Coding activity
Cybersecurity Defenders
Pick a secret password for your toy box and write a code message that only you and a grown-up can read!
Materials and setup
- paper
- pencil
- cipher wheels or charts
- markers
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Pick a secret password for your toy box and write a code message that only you and a grown-up can read!
Steps
- Pick 3 secret things (a color, an animal, and a number) and say them out loud — that's your toy-box password!
- Talk about private information: your full name, address, and phone number are private. We don't share them with strangers.
- Play 'Secret Code': create a simple code where each letter becomes a symbol or number. Write a secret message!
- Discuss: who are safe people to share information with? (Parents, teachers) Who are strangers?
- Draw a picture of things that are 'private' (locked with a key) and things that are 'public' (everyone can see).
- Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.
Learning objectives
- Understand that some personal information is private
- Create simple codes and passwords
- Identify safe vs. unsafe people to share information with
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Explore online safety basics: passwords, personal information, and recognizing safe vs. unsafe online behavior through role play.
Steps
- Learn about passwords: they're like a key to your house. Don't share them! Make one up: a word + a number + a symbol.
- Role play: pretend someone online asks for your address. What do you say? (No! Tell a parent.)
- Sort behaviors: safe (telling a parent about a scary message) vs. unsafe (clicking a link from a stranger).
- Create a 'Cyber Safety Rules' poster with 5 rules for being safe online.
- Practice: 'If something online makes you feel scared or uncomfortable, close the screen and tell a grown-up.'
- Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.
Learning objectives
- Create strong passwords and understand their importance
- Recognize safe and unsafe online behaviors
- Know to tell a trusted adult about uncomfortable online experiences
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Study cybersecurity concepts: encryption basics, phishing awareness, digital footprints, and how hackers try to steal information.
Steps
- Learn about encryption: create a Caesar cipher (shift each letter by a number). Encode and decode messages with a partner.
- Study phishing: look at examples of fake emails and real emails (parent-created examples). What clues tell you it's fake?
- Understand digital footprints: everything you post online stays forever. Search for 'digital footprint' examples.
- Practice creating strong passwords: at least 8 characters, mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Never use personal info.
- Create a cybersecurity quiz for family members: can they spot the phishing email? Do they know password rules?
- Design a 'Cybersecurity Handbook' with tips for staying safe online.
- In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.
Learning objectives
- Encrypt and decrypt messages using simple ciphers
- Identify phishing attempts by recognizing red flags
- Understand digital footprints and their permanence
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Explore advanced cybersecurity: encryption algorithms, social engineering, two-factor authentication, network security, and ethical hacking concepts.
Steps
- Study encryption depth: compare symmetric encryption (same key to lock and unlock) with asymmetric (public key and private key). Create examples.
- Research social engineering: how do hackers manipulate people to get information? Study real-world examples and how to defend against them.
- Investigate two-factor authentication: what is it? How does it make accounts more secure? Set it up on a family account (with parent permission).
- Study network security basics: what is a firewall? What is a VPN? How does HTTPS protect web browsing?
- Ethical hacking challenge: given a password hint system (your mother's maiden name), discuss why these security questions are weak. Design better ones.
- Write a 'Cybersecurity Report Card' for your family: rate password strength, check for 2FA, and recommend improvements.
- In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.
Learning objectives
- Explain symmetric and asymmetric encryption concepts
- Identify social engineering tactics and defenses
- Evaluate and improve personal and family cybersecurity practices
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
Related coding activities
AI Explorers
Train a pretend 'robot brain'! Show it 5 cat pictures and 5 dog pictures, then test if it can guess a new one.
Algorithm Art
Follow step-by-step drawing instructions to create a picture. The instructions are your algorithm! Each step adds one shape or line.
API Restaurant
Play restaurant! The customer tells the waiter what they want, the waiter tells the kitchen, and the kitchen makes it. The waiter is the messenger — just like how computers talk to each other!
App Design Workshop
Design your dream app! Draw what you'd see on a phone screen. What would your app do? What buttons would it have?