses into two columns to summarize them.

You can also continue the activity in a digital format using this LearningApps activity, which uses the same two-column structure.

Ask students to relate this to a situation they might encounter online (e.g., a game, a message, or a video).To check students’ understanding, a short questionnaire can be provided at the end of the activity.

☝️ Activity: Cybersecurity Heroes!

Activity Description: Students explore cybersecurity concepts through online games and learn to recognize online risks and safe behaviours. 

Grade Level : Elementary – Cycle 2 (Grades 3–4)

Before the activity, ensure that students have access to the necessary devices and that the games function properly. 

Briefly introduce the learning intention: to recognize online risks and adopt safe behaviours. 

Review expectations for responsible technology use (e.g., screen time, navigation, respectful use). 

The games are available free of charge on computers or tablets.

🎮 Game 1: Space Shelter
Space Shelter offers a series of challenges where students make choices to keep their digital environment safe.
The game helps students identify online risks and adopt safe practices.
🔗 Play Space Shelter

🎮 Game 2: Interland
Interland engages students in challenges related to online safety and digital citizenship.
Students learn to protect their personal information, interact safely online, and recognize scams.
🔗 Play Interland

📄 A supporting document is available to illustrate the cybersecurity concepts explored in the games.

Preparation

• Prepare the classroom by ensuring that computers or tablets are turned on, and the games are ready to use.
• Introduce the activity by explaining the key cybersecurity concepts students will explore through the games.
• Provide clear instructions on how the activity will run and outline expected behaviours (e.g., no browsing on other websites, following game rules, respectful use).

Gameplay Phase

During this phase, students play the two selected online games independently. The goal is to allow them to explore, understand, and discover cybersecurity concepts through the situations presented.

• Organize students into pairs or small groups, depending on the number of available devices.
• Set a specific amount of time for each game (e.g., 15 to 20 minutes).
• Circulate throughout the classroom to answer questions and support students as needed, while allowing them to manage their own actions in the game.
• Encourage students to reflect on what they are learning by asking simple questions (e.g., “What would you do in this situation?”).
• Ask students to identify at least one risky situation and describe the safe behaviour to adopt.

Whole-Class Debrief / Consolidation

After the gameplay phase, bring students together for a whole-class discussion. This step allows students to reflect on their experiences, clarify key concepts, and highlight their learning. Students may share what they learned and ask questions.

• Gather students in a circle or semi-circle to encourage discussion.
  Ask each group to share one thing they learned during the game.
• Facilitate a discussion about the cybersecurity strategies observed (e.g., “How can you protect yourself from phishing?”).
• Encourage students to explain why certain situations present a risk and to connect these ideas to their everyday internet use.
• Record key ideas on the board so they are visible to everyone.
• Clarify any concepts that are challenging or need further explanation.

Written Task

In this step, students produce a short written piece to summarize what they have learned. This task may take different forms (e.g., a short text, a poster) and is intended to reinforce learning.

• Explain that students must present one risky situation and one way to protect themselves.
• Suggest simple formats (e.g., a short paragraph, a list of tips, a comic strip).
• Specify the expected elements (e.g., an example, a solution, a brief explanation).
• Allow students to work individually or in teams, providing guidance as needed.
• If possible, include a simple revision strategy (e.g., peer review or a short checklist).
• Observe whether the student can identify a risky situation and propose a safe behaviour.

Example Checklist:

• I identified a risky situation
• I suggested a way to protect myself
• I explained why

☝️ Activity: Recognizing Cybersecurity Risks and Taking Action

Activity Description : Students analyze a realistic cybersecurity scenario. They identify relevant vocabulary, research the meaning of key terms, and build a glossary. They then suggest practices to adopt to better protect themselves online.

Grade Level : Grades 8 to 10

This activity can be adapted to meet student needs by adjusting the level of support and the level of difficulty.

Cybersecurity vocabulary is extensive and can be challenging to master. Many terms are similar or used in different contexts, which can make them harder to understand. This activity helps structure learning by guiding students to identify key terms, clarify their meanings, and organize them into a glossary.

Students develop a clearer understanding of cybersecurity concepts and learn to identify effective ways to stay safe online. The activity promotes precise communication and conceptual clarity.

1. Introduction

Invite students to reflect on the following question:

• “What comes to mind when you hear the term cybersecurity?”

Ask students to suggest related words (e.g., password, login, virus, hacking, personal information). Record responses on the board or use a tool such as Wooclap to generate a word cloud.

Work with students to group the words into categories (e.g., protection, risks, information).

2. Reading and Vocabulary Exploration

Have students read the text “Cyberattack at School.”

Ask them to identify all words related to cybersecurity.

Using the Government of Canada glossary, students determine the meaning of each term:
https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/glossary 

Post-reading questions:

• Which digital actions or habits contributed to this situation?
• What security measures could have reduced the risks?

3. Building a Glossary with Recommended Practices

Using the identified terms, students collaboratively build a glossary.

For each term, students must:

• write the definition 
• explain the term using a real-life example
• suggest a practice to help protect themselves online

The glossary is created collaboratively using a shared document (e.g., Google Docs, Word Online, Canva Docs, or another collaborative tool).

Each student or team is responsible for a selection of terms.

Students may consult reliable sources, including: getcybersafe.gc.ca/en 

They may also expand their glossary by adding terms from the official source : getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/glossary 

4. Consolidation Task

Students take on the role of a cybersecurity expert.

Based on the scenario and the glossary, they propose practices to prevent a similar situation from occurring.

The task must include:

• at least three recommended practices
• a clear explanation for each
• a connection to the scenario (explaining how each practice could have helped prevent or reduce the problem)

Adaptation for Grade 10 (Enrichment)

For Grade 10 students, the activity may be extended to include a critical analysis task based on the scenario and the glossary.

As students to compare different types of cyber threats presented in the situation (e.g., phishing, ransomware, spyware), by explaining their differences, impacts, and how they spread.

Students can also evaluate the proposed security practices by determining which are the most effective in the given context and justifying their choices.

Finally, invite students to reflect on the responsibilities of various stakeholders (students, school staff, IT staff) in preventing such incidents.

This adaptation helps deepen their understanding of the concepts while developing critical thinking and informed digital citizenship skills.

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🔎 To Learn More

I Think, Therefore I Meme – Get Cyber Safe Game
Government of Canada