How Physical Activity Can Help Children’s Mental And Physical Growth

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.

When children are engaged in activity every day, they remain physically and mentally healthy. Staying active is essential for healthy growth and development. Healthy lifestyle patterns formed during early childhood prove of immense benefit in later life as an adult.

The Importance Of Regular Physical Activity

Regular physical activity teaches children to cope with stress and promotes:

Overall body strength
Strong bones, strong and supple muscles, and healthy joints
Better posture and balance
A stronger heart
Better self-esteem
Team spirit and social interaction with friends
Weight management
Fun Learning and new skills
Improved focus and concentration on studies
Healthy physical and mental growth and development

Allow children to decide whether they would prefer team or individual activities. Before enrolling them for any class, enquire about their liking for skill-based or recreational classes.

Parents Should Be Supportive And Guide Children

It is crucial that parents are available as a support or to guide children to decide the extent of activity they engage in every day. Children who are motivated and enjoy their activities remain engaged in those activities proactively with minimal support.

Maintaining an activity log helps children see their progress. Some appreciation and reward from parents boost their motivation. Some of the things to keep in view when children are participating in any activities include:

Make sure they warm-up and cool-down as part of each activity session.
Hydration by drinking water pre and post-activities and having water breaks in between.
Using the right sized protective equipment.
Playing safe by starting at a level that matches their fitness.
Wearing sunglasses, sunblock and a hat to protect the eyes, skin, and head.

Types Of Activities

Three specific types of activities can promote healthy growth & development in children:

#1 Endurance-Related Activities

Activities involving the continuous movement of large muscle groups result in endurance building. This increases heart rate, breathing rate, and makes them sweat. This helps in the development of a healthy heart and lungs.

Endurance activities for children must be fun, and they need not be competitive. Depending upon their likes and dislikes, you can help them choose from activities such as:

Skateboarding
Martial Arts
In-Line Skating
Scootering
Swimming
Scuba Diving
Cycling
Tennis
Skipping
Playing Tag
Dodge ball
Football
Soccer
Hockey
Basketball
Hiking
Lacrosse
Rope Climbing
Jogging
Skiing
Wall Climbing

#2 Flexibility-Related Activities

Activities that involve bending, stretching, and reaching, help improve flexibility. Children with flexible bodies can participate in daily activities with ease. Their body movements aren’t restricted by muscle or joint pain. Flexibility is also essential for maintaining good posture and minimising the risk of injury due to the stiffness of muscles or joints. Activities that promote flexibility include:

Actively playing in a playground
Gymnastics
Stretching routines
Wall climbing
Dancing
Tree climbing
Yoga, skipping
Digging in the farm or garden or at the beach

#3 Strength-Related Activities

Stronger muscles mean a stronger body. Working against resistance helps children to improve their muscular strength. Children with adequate muscular strength can cope with daily activities without feeling stress in their muscles and joints. Strength building activities help strengthen bones & muscles, and improve the children’s ability to lift and manoeuvre obstacles. It has a positive impact on a child’s growth and development. Strength activities include:

Raking leaves
Climbing stairs
Gym exercise & gymnastics
Calisthenics – Using their body weight as resistance
Supervised weight training exercises using hand weights, tubing, and bands.
Playground activities – scaling poles, monkey bars, climbing ladders, etc.
Carrying groceries, garden waste and trash

If you want to know more about our activities at Clovel Childcare and Early Learning Centres, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Just give us a call at 1300 863 986 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.

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