57 Tuff Tray Activity ideas for open ended Play

I love our tuff tray, (probably even more than the children do), and thinking up tuff tray ideas - and although it can be a challenge to set them up sometimes - I love the wow factor a new tray play activity brings to young children and how excited and enthusiastic they are to go and explore straight away! I know that my carefully laid resources will be scattered around within minutes, but honestly, that's the beauty of it. A well played with tuff tray, where learning opportunities arise, does not come from children feeling like they can't touch, move, reorder or explore. A day without some 'mess' has usually been an unproductive one....

I often post new tuff tray ideas over on my Instagram or my Facebook page - usually they never make it into a blog post because I'm just too excited to share our learning straight away! Please pop over and give me a follow if you'd like to keep up to date with new activities.  You can also subscribe to my blog using the box at the bottom of this post. I've picked out 57 (originally 19 but i keep updating!) of our current favourite tuff tray ideas here for you to enjoy and feel inspired! I also have a post showcasing our best sensory tray play ideas here.

You can find many of the resources mentioned over in my Amazon affiliate ideas list here (click here for USA version).

Forest School Activities

Are you looking for Forest Schools activities for your home or setting? Perhaps you’re wondering how to set up a DIY Forest School, considering the benefits of sending your child to forest school or simply wondering what a Forest School is?

 

This post is here to answer all of your Forest School questions, we’ve got some fab book recommendations to get you started and information from our very own Forest School expert – Kim Jarvis from Wirral Wildlings Forest School.

CARAT London Carissa necklace review

This Carissa necklace from CARAT London is a gold vermeil of 92.5% Sterling Silver with a layer of gold, 9 round stones to the front and additional decoration on the closure at the back.
 

Disclosure: Partnership with CARAT London

I have recently had my very long locks cut into a graduated bob, and so this graduated stone design which sits beautifully on the neck is the perfect finish to my current look. Read on for more detailed information on this piece, how best to wear it and measurement details…

Planning our Summer holiday 2023

It’s been almost 5 years since our last proper summer holiday. We went to Spain in 2018 when Charlotte was still a baby and the world was a very different place! Throw in a few years of Covid lockdowns, a new summer born baby, a new house and a partial renovation … the chance of a holiday was way out of our grasp. 

After losing my lovely Nanna last year (the day after the Queen passed), we decided that we wanted to focus more on family experiences this year - going to new places, doing things together and absolutely having a summer holiday. I’d been saving for the last few years and used most of my maternity allowance as our budget for going away. I was pretty sure that once I’d given birth, I’d find it harder to undertake my usual work and so wanted to get used to living without the security of my wage ‘just in case’. We made sacrifices in lots of areas of our life in order to cut our spending (I stopped having my hair coloured and highlighted and embraced the grey for a start!) and so thankfully, we were finally able to book somewhere to go...

Back to school uniform ideas for home and school

When I was at primary school, we didn’t have a school uniform and so your everyday clothes for home were also your clothes for school. These days, you’d be hard pushed to find a school which doesn’t have a uniform requirement, and so finding the best quality and also affordable school uniform items which will last is really important.

 

Disclosure: Paid partnership

 In this blog post, I will be showcasing some back to school uniform options from Very, BUT I will also be showing you how to utilise these pieces outside of school, mixing and matching them with everyday wear to make the most of your child’s wardrobe and maximise use of clothing so that your budget goes further and your washing pile gets smaller…

First Day of School Poem

It's here. Now’s the time. I tell myself I’ll be fine

Its your first day of school, a new book, a new line

But one day you were here every day of the week,

playing with toys, reading books, hide and seek

Now those little legs skip on the pavement to class, as your hand fits in mine - but I hold it like glass...

A Poem for your First Day of School ...

Can we help our kids grow taller?

We know that good sleep, exercise and nutrition play an important role in bone growth in children and adolescents, and having children with cmpa (cows milk protein allergy) has made me more aware of making sure my children have all of the nutrients they need to grow and thrive properly…but is there more we can do to help our children to grow to their optimal height?
 

 Disclosure: Collaborative post

NuBest Nutrition believe that they have come up with a natural and effective way to help children to grow tall and strong, and have developed a number of products specifically for this purpose…

Surviving the Cost of Living Crisis: Introducing Jam Doughnut Cash Back Website

In today's world, where the cost of living continues to rise, every penny saved makes a significant difference. As we navigate through the challenges of financial stability, finding smart and practical ways to save money becomes essential. That's where Jam Doughnut Cash Back Website comes in. In this blog post, we'll explore how this platform can help you save money and ease the burden of the cost of living crisis. Plus, we'll guide you on utilizing the App’s features effectively to maximize your savings.

 

I also have a referral code for you to use (KYKJ) which will entitle you to 200 points when making your first purchase.

How to encourage children to do chores at home

The key to encouraging your child to take part in daily chores is to start early, and make it fun!

 

    

                                                            This is a collaborative post

Chores should not be seen as a ‘chore’ by children. It works on the same principle of play based learning in the foundation stage - for a child to learn, take part willingly and also remember the skills you have taught them, then it needs to be playful and fun and it must be purposeful.

School readiness – preparing your child for Reception Class

School readiness…its something you’ll probably hear quite a lot if you have a child who is preparing to start Reception Class in September, but what does it actually mean??

How can we, as parents, make sure that we are helping and not hindering when preparing our 4 year olds for big school?

Most of my Teaching career was spent teaching Reception, and so this is something I thought long and hard about when passing on information to Parents. What would I hope, as their Teacher, they could do already? What sort of things would I discuss in the Parents meetings for new starters? Where would my expectations be bearing in mind I don’t yet know the children or what level they are at?

Its not what you might expect….