The wooden internet
About this resource
This article describes how the use of wooden pretend devices (e.g., phones, laptops, tablets, Wi-fi routers) in play-based learning can support children’s understanding of the internet and provide valuable opportunities for adults to model and discuss online safety with children.
Age range for this resource
For educators, parents, and carers of children aged 3 to 5 years.
Goal of this resource
To support young children’s learning about the internet and its functions and purposes through play.
To provide young children with strategies, habits, and behaviours for maintaining their own safety when using online environments.
How might educators use this resource?
Share this article with colleagues. Spend some time together thinking about children’s digital play with non-working technologies. Is there a local woodworking group or Men’s Shed in your community that might be interested in collaborating and assisting your service to build a wooden internet? This article also provides suggestions for using other materials, for example, cardboard, boxes, and paper to support children’s play-based learning about the internet.
How might families use this resource?
Read this article to inspire ideas about how you can use wood, cardboard, and other materials to support your child’s pretend play with non-working devices at home.
How might organisations use this resource?
Add this article as an agenda item at your next staff meeting. Invite staff members to consider the feasibility of using wooden devices as part of an intentional approach to play-based learning about the internet and online safety at your service. Is there a local community organisation, such as a woodworking group, who may like to help your service build their own wooden internet?
What learning might we see?
Educators, parents, and carers modelling safe online behaviours with young children in their pretend play.
Young children becoming aware that networked devices send and receive data and information.
Young children understanding that networked devices need to be connected to Wi-Fi routers to send and receive data.
Practices
Pretending
Children participate in pretend play with and about the internet.
Area
Citizenship
Citizenship in digital contexts recognises that young children are active participants in their communities now and into the future. As citizens, young children respect their own rights and those of other people, and develop an appreciation for cultural, racial, gender, and religious diversity. Digital rights, digital privacy, online safety, and cyber-safety education provide a foundation for early citizenship in digital contexts.
Connection to relevant standards
Belonging, Being, and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022)
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience, and agency (e.g., Children are open to new challenges and discoveries; Children show initiative by seeking information and asking questions).
Children develop knowledgeable, confident self-identities and a positive sense of self-worth (e.g., Children explore different identities, roles, and points of view in pretend play).
Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy, and respect (e.g., Children engage in and contribute to shared play experiences).
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children develop a sense of connectedness to groups and communities and an understanding of their reciprocal rights and responsibilities as active and informed citizens (e.g., Children broaden their understanding of the world in which they live; Educators provide opportunities for children to investigate ideas, complex concepts, and ethical issues that are relevant to their lives and their local communities).
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Children become strong in their social, emotional, and mental wellbeing (e.g., Educators build upon and extend children’s ideas; Educators are playful and promote a sense of enjoyment; Educators discuss and model appropriate use of digital technologies and discuss how to keep children safe online with children and families; Educators update their own learning of digital and cyber safety for children).
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Children develop a growth mindset and learning dispositions such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination, and reflexivity (e.g., Educators build on the funds of knowledge, languages, and understandings that children bring to their early childhood setting).
Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies, and natural and processed materials (e.g., Educators select and introduce appropriate tools, technologies, and media and provide the skills, knowledge, and techniques to enhance children’s learning; Educators develop their skills and knowledge with digital technologies and media in their curriculum to use them confidently with children).
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work (e.g., Educators engage children in noticing, using, and discussing symbol systems, such as letters, numbers, time, money, musical notation, and other symbols children are exposed to in the environment, texts, and images; Children use symbols in play to represent and make meaning).
Children use digital technologies and media to access information, investigate ideas, and represent their thinking (e.g., Children identify technologies and their use in everyday life; Children incorporate real or imaginary technologies as features of their play; Educators assist children to have a basic understanding that the internet is a network that people use to connect and source information).
National Quality Standard (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, 2019)
Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice (e.g., Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions; Educators respond to children’s ideas and play and extend children’s learning through open-ended questions, interactions, and feedback; Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions that influence events and their world).
Quality Area 3: Physical Environment (e.g., Resources, materials, and equipment allow for multiple uses, are sufficient in number, and enable every child to engage in play-based learning).
Quality Area 5: Relationships with children (e.g., Responsive and meaningful interactions build trusting relationships which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident, and included; Children are supported to collaborate, learn from, and help each other).
National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018)
Principle 1: Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance, and culture.
Principle 7: Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Principle 8: Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Explore More
For more information, explore these related resources:
Play-based learning with a wooden internet
This video presentation explores how early childhood educators can engage young children in play-based learning about the internet using wooden devices (e.g., phones, laptops, tablets, Wi-fi routers) for pretend play.
This book provides information and practical advice about how children and their adults can navigate the internet and stay safe online.
eSafety Early Years Program for Educators
These articles and videos provide information, activities, and advice to early childhood educators and families about young children using technology and online safety.
If these ideas are new to you, explore these related resources:
What does your child understand about the internet?
This article supports parents and carers to engage in conversations with young children about the internet.
Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5
This picture book helps educators, parents, and carers to discuss online safety behaviours with children.
If you would like to read some research, explore these related resources:
Bird, J. (2020). “You need a phone and camera in your bag before you go out!”: Children’s play with imaginative technologies. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(1), 166–176. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12791
Vogt, F., & Hollenstein, L. (2021). Exploring digital transformation through pretend play in kindergarten. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(6), 2130–2144. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13142