A Beneficial Melody: 4 Benefits of Music in Early Childhood Education

If you have heard that the rules around mobile phones and electronic devices in early childhood settings have changed, you are right. If your child attends a childcare centre in NSW, these changes are already in effect.

Here is a plain-English breakdown of what changed, why it happened, and what it means for your family.

Why Did the Laws Change?

The changes were introduced as a child safety measure. In 2025, Australia’s Education Ministers agreed to amend the Education and Care Services National Law to address concerns about the potential for personal devices to be used to capture, store, or transmit images of children in care without authorisation.

The intent is straightforward: children in early learning settings deserve an environment where their privacy and safety are actively protected.

What Changed Nationally

From 27 February 2026, amendments to the national Education and Care Services National Law took effect across Australia. Under these changes, educators and staff who work directly with children are restricted from using personal electronic devices in care settings.

Before this, from 1 September 2025, all early childhood education and care services nationwide were required to have written policies in place addressing the use of digital devices.

What Changed in NSW

NSW moved ahead of the national timeline. The Education and Care Services (Supply, Authorisation and Use of Devices) Order 2025 took effect on 6 November 2025, applying across NSW’s 6,000 or more early learning services, including long day care centres, preschools, and family day care.

Under this order, educators and staff must use service-issued or service-authorised devices rather than their own personal devices when working directly with children.

What Counts as a Personal Device?

The definition is broad. A personal device is any device owned by an individual (not the approved provider) that is capable of capturing, storing, or transmitting an image. This includes:

Mobile phones
Smartwatches
Cameras and tablets
iPads and laptops
Hard drives, USB drives, and memory cards
Wearables such as camera glasses

Who Does the Ban Apply To?

The restrictions apply to anyone working directly with children at a service, including permanent and casual educators, students on placement, volunteers, contractors, and allied health professionals delivering programs on-site.

Parents, carers, and other visitors are not covered by the ban. In NSW, parents and carers remain free to use their personal devices during drop-off, pick-up, centre visits, and events involving their own children. There are also authorised exceptions for essential purposes, including emergencies and health or disability support needs.

What About Screen Time for Children?

These new laws specifically address staff device use, not children’s screen time. Screen time limits for young children are not mandated within childcare regulation at a national level.

The relevant guidance comes from the federal Department of Health and Aged Care’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, which recommend no screen time for children under 2 years, and no more than 1 hour per day for children aged 2 to 5 years. These are health guidelines, not regulatory requirements.

What This Means for Your Family

If your child attends a childcare centre in NSW, their service is already required to operate under these rules. Any educator or staff member working directly with your child should not be using a personal device to take photos or videos. Only service-authorised devices should be used for that purpose.

If you have questions about how your centre handles digital devices or image capture, you are well within your rights to ask. Most services will have a written policy in place that covers exactly this.

At Clovel, the safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is at the heart of everything we do. If you would like to know more about how we support your child across our centres, we would love to have that conversation with you.

There are certain songs that carry with us the melody of childhood. Singing or hearing the ABC’s, Mary Had a Little Lamb, or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star often bring back fond memories of our youth. But music exposure at a young age does much more than teach young learners about the alphabet, animal husbandry, or celestial objects. Research indicates that listening to and creating music makes children better learners altogether.

A recent, five-year study conducted by neuroscientists at the University of Southern California examined the impact of music instruction on the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children. The study found that exposure to musical experiences in childhood accelerated brain development, especially in the areas of the brain that control language and reading skills.

But those aren’t the only benefits of music exposure for young minds. We’ve gathered 4 of the top benefits afforded to children who are exposed to music during their early childhood education.

1. Improves Memory and Focus

Having a good memory is about more than recall. Memory is the foundation of every mental tool we possess. The better your memory, the easier it is to recall…well, anything, including words, general information, and mathematical theories. Exposing children to music, especially when they are under the age of six, can lead to their developing a more powerful memory, and the ability to better learn both native and foreign languages.

Music can also act as an insulator of sorts, drowning out distractions while children are completing schoolwork and helping them to focus. This is due, in large part, to the fact that music gives our subconscious mind something to focus on while our conscious mind is completing the task at hand.

2. Strengthens Motor Skills

Young children love to make music, and it turns out the act of doing so benefits motor skill development.

Dancing, clapping, hopping, and jumping (all of which are often part of an early childhood dance party) strengthen gross skills by engaging the large muscle groups found in the trunk of the body as well as those in the arms and legs.

Fine motor skills are those that strengthen the muscles found in the hands, wrists, and fingers. Listening to music and incorporating finger play, or actions that are performed along with the music, is great for fine motor skill development. And allowing children to strum guitars, play keyboards, crash cymbals, shake maracas, or pound out a rhythm on a drum set further strengthens fine motor skills.

3. Gives Confidence a Boost

Whether children are playing instruments collectively or dancing in front of their peers, music can play an integral role in increasing confidence.

Encouraging children to take turns showing off their best dance moves and modeling positive reinforcement by celebrating the efforts of every child who tries, gives children permission to self-express.

And learning to be comfortable presenting in front of others is a life skill that will benefit children throughout their educational career and into adulthood.

4. Teaches Discipline and Teamwork

Children don’t just benefit from listening to music…they love making it! Many early childhood educators keep a rhythm set in their classroom. Inside are various instruments—maracas, tambourines, shakers, triangles—which children can use as they play along with music. Learning how to play their instruments to the beat of the song teaches discipline, and making music collectively requires teamwork.

4 Ways to Incorporate Music into Your Child’s Life Every Day

As is the case with most activities and preschooler participation, the key to keeping them interested in music is by making it fun! Consider these helpful tips:

Play music while your child engages in an activity he or she already loves. Have music playing as he or she plays with toys, splashes at the water table, or paints a picture.
Broaden your child’s musical interest by listening to music from all over the world. Listen to traditional folksongs and other forms of music unique to a certain region and discuss with your child what you love about it. Point out similarities and differences between the new music and what you typically listen to.
Have a dance party! Get the whole family together for a dance competition or play a game of Freeze Dance. Select someone to act as DJ, choosing the music. When the music starts, everyone dances…the crazier the better! When the DJ stops the music, everyone must freeze in mid dance move…no matter how silly they look!
Encourage your child to make music no matter where you are. Clap out a beat on the way to school. Sing your grocery list as you move through the store. Have dedicated music time at home where your child can play rhythm instruments while their favorite songs play.

There is no doubt music has a powerful effect on children. By providing your child regular exposure to music, you will help him or her learn to self-soothe, express their emotions, and become a better learner.

For any information about our Performing Arts Programs, give us a call at 02 9199 0294 or fill in this contact us form.

Thanks for reading,
Clovel Childcare
1300 863 986

Lyn Connolly

Founder and Company Director

Lyn Connolly is the Founder and Company Director of Clovel Childcare & Early Learning Centres, a family‑owned group of eight centres across Western Sydney established from her first service at Merrylands. Active in early childhood education since 1977, she also serves as President of the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW, representing providers in state and federal consultations, media, and public hearings.