When seven-year-old Sunshine Coast youngster Murphy took part in a Life Ed session with his Year 2 class, he was excited to share what he learned with his family.
Murphy’s dad Andrew said his son gained important knowledge about appropriate tech time and cybersafety.
“Grooming is a concern for me with technology. I know that tech is inevitable, and kids need to have exposure to the digital world, but I worry about the stranger aspect, going forward, and for the safety of younger kids,” Andrew said. “Murphy was a lot more aware about things like not sharing passwords and not chatting to strangers online.”
As a busy father of four, Andrew says it’s a challenge juggling the competing demands of work and raising children. He likes how the Life Ed program supports parents by providing a fresh perspective, new skills, and up-to-date information in a peer group setting.
“When health advice comes from parents, you can almost see your kids’ eyes rolling in their heads, but having it taught by a third party has more impact,” Andrew says.
“I have definitely noticed that Murphy seems to be a lot more into his sport and physical activity since his Life Ed session. He’s also more conscious of not having tech or screen time before bed because it can make it hard to get to sleep and be at your best the following day.
“Being able to create a routine with your child at home but also getting that outside influence and from someone in their school setting, is great. When they are fully paying attention, to have an educator say, ‘Hey, this is something that is really good to adopt in your life.’ I think that’s very beneficial to parents.
“It’s great that Life Ed takes that proactive role in making sure kids have that positive progression in their behaviours and in their life outside of school.”
