This year’s theme, “Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI”, puts artificial intelligence (AI) in the spotlight. As pupils encounter more AI-powered tools in their daily lives, helping them understand and navigate this technology safely is more important than ever.

In this blog, we’ll share ideas, lesson suggestions and free resources to help you take part in Safer Internet Day with confidence – and show how Kapow Primary can support you in making online safety a year-round priority within our Computing scheme of work.

What this blog covers

• What Safer Internet Day is and what the 2026 theme means
• Practical ways schools can take part
• Computing lesson ideas
• Kapow Primary’s online safety lesson plans across KS1 and KS2
• Free resources including sing-along videos, posters and an online safety toolkit

New for 2026!

Safer Internet Day assembly – A ready-to-use whole-school assembly exploring this year’s theme, “Smart tech, safe choices”, with key discussion points to help pupils think critically and make safer decisions online.

Latest podcast episode on AI – Our newest episode of Primary Focus explores the question ‘Where does AI belong in primary education?’, with practical tips and insights to help teachers explore AI in the classroom and in their own practice.

Year 6 Unit: Exploring AI – A brand new Computing unit introduces pupils to how AI works, including how it generates text, images and code. Pupils also explore how to craft better prompts and discuss the ethical implications of AI and its impact on future jobs. Lesson 1 on What is AI? is FREE – take a look now!

What is Safer Internet Day?

Safer Internet Day takes place every February and is celebrated in over 170 countries worldwide. Since 2004, it has raised awareness of online safety through themes that reflect the evolving digital world.

Every year, millions of children take part, learning how to stay safe online and manage their screen use. Topics include cyberbullying, digital footprints, social media use, and – more recently – the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).

This year’s theme, “Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI”, highlights the need for young people to understand and engage with AI thoughtfully and safely.

How can schools take part in Safer Internet Day?

There are lots of ways to get involved in Safer Internet Day – what matters most is making it relevant to your pupils. Focus on what they need most, whether that’s cyberbullying, screen time, or recognising age-appropriate content.

At Kapow Primary, we offer structured, progressive resources to help make your Safer Internet Day both meaningful and enjoyable.

The key is to create space for open conversations. Rather than simply telling pupils what not to do, encourage them to explore online behaviour, make safer choices, and help build a kinder digital world.

Of course, internet safety shouldn’t be limited to just one day. Safer Internet Day can be a launchpad for year-round work across your Computing and RSE & PSHE curriculum. In the sections below, we’ll show you how Kapow’s lesson plans and resources can support you all year long.

Kapow Primary – online safety lesson plans

At Kapow Primary, our online safety curriculum is deeply embedded in our Computing scheme, covering every year group and aligning with the national curriculum. As we spotlight Safer Internet Day, here’s a glimpse of how we make online safety engaging and relatable:

KS1

Year 1 explore ‘Using the internet safely’, where Zork’s story makes learning about strong passwords and safe browsing fun and accessible.

Year 2’s ‘Is it true?’ helps pupils identify real and fake information online – a key skill in the age of AI.

KS2

Year 3’s ‘Beliefs, opinions and facts on the internet‘ builds critical thinking around digital content – perfect for this year’s theme.

In Year 4, ‘What is a bot?‘ introduces the idea of human-like technology and explores its benefits and risks.

In Year 5, ‘Understanding online bullying’ confronts cyberbullying with comparisons to offline scenarios, providing coping strategies and highlighting support networks.

Year 6’s ‘Capturing evidence‘ lesson teaches pupils to safely document online bullying, highlighting their role in online safety and equipping them with practical digital skills for the future.

FREE online safety rap activity

These activities are designed to make learning about online safety engaging and exciting for pupils. By the end of each activity, pupils will have created their own online safety rap, individually or as a class.

There are activities for each year group – simply choose your year!

There is flexibility to spend a whole afternoon crafting rap lyrics, integrate these activities into Safer Internet Day plans, or simply enjoy a fun session of hip-hop.

Each activity includes a unique online safety rap for pupils to watch and engage with, serving as a model for the entire activity. These raps also help pupils better understand and remember online safety concepts.

Other ideas for Safer Internet Day

You can also teach our Y5 Stay safe online lesson to really explore what it means – in-depth – to be safe online. There is also more information on the NSPCC website, including some useful and child-friendly videos.

Other lesson ideas for Safer Internet Day (these can be accessed via a free trial):

• Use our  Y5 Inaccurate information online lesson to help children learn that not everything we read online is necessarily true.
• Role-play a cyberbullying incident, including hot seating.  What does it feel like to the victim or perpetrator?  What leads people to act in that way?
• Help children understand their online habits and how much time they are spending online in the Y4 What is my #TechTimetable like? lesson.
• Use the resources in our online safety toolkit below – including the KS1 and KS2 Safer Internet Day discussion prompts PowerPoints and worksheet.

 You can also read our blog post to explore ways to teach online safety in primary schools.

Online safety toolkit

To help support teachers in helping to keep children safe online, we have created a FREE online safety toolkit for primary school teachers to use both on Safer Internet Day and more generally. Really, online safety should be an ongoing conversation that happens all year round – though obviously, it’s good to bring it to everyone’s attention in a larger way on Safer Internet Day.

Our online safety toolkit contains:

• KS1 Safer Internet Day discussion prompts.
• KS2 Safer Internet Day discussion prompts.
• Safer Internet Day participation certificates.
• Online safety posters – for your computing suite or classroom.
• An online safety worksheet.
• Social media/digital safety suggestions for teachers.
• Digital rules for teachers in schools

Use this and the resources listed above to have the best Safer Internet Day ever!