You can find many of the resources mentioned over in my Amazon affiliate ideas list here (click here for USA version).
Here are our favourite tuff spot tray activities for open ended learning through play
Hot Chocolate Station Tuff Tray
This is one of our all time favourites, using coco pops, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, cups, scoops and trays to fill and pour! See the Instagram post below for more info...
Being a Builder Tuff Tray Activity
This was an activity we set up whilst our playroom extension was being built! Arthur had a builder's vest on and we used duplo bricks, diggers, shaving foam and squirty cream for the cement (in a tiny wheel barrow with a trowel!) and cornflour soil. lots of lovely, messy, builder play...
Chocolate Playdough Tuff Tray Activity
(NB if you would like my easy home made playdough recipe pop over to our Valentine's Day Tuff Tray here)
Rainbow Rice Tuff Tray Activity
We did this activity in a little sand tray tub outside, before we purchased our tuff tray ...
Messy Play Tuff Tray Activity
shaving foam, powder paint, cornflour and water...
Sticky Tuff Spot Tray Activity
I stuck tacky back plastic, or contact paper as it is also known, sticky side up onto the tuff tray. After walking on it with bare feet, Arthur collected natural resources fro the garden to stick down.
Digger destruction Tuff Tray Activity
Seaside Tuff Tray Activity
A seaside scene set up for this tuff tray. See instagram info below for more information on this one...
Potion Making Tuff Tray Activity
For more information on this tuff tray and the resources involved, please have a look at my rainbow test tubes tuff tray post here
Herbs and Spices Tuff Tray Activity
A lovely sensory play experience, using herbs and spices from the kitchen and the garden! This was so inviting, and was played with for days!
Loose Parts and Shiny Things Tuff Tray Activity
One of our absolute favourites - lots of shiny resources and loose parts to explore and enhance language.... ( See my post on developing language for more ideas on this subject)
Phonics sound matching Tuff Tray Activity
Heuristic Play Tuff Tray
Lots of lovely, real life objects such as tea pots, silverware trinkets, cups, pots and sugar bowls, keys and jewellery for Charlotte to explore, fill and pour...
Wooden Resources Tuff Tray Activity
One of my favourite tuff trays, lots of wooden and natural resources to explore, scoop, fill, pour and play with - offering a language rich activity for young children when extended byn an adult...
Ice Melting Investigation Tuff Tray Activity
Honey Bees Tuff Tray Activity
Ice Cream Role Play Tuff Tray Activity
Colour Sorting Tuff Tray Activity
Cafe Role Play Tuff Tray Activity
For more information on this activity, including how to make the resources and which activities to plan, please have a look at my post on Betty's Cafe Tea Room tuff tray activity here
You can also view a video over on youtube of our cafe role play set up and a play demonstration towards the end:
You can find lots of resources over in my Amazon store to replicate these activities at home: Arthurwears Amazon Store.
If you'd like to learn more about the importace of child led play and a playroom tour you can do so here.
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Would you like to know how to put together this desk hack for smaller tuff tray activities? You can do so over in my blog post here: ikea flisat for smaller tuff tray activities |
Sarah x
Looking for more? Take a look at my recent tuff tray - frog pond tuff tray showing the lifecycle of a frog, The Snowman Tuff Tray, or, if you are looking for some smaller tuff tray activity ideas, you can see some of my activity ideas using the Gratnells trays on our Ikea Kallax shelves.
Looking for more Play ideas for when you are stuck at home inside (here) ?
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