How much do you let a class 4 child search online by herself for a school project?

cobalt_balcony_260530 Sept 2026

The holiday project for my daughter's class is on endangered animals of India, and the sheet says students should 'research online and collect pictures'. She has used the laptop for typing and school videos, always with me in the room. She has never typed into a search bar on her own. I work from home, so sitting with her is possible. My question is more about process. Do you let a child of this age search and only check what she collects, or do you search together until a certain age? I'm more interested in what parents really do than in what the safety guides say.

2 comments

fern_bottle_488430 Sept 2026
Sit with her the first two times. After that, safe search on, laptop in the living room, and she shows you her tabs at the end. Endangered animals is not a risky topic. The image results are the risky part.
fennel_heron_83330 Sept 2026
My son is only 5 so we do everything together on the phone, YouTube only. His father says no laptop till he is bigger. But when she is 9 and you are at home, I think she can try. Sit near, not next to. Children like to feel they did it themselves.
- cobalt_balcony_260530 Sept 2026
  Sit near, not next to. I like that. She is quite proud of doing things alone, so that may suit her.
- cobalt_balcony_260530 Sept 2026
  Tried it at lunch. She typed 'please tell me animals that are going extinct in India thank you'. The results were perfectly fine. We will work on the typing.