K-12 Cyber
Awareness Month+
Year-Round Resources
We’re encouraging cyber awareness throughout the year! Use the events calendar, the infosheets, or the lesson resources to incorporate cyber safety into your classroom, office, or even your home.
We can all do our part to increase awareness related to cyber security, cyber safety, and online privacy, and in turn, remediate cyber actions that can cause harm. Learning to be cyber safe and secure is essential to making our online experience more secure, fun, and rewarding.
By adopting safe and secure practices you are not only protecting yourself, but also reducing the likelihood of cyber-attacks against all members of the school community. Collectively, we can make our online and virtual lives safer for everyone by developing and maintaining personal safe online habits.
Infosheets
Click the titles below to download and view info sheets.
In addition, ECNO has themed campaigns and resources available that empower youth in Grades K-8: Cyber Heroes Unite! and in Grades 9-12: Digital Me to practice safe and secure digital practices during October’s cyber awareness month – and all year long.
International, National and Provincial Cyber Events Calendar
The following calendar includes information on different international cyber events that some may be interested in celebrating in order to promote cybersecurity awareness throughout the year.
September
- World Education Technology Day – Every September 23 – Celebrated every year to recognize the invaluable role of technology in revolutionizing education.
- Digital Learning Week – September 2 to 5, 2025 – UNESCO’s annual flagship event on digital learning and the transformation of education.
- National Video Game Day – Every September 12 – An annual event to celebrate the remarkable evolution of video games, from its humble beginnings to its current status, transcending its initial perception as leisure activities and now becoming a medium for storytelling, artistic expression, and educational tools.
October
- K-12 Cyber Awareness Month – Every October – An annual campaign aimed at increasing cyber security, privacy and cyber safety awareness across K-12.
- Ontario Cyber Security Awareness Month – Every October – An annual campaign aimed at increasing cyber security awareness within the Ontario Public Service and the Broader Public Service.
- National Cyber Security Awareness Month – Every October – An annual campaign aimed at increasing cyber security awareness across the country.
- World Mental Health Day – Every October 10 – An annual World Health Organization campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. An opportunity to raise awareness of technology related mental health issues.
- Media Literacy Week – October 27 to 31, 2025 – An annual event promoting digital media literacy across Canada.
- Global Media and Information Literacy Week – October 24 to 31, 2025 – An annual UNESCO event celebrated worldwide that brings together stakeholders from around the world to share ideas and explore innovative ways to promote Media and Information Literacy for all.
- Digital Citizen Day – October 29, 2025 – An annual event encouraging everyone to engage and share responsibly in our digital world.
November
- International day against violence and bullying at school including cyberbullying – First Thursday of November – An annual UNESCO event recognizing that school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children and adolescents’ rights to education and their health and well-being.
- National STEM/STEAM Day – Every November 8 – An annual observance to celebrate and promote the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
- Social Media Kindness Day – Every November 9 – An annual event dedicated to promoting positivity, empathy, and kindness in the digital world.
- International Fraud Awareness Week – November 16-22, 2025 – An annual global effort to minimize the impact of fraud by promoting anti-fraud awareness and education.
- World Kindness Day – Every November 13 – An annual celebration highlighting the importance of empathy, understanding, and cooperation to create a more harmonious and caring world.
- Ontario Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week – Week starting from Third Sunday of November – An annual event when Ontario students, school staff and parents are encouraged to learn more about bullying and its effects on student learning and well-being.
December
- No specific cyber security, online privacy or cyber safety events are observed or planned in the month of December. Schools and school boards can use this time to remind students, parents/guardians and teachers of holiday online scams and ways to prevent them.
January
- Data Privacy Week – Last Week of January – An annual event to highlight the impact technology is having on our privacy rights and underlines the importance of valuing and protecting personal information.
February
- Safer Internet Day – Tuesday February 10, 2026 – An annual event that aims to raise awareness of a safer and better internet for all, and especially for children and young people.
- National Human Trafficking Awareness Day – Every February 22 – A day to encourage Canadians to “raise awareness of the magnitude of modern day slavery in Canada and abroad and to take steps to combat human trafficking.”
March
- National Clean Out Your Computer Day – Second Monday in February – An annual day of observance to promote taking time out of your day to do some basic housekeeping on your computer.
- Fraud Prevention Month – Every March – An annual campaign that seeks to help you recognize, reject and report fraud.
- Digital Cleanup Day – Every Third Saturday in March – A day dedicated to cleaning up our digital lives, just like we clean up our physical environment.
- International Day for Digital Learning – Every March 19 – An annual UNESCO event to recognize the potential of high-quality and accessible digital learning to address educational challenges worldwide and to promote inclusive sustainable development.
- World Backup Day – Every March 31 – An annual day to remind everyone about the importance of being prepared against data loss and data theft by backing up our data.
April
- Identity Management Day – Every Second Tuesday in April – An annual day to inform about the dangers of casually or improperly managing and securing digital identities by raising awareness, sharing best practices, and inspiring individuals and organizations to act.
- World Intellectual Property Day – Every April 26 – An annual event to explore how intellectual property (IP) encourages and can amplify innovative and creative solutions that are so crucial to building our common future.
May
- World Password Day – First Thursday in May
- Mental Health Week – First Week in May – An annual event to celebrate and raise awareness about the importance of mental health.
June
- Stop Cyberbullying in Ontario Day – Third Friday of June – An annual day to raise awareness of the problem of cyberbullying and help lead to its prevention.
July
- World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – Every July 30 – A global campaign urging accelerated action to end child trafficking.
August
- World Wide Web Day – Every August 1 – An annual day to commemorate the birth of the World Wide Web and serve as a reminder of the transformative impact it has had on our lives.
Lesson Resource Library
The resources are grouped into suggested grade levels and available in both PDF and editable formats, and are easily adaptable to students’ comfort and knowledge level.
Listed resources are from the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Toronto Metropolitan University.
Grade 1 to Grade 3
- Unit Plan – Word Doc | PDF
- Culminating Rubric – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 1 – Cyber Respect and Online Kindness – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 2 – Positive Digital Footprint – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 3 – Safe Communication Online – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 4 – Passwords and Passcodes – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 5 – The Truth Online – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 6 – Digital Citizenship How-to Guide – Word Doc | PDF
Grade 4 to Grade 6
- Unit Plan – Word Doc | PDF
- Culminating Rubric – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 1 – Cyber Respect and Online Kindness – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 2 – Positive Digital Footprint – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 3 – Safe Communication Online – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 4 – Passwords and Passcodes – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 5 – The Truth Online – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 6 – Digital Citizenship How-to Guide – Word Doc | PDF
Grade 7 to Grade 8
- Unit Plan – Word Doc | PDF
- Culminating Rubric – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 1 – Podcasts and Cybersecurity – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 2 – Ready, Set, Go? Looking at Passwords – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 3 – Themes in Cybersecurity – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 4 – Cyber Respect and Online Kindness – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 5 – How to be an Upstander! – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 6 -Research Deep Dive: Information Verification – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 7 – Drafting the Podcast – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 8 – Revising the Podcast – Word Doc | PDF
Grade 9 to Grade 12
- Unit Plan – Word Doc | PDF
- Culminating Rubric – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 1 – Podcasts and Cybersecurity – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 2 – Ready, Set, Go? Looking at Passwords – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 3 – Listening for More (Information Verification) – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 4 – Managing your Digital Footprint – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 5 – Themes in Cybersecurity – Word Doc | PDF
- Handout Lesson 6 – Drafting the Podcast – Word Doc | PDF
More K-12 CAM!
All Theme Resources
- Get to know the online safety basics for kids
- A more secure way to protect private data: Multi-factor Authentication
- Using strong passwords or passphrases and a password manager to keep track of it all
- If unsure, check how secure is your password
- Protecting your devices with antimalware and keeping software up to date
- Adjusting privacy settings on devices and apps
- How healthy is your relationship with technology?
- Supporting Student Mental Health
- Supporting Student Mental Health – Educator
- Screen time and well-being
- Building healthy habits and staying safe online
- Seeking help for mental health
- Helping Your Child Manage Digital Technology
- Online Dangers: Sexting and Sextortion
- Canadian Centre for Child Protection
- Cyberaide.ca: Make a report if you have concerns about various forms of online violence against children
- NeedHelpNow.ca: A support team for victims of online sexual violence
- Spotting content created with artificial intelligence
- What is generative artificial intelligence (AI), how is it being used and what are the risks
- Online disinformation – how it harms you, tips and tricks to spot it, and how to counter it
- How fraudsters are increasingly using AI to commit fraud
- How Will You Know If Your Child Is Being Bullied Online?
- Online Gaming Risks: Are Your Children Susceptible?
- Knowing how to use social media safely
- Learning to spot a cyber threat on social media
- Recognizing the risks of the metaverse and how to reduce them
- Social Media Quick Guides – Learn about the platforms your kids might use
- MediaSmarts – Video Games