Gross Motor Development Milestones: What are They and Why Parents Should Be Paying Attention

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.

From the moment a child is born, they begin to move, working to gain greater control over their bodies. The movements are small at first but, overtime, their frequency increases as muscles are strengthened.

Gross motor development centers around children developing the skills necessary to control the large muscles of the body that are so important to proper movement. Gross motor skills are necessary for children to learn how to sit up independently, crawl, stand, walk, run, skip, and jump. Gross motor skills involve the whole body—the belly and back as well as the arms and legs.

Much of gross motor development happens during organic play and it is important for parents and caregivers to know the expectations for gross motor development at each age to ensure children are developing properly. If children are lagging in their gross motor development, early intervention can help them catch up. Let’s look at the gross motor development milestones and guidelines for preschool aged children.

2 Years Old

By two years of age, most toddlers can walk and run fairly well (though stumbles and falls are still quite common). Children who are two should be able to jump and have both feet leave the ground. They should be able to make their way up and down a short flight of stairs under supervision. They should also be able to kick a ball using both their left and right foot.

Two-year-old children should be using their core muscles and be able to pull themselves from lying down to sitting up easily. They should also be able to get themselves into a standing position, walk while holding a toy, and change directions while walking.

3 Years Old

Gross motor skills continue to develop in this age group. Three-year-old children should be able to balance on one foot for a few seconds at a time. They should be able to catch a large ball thrown to them, ride a tricycle and jump 25 – 60cm in a forward direction.

By three, children should be able to transition into a variety of positions—from lying to sitting to crawling on all fours and standing. They should be walking confidently and be able to pick up a toy from the floor without falling over. They should be able to follow simple commands instructing them to move two limbs at once (“Put your arms over your head”).

4 Years Old

Four-year-old children should be running, jumping, and climbing with ease. They will begin to learn to skip, though many will not have the skill mastered. Children who are four should be able to do simple hopscotch jumping and catch balls with great regularity.

As gross motor skills continue to develop, four-year-old children will start walking up stairs using alternating feet. They should start practicing the art of walking on tip toes and should be able to jump in the air, lifting both feet, five times or more.

5 Years Old

At five, children should be skipping and learning more complicated skills. Children will learn to swim and ride a bicycle without the support of training wheels. Five-year-old children should be good climbers.

Children who are five should be able to catch a ball that is bounced to them. They should be able to easily run around obstacle in their paths. They should have no trouble walking on a line or performing a forward roll.

What Should I Do if My Child is Behind in Gross Motor Development?

It is important to remember that developmental guidelines are exactly that—flexible guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules. Every child develops differently and at their own rate. Some children will develop gross motor skills earlier than expected, and others later. This is a normal part of the growth process.

Parents and educators are often the first to notice potential developmental delays. If you believe your child might be behind in their gross motor development, contact your pediatrician or primary care doctor and discuss your observations. Often, children do not require intervention and are able to catch up on their own. If your doctor feels your child’s developmental delays require attention, he or she may refer you to a physical therapist or recommend exercises or activities that can be completed at home or school.

Many early childhood educators receive training on games and activities that can help improve gross motor skill development. Be sure to talk to your child’s teacher and make them aware of any diagnosis so they can incorporate the exercises into your child’s school day.

Monitoring gross motor development is a good way to make sure your child is developing in a healthy way, and bringing in your child’s pediatrician and teachers when necessary provides the support your child needs and help him or her thrive.

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.