Teaching Your Kids to Search Safely Online

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One easy way to start techin’ your homeschool is to let you kids search online. But, that can seem scary. We’ve heard enough about the horrors of the Internet that we know it’s not 100% safe, and we may not feel confident in teaching our kids to search safely.

But consider this…neither is the real world as safe as we'd like it to be. Just like you teach your kids how to stay safe in the physical world, you need to teach them how to stay safe in the digital world.

I'm going to make a bet that you don’t let your kids loose in strange places, right? You don't arrive at a new park or new mall and say, “OK, kids. Go have fun and I'll pick you up later?”  You keep them close until you’re comfortable with the environment. Once you feel a place is safe, you’ve set some guidelines for behaviors and your kids have demonstrated that they can make wise choices, you loosen the grip. Your kids then have more freedom to safely roam in those trusted places.

Same goes for the Internet.

You need to proactively find trusted places, or websites, for your kids to explore unrestricted.  You don't have time to be with every child every minute they are researching online.  And you would be doing them a disservice if you don't let them search at all. A happy medium is to designated those trusted websites where you kids can roam freely, then set up systems to teach your kids how to use those approved sites.

3 Ways to Search Within Trusted Sites

Here are 3 methods you can utilize for searching safely within trusted sites:

1. Create a bookmark folder with links to the approved sites, then teach your kids how to use the search function within the trusted websites.
2. Search by a website URL, press SPACE, then add search words. Teach your kids how to read the search results.
3. Set up a custom search engine for any website using your omnibox:
   • Open the website & copy the website URL
   • Right-click, select “Edit search engines”
   • Add the website, designate a keyword, and paste the URL but put “?s=%s” at the end.
     • If that doesn't work, search within the site, copy the URL and replace the search term with “%s”
   • Teach your kids to type the designated keyword in the omnibox, SPACE or TAB, then their search words

No matter what method you use, instruct your kids to stay in the trusted sites.

Tips for Using Typical Search Engines

● Choose the safety settings you prefer. Do a search to learn about your preferred search engine’s safety features.
● Train young kids to get your permission before they search. Search with them and/or discuss which words they should use for their search.
● Be as detailed as you can. Use questions when you search.
● Know how to read search results. Look at the URL and read the description.
● Use the “Find” feature once you are on the webpage. CTRL+F is your best friend.

Let me know in the comments: what steps have you taken to teach your kids to search safely online?

Related posts…

• Why You Need to Find Trusted Websites for Homeschooling
• How to Find Trusted Websites
• Things to Consider When Choosing Trusted Websites

Recommended Reading for Techie Homeschool Moms:

 The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Hands Free Life: Nine Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better, Parenting in the Age of Attention Snatchers: A Step-by-Step Guide Apps All Parents Should Know

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