One crisp autumn morning in a regional preschool, Amelia—an early childhood educator with ten years of experience—gathered her small group of learners outside with tablets in hand. They weren’t there to watch videos or play games. Instead, Amelia was guiding them on a Digital Nature Walk, encouraging children to capture photographs of textures, patterns, and colours in nature. As they explored, she observed their collaboration, language, and growing confidence with digital tools. Later, using drawing apps, the children created digital collages and reflected on their discoveries, narrating their experiences in their own words.

 

For Amelia, this wasn’t just an engaging activity—it was a purposeful integration of digital technology in early childhood education, aligned directly with EYLF Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators. Through digital storytelling and photo-based inquiry, her learners built vital communication skills while developing confidence with technology.

 

What Does the EYLF Say About Using Technology in Early Childhood Settings?

Educators often ask: Is it really appropriate to use technology with young children? And if so, how do I connect it meaningfully to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)?

 

The answer is a resounding yes—when digital technologies are used with intention, aligned with children’s interests and development, they can powerfully support the learning outcomes outlined in the EYLF V2.0. The Framework recognises that digital technologies are part of children’s lives now, and as such, they must be incorporated into early education in ways that are developmentally appropriate, meaningful, and embedded in play.

 

Let’s look at the most relevant EYLF learning outcomes that support the integration of digital technology in early childhood education, and explore how each one opens the door to transformative ICT-rich learning.

 

EYLF Outcome 5 – Children are effective communicators

This is the most directly connected outcome when it comes to digital technology in early childhood education. It emphasises that children should be able to express ideas through multiple modes of communication, which includes digital texts, symbols, images, sounds, and movement.

Key areas of digital support:

• Multimodal storytelling: Using drawing apps, animation tools, or digital puppet theatre to communicate narratives and ideas.

• Language and literacy development: Digital storybooks, speech bubble apps, and podcasting tools help children engage with early literacy and oral language in playful, creative ways.

• Digital collaboration: Working together on group media projects helps children practise turn-taking, active listening, and contributing to shared communication goals.

Educators using digital tools can intentionally plan experiences where technology expands—not replaces—traditional forms of communication, helping children build confidence and fluency across media.

 

EYLF Outcome 4 – Children are confident and involved learners

Digital technologies can be powerful tools for fostering exploration, experimentation, and active problem-solving.

Key areas of digital support:

• Coding and sequencing: Tools like Bee-Bots and other programmable toys build logical thinking and persistence.

• Creative exploration: Open-ended art software and multimedia apps allow children to trial, modify, and reflect on creative ideas.

• Sustained engagement: When technology is used meaningfully (e.g., building a stop-motion animation or designing a story map), children often demonstrate deep concentration and flow.

The use of technology under this outcome aligns strongly with the technology and play framework, supporting inquiry-based learning and active involvement.

 

EYLF Outcome 3 – Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

This outcome highlights the emotional and physical wellbeing of children—which may seem less obviously linked to ICT, but there are clear connections when technology is used thoughtfully.

Key areas of digital support:

• Building self-expression: Some children, particularly those with diverse communication needs, find their voice through digital tools like puppet theatre apps or visual storyboards.

• Fostering confidence: When children succeed in navigating digital tools or completing a creative project, it builds self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment.

• Digital relaxation tools: Educators may incorporate mindful technologies (e.g., guided breathing apps or nature soundscapes) into routines that support regulation and wellbeing.

By selecting tools that are aligned with children’s interests and needs, educators can ensure technology supports, rather than overwhelms, wellbeing.

 

EYLF Outcome 2 – Children are connected with and contribute to their world

This outcome centres on children's relationships with their environment and community. Digital technology can act as a bridge between children’s experiences and their understanding of the world around them.

Key areas of digital support:

• Documenting local environments: Using tablets or digital cameras, children can explore and capture features of their natural or built environments.

• Sharing perspectives: Children can share digital stories or photos with family and friends, deepening home-school connections.

• Understanding digital citizenship: Even in early childhood, foundational ideas about respectful and responsible technology use can be explored.

Activities such as the QR Code Nature Hunt are perfect examples of how the physical and digital worlds can be blended to build curiosity and care for the community.

 

EYLF Outcome 1 – Children have a strong sense of identity

Children develop a sense of who they are through play, relationships, and opportunities to express themselves. Digital tools can support identity formation when used to empower children’s voices and stories.

Key areas of digital support:

• Digital self-portraits: Children can draw or photograph themselves using creative tools, then narrate their identities through voice or text.

• Storytelling from their perspective: Apps that allow for children to record, animate, or illustrate their own narratives reinforce their agency and voice.

• Belonging in the digital space: When their work is displayed or shared with peers and families through technology, children feel seen and valued.

When technology is embedded with care and intention, it becomes a mirror for children to see themselves and a window to express who they are.

Final Thoughts

When we deeply examine the learning outcomes in early childhood education through the lens of digital technology, it becomes clear that ICT is not an “add-on”—it’s an integral part of the child’s world. The EYLF supports this integration when it’s used to expand learning opportunities, strengthen communication, and reflect children’s real-world experiences.

 

So as you consider your next learning experience, ask yourself:
How will you embed digital technologies that not only align with EYLF outcomes but also inspire children to explore, express, and connect in new and meaningful ways?

 

 

 

Why Is Technology Important in Early Learning Environments?

The importance of technology in early childhood education comes from its ability to support multimodal learning. For example:

• Digital drawing apps encourage self-expression

• Sound recording tools support oral language and storytelling

• Bee-Bots and programmable toys build problem-solving and sequencing skills

• AR apps and photo-based hunts promote inquiry, observation, and reflection

 

These tools help children make sense of the world in ways that are meaningful to them. When planned with intention, technology enhances—not replaces—traditional teaching strategies.

 

Educators increasingly report that the benefits of technology in early childhood education include:

• Enhanced creativity and communication

• Improved fine motor skills

• Greater engagement in literacy and numeracy

• Stronger links between home and school technologies

How Can You Align Digital Learning Activities with EYLF Outcomes?

Finding high-quality, activities linked to EYLF outcomes that use digital technology can be time-consuming. That’s where many educators turn to the ICT in Education Teacher Academy membership. It provides eylf resources that are already aligned with learning outcomes in early childhood education and supported by intentional teaching strategies.

 

Here’s a sample of preschool technology activities included in the membership, each linked to EYLF outcomes and ready for classroom use:

• Digital Nature Walk and Photography
  Children capture and reflect on natural patterns using tablets or cameras.
  EYLF Outcomes: 2.4, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.5

• QR Code Nature Hunt
  Children scan codes outdoors to access facts, sounds, or images related to nature.
  EYLF Outcomes: 1.2, 2.4, 4.1, 4.4, 5.2

• Nature Sound Storytelling
  Using sound recording apps, children tell stories inspired by environmental sounds.
  EYLF Outcomes: 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.5

• Bee-Bot Dancing and Story Maps
  Children code Bee-Bots to perform dances or travel across narrative maps.
  EYLF Outcomes: 4.2, 4.4, 5.2, 5.5

• Digital Puppet Theatre
  Learners create puppet shows with digital characters and record their performances.
  EYLF Outcomes: 1.3, 2.4, 4.1, 5.1, 5.5

 

These lessons embed technology in preschool learning in ways that are playful, intentional, and outcomes-focused—making them ideal examples of eylf outcome 5 activities.

 

How Do Educators Build Confidence Using Digital Technology in Their Practice?

For many educators, confidence with digital tools grows through collaboration, professional learning, and hands-on application. That’s where the ICT in Education Teacher Academy provides more than just lesson plans.

The membership supports the teaching strategies early childhood EYLF educators need with a comprehensive set of workshops that unpack pedagogy and practice, including:

• Play-based learning with digital technologies (10+ hours)

• Harnessing technology in early childhood education (10 hours)

• Digital storytelling in ECE (3 hours)

• Science and technology in ECE (3 hours)

• Nurturing creativity in ECE with ICT (3 hours)

• Technology and language development (3 hours)

• Problem-solving with ICT in ECE (3 hours)

• Mathematics and ICT in ECE (3 hours)

• Foundational Literacy & Year 1 Literacy instructional courses

Each course is supported by expert video presentations in the Members’ Library and tied together by a structured membership workbook—your personal guide to applying theory, documenting impact, and reflecting on growth.

📘 Member Spotlight: Amelia’s Journey with Digital Puppet Theatre

 

As a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, Amelia didn’t stop after the activity. She turned to her membership workbook to document and deepen the learning:

• She linked the experience to EYLF Outcomes 1.3, 4.1, 5.1, and 5.5

• She completed the Higher Order Thinking Skills table, noting how the child used ICT to plan, create, and communicate

• She reflected on how her intentional teaching strategies helped scaffold digital literacy and emotional confidence

 

The workbook then guided her to critically evaluate the role of technology in the activity—asking if it supported communication, creativity, and child agency.

 

Finally, Amelia uploaded her version of the activity to the Academy’s member community, where she received feedback and ideas from other educators who had adapted the lesson for different settings and learning needs.

 

 

Through the membership, Amelia gained confidence, clarity, and community—all while transforming her approach to ICT integration in the EYLF.

   

 

 

 

 

What Does It Look Like When These Activities Are Used in Real Settings?

Let’s revisit Amelia. After completing the "Nurturing Creativity in Early Childhood Education with ICT" workshop inside the Academy, she used the Digital Puppet Theatre activity to support a child with limited verbal expression. Together, they designed a puppet using a simple app, recorded a story using the child's narration, and proudly shared it with the class.

 

But for Amelia, it wasn’t just an engaging activity—it was a transformational teaching moment, and one that she approached with intention because she is a member of the ICT in Education Teacher Academy.

 

After the activity, Amelia opened her membership workbook and began the reflection and evaluation process. The workbook prompted her to:

• Identify the EYLF learning outcomes the activity supported (in this case, Outcomes 1.3, 4.1, and especially 5.1 and 5.5)

• Document the child’s use of digital technology to communicate ideas

• Record her observations in the Higher Order Thinking Skills table provided, noting the computer skills used and the key learning areas involved

• Reflect on her teaching strategies, considering how she scaffolded the child’s confidence and expression through the digital medium

 

 

 

The workbook then guided her to evaluate the digital pedagogy she used: Was the technology used to enhance communication? Did the child have agency in the storytelling? How could the activity be extended or adapted for others in the group?

 

Next, she was encouraged to share her version of the activity with other members in the online community space. Within days, she received comments from other early childhood educators who had tried similar storytelling approaches or adapted the digital puppet idea for small group learning, multilingual children, or even science learning.

 

Amelia’s experience was no longer isolated—it was connected, enriched, and amplified through the collective learning journey of the Academy.

 

How Can You Start Embedding Digital Technologies into Your EYLF Practice?

If you’re like many early childhood educators using the Early Years Learning Framework, you may already believe in the value of digital technologies—but knowing how to embed them meaningfully, playfully, and purposefully can feel overwhelming.

You might be asking:

• How do I choose developmentally appropriate tools?

• Which EYLF outcomes can digital technology support?

• Where do I find practical activity ideas that align with the EYLF?

 

This is where the ICT in Education Teacher Academy membership steps in—not just as a resource hub, but as a professional learning community designed around the real needs of educators working with the EYLF.

 

Inside the membership, you gain access to a growing collection of EYLF-aligned lesson plans, workshop recordings, and teaching strategies—all purpose-built to help you integrate ICT with intention and confidence. These aren’t generic ideas—they’re hands-on, curriculum-connected experiences tailored for early learning contexts.

 

Here are just a few examples of the EYLF resources available to members:

• Digital Nature Walk & Photography – Children use digital cameras or tablets to explore and document their environment, sparking conversations and storytelling.
  Linked to EYLF Outcomes: 2.4, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.5

• QR Code Nature Hunt – A blended physical-digital treasure hunt that encourages inquiry and problem-solving.
  Linked to EYLF Outcomes: 1.2, 2.4, 4.1, 4.4, 5.2

• Nature Sound Storytelling – Children capture environmental sounds and create stories, developing oral language and sequencing.
  Linked to EYLF Outcomes: 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.5

• Bee-Bot Dancing & Story Maps – Programming robots to retell or explore story structures, enhancing early coding, language, and spatial awareness.
  Linked to EYLF Outcomes: 4.2, 4.4, 5.2, 5.5

• Digital Puppet Theatre – A creative performance activity where children express themselves through character design and digital storytelling.
  Linked to EYLF Outcomes: 1.3, 2.4, 4.1, 5.1, 5.5

 

Each of these activities comes with detailed guidance, intentional teaching strategies, and links to learning outcomes in early childhood education. Even better—members are encouraged to adapt, reflect, and share their own versions of these activities, building a shared knowledge base grounded in real classroom practice.

 

What truly sets the membership apart, however, is the Membership Workbook. This isn’t just a reflection tool—it’s your roadmap to intentional ICT integration. Through it, you’ll:

• Map activities directly to EYLF learning outcomes

• Engage with foundational educational theories that support your practice

• Use structured templates to reflect on pedagogy, planning, and assessment

• Record your growth in ICT capability over time

• Strengthen your confidence in designing technology activities for preschoolers that genuinely make a difference

 

Together, the workbook and resources ensure that you’re not simply using digital tools—you’re transforming your teaching to better support EYLF-aligned, developmentally appropriate learning.

 

So as you continue building your early years program, ask yourself:
What kind of impact could you make if every digital activity you used was intentionally aligned with EYLF outcomes, supported by expert guidance, and reflected upon with a community of educators just like you?