Fun Ways to Promote Healthy Physical Development in Your Preschooler

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.

Child development occurs at a breakneck speed…especially during the preschool years of ages 3 – 5. This includes physical, or motor, development as your child’s muscles and bones are developing rapidly, and your child grows increasingly proficient at interacting with the world around him or her.

Physical development is divided into two categories: gross and fine motor development. Gross motor development involves the large muscle groups of the body—those in the trunk, or core, of as well as the muscles in the arms and legs. These are the muscle groups that allow babies to hold their heads up and sit upright, and are integral in learning to crawl, stand, walk, run, and skip.

Fine motor skills involve the more delicate muscles of the wrists, hands, fingers, toes, lips, and tongue. These muscles are important for learning to speak, write, and accomplish various self-care tasks like brushing teeth and using utensils to eat.

Parents and caregivers can promote healthy physical development by providing access to toys and games that encourage the use of both gross and fine muscle groups. We’ve gathered a list of ideas that will ensure your child has too much fun to notice they’re building strong muscles.

Gross Motor Strategies

Let Your Child Take the Lead

Any parent knows, the fastest way for a child to avoid playing with a toy is for you to suggest they play with a toy. Rather than directing a child’s play, make toys available that promote the use of large muscle groups. This can include ride-on toys, slides, age-appropriate jungle gyms and climbing toys, balance beams, jump ropes (when age appropriate), and balls and bats.

Make Sure You Have Enough Space to Play

This doesn’t mean you need an expansive backyard. Many gross motor activities can take place indoors (though you may need to move some furniture up against walls to allow for room).

Let your child ride tricycles in large rooms or down long hallways. If you have a circular route through your home, use it as a tricycle course. A bean bag toss is equally fun outdoors or in.

Tossing a ball is probably best done outdoors but sitting on the floor and rolling a ball back and forth is a fun indoor version.

Don’t Forget About Music

Movement with music is a wonderful way to engage in gross motor development. Play your child’s favorite songs and encourage dancing and jumping. You can bring in tools and play aids like hand-held musical devices (maracas, tambourines, cymbals), hoola hoops, and wrist ribbons (we love this set from children Music Toys!) to encourage full-body movement.

Make Physical Play a Priority

Children should enjoy a minimum of 60 minutes of unregulated physical activity each day, and it isn’t an exaggeration to say the more the better.

Fine Motor Strategies

Variety is Key

As was the case for gross motor skills, having a variety of toys available is key in allowing children to direct their own fine motor play. Allow children access to items like puzzles, blocks, hand and finger puppets, lacing cards, and age-appropriate beads for stringing.

Ensure Success

Play time is sure to end when children feel unsuccessful and frustrated. Stay close by to help children solve problems during fine motor activities. For example, if your child is unable to string beads on a lace, lead them to the realization why. Perhaps there is a knot in their lace, or they are trying to start with the knotted end that holds the beads in place.

Build Fine Motor Activities into the Daily Routine

While gross motor activities involve big, full-body movements, fine motor activities are more stationary and often require greater focus. This makes them the perfect relief after a busy gross motor session.

Try adding variety to your child’s day by moving them between gross motor and fine motor play. And don’t forget to schedule rest or nap time…that’s important for everyone.

Don’t Forget the Face

Working the fine muscles of the face and mouth is easy when you engage in a game of silly faces. Give your child a mirror and challenge them to see who can make the silliest face. Puckering lips, sticking out the tongue, and smiling wide all help exercise the fine muscles in the mouth and tongue.

And who doesn’t love to blow bubbles? Bubble blowing is both engaging and great for exercising the face.

When it’s time to take a snack break, offer your child a beverage with a straw. Pulling liquid through a straw is another way to strengthen facial muscles.

Parents and caregivers play a key role in getting children to engage in play that enhances physical development. The more you participate in play with your child, the longer your child is likely to play, and the better exercise those large and fine muscle groups receive. It truly is a win/win for all involved.

For any more information, call Clovel Childcare and Early Learning Centre, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. For any information about our Educational 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.