100 Tuff Tray Play Ideas

The popular Tuff Tray is such a versatile resource to have for children at home or in your setting. With or without a stand it can be used for many small world set ups, messy play, investigation, explorations, adventures and crafts. Tray Play filled with provocations and invitations to play help children to play and learn at the same time.

Below, we show 100 of our best tuff tray play ideas. Some great invitations to play.

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You don’t even need a Tuff Tray, rectangular builders trays from hardware stores, circular metal trays, smaller sand trays or even a washing up bowl or the lid of a storage box will do.

• Small World Set Ups – from pirates and fairies to Duplo, Lego, Playmobil and Dinosaurs!
• Messy Play
• Painting and Art / Crafts
• Early Mark Making
• Themes – Pirates, Dinosaurs, Fairies, Dragons
• Exploring colours, number and shape
• Storytime
• Learning Colours and Numbers
• Water Play
• Planting
• Wild Animals
• Science investigations and exploration

Here are our best Tuff Tray play ideas:

1. Fairy Small World Play in the Tuff Tray
2. Planting seeds in the tuff tray
   
3. Natural collections in a tinker tray
   
4. Potion making in the tuff tray
   
   
5. Sensory play in the tuff tray with Dinosaur Jelly
   
6. Big art messy play in the tuff tray
   
7. Mark making in the tuff tray
   
8. Exploring circles and fractions in a tray
   
9. Washing toys in the tuff tray
   
   
10. Duplo in the tuff tray
    
11. Easter play in a tinker tray
    
    
12. Exploring dinosaurs and mud in a tuff tray
    
13. Discover and dig for dinosaurs in a small tray
    
14. Dinosaur tinker tray exploration in a tuff tray
    
15. Exploring numbers in a tuff tray
    
16. Exploring colours and rainbows in a tuff tray
    
17. Discover Pirates and dig for treasure in the tuff tray
    
18. Playmobil Pirates small world play in a tuff tray
    
19. Sand Art in the tuff tray
    
20. Sand Play
    
21. Sand and Wild Cats
    
22. Sensory Sand on the mirror Tray – baby play
    
23. Small Worlds – Fairy Mushroom on Sand Tray Play
    
24. Water play and boats in the tuff tray
    
25. Recycled cardboard box castle in the tuff tray
    
26. Messy mud play with dinosaurs in the tuff tray
    
27. Gruffalo storytime in a small metal tray
    
28. Turtles and water play in the tuff tray
    
29. Transport in the tuff tray
    
30. Comparing sizes in the tuff tray
    
31. Small world animal scenes in the tuff tray
    
32. Small world Bears and wooden platform in a tuff tray
    
33. Messy exploding science in a tuff tray
    
34. Discover and learn about Bees in the tuff tray
35. Balls in the tuff tray
36. Shaving foam in the tuff tray
37. Thomas Trains in the tuff tray
    
38. Sensory edible frozen fruit smash in the tuff tray
39. Exploring shadows in the tuff tray
40. Sensory potion and perfume making in the tuff tray
    
41. Marvellous metallics in the tuff tray
    
42. Big art recycled cardboard loose parts creations in the tuff tray
    
    
43. Small World Recycled Cardboard Tray Play – Painted!
    
44. Polar Regions small world play in the tuff tray
    
45. Winter and Polar Bears Small World Tray Play
    
46. Minibeasts and minibeast hotel making in the tuff tray
    
47. Elephants
    
48. Big Cats
    
    
49. Rainbow Sensory Chickpea Mirror Tray Play
    
50. Rainbow Investigation Tray Play
    
51. Wooden Rainbow Loose Parts – Grimms Rainbow – Tray Play
    
    
52. Halloween Recycled Treehouse Small World Nature Tray
    
53. Halloween Castle Small World Sensory Chickpea Tray Play
    
54. Halloween Art Wreath
    (Colour Sheets from Mrs Mactivity)
    
55. Halloween Sensory Loose Parts Invitation to Play Tray
    
56. Autumn Nature Small World Tray Play
    
57. Autumn Leaves Tray Play
    
58. Magical Dragons
    
59. Sunflower Investigation Tray Play
    
60. Sunflower Counting Tray
    
61. Autumn Bears Invitation to Play Idea
    
62. Autumn – Conker Investigation and Counting Tuff Tray
    
63. Autumn leaves and Conker Small World Tray Play
    
64. Messy Mark Making Tray Play
    
65. Big Art Tray Play
    
66. Wild Animals Tray Play
    
67. Blackberry Investigation Tray Play
    
68. Diwali Activities Tray Play
    
69. Exploring White Tray Play
    
70. Autumn Story Tray Play
    
71. Dinosaur Dig and Investigation
    
72. Space Tray Play
    
73. DIY Light Box Loose Parts The Big Freeze
    
    
74. Russian Dolls Tray Play
    
75. Parts of a plant Tray Investigation
    
76. Diggers and Conkers Tray Play
    
77. Storytime with miniature bears
    
78. Dear Zoo – Storytime Tray Play
    
79. Small World Fairy Castle Tray Play
    
80. Nature and Outdoor Treasures Tray Play
    
81. Christmas Sensory Tray Play for Babies
    
82. Halloween Witches Broth Slime Tray Play
    
83. Water Play for Baby Tray Play
    
84. Small World Mouse Castle Tray Play
    
85. Discussing Feelings Tray Play
    
86. Wellbeing and talking about feelings Tray Play
    
87. Exploring Dinosaurs and Bone Dig Tray Play
    
88. Ladybird Counting Spots Tray Play
    
89. Flower Soup Tray Play
    
90. Exploring Sensory Lemons Tray Play
    
91. Train Tray Play for Baby
    
92. Holidays Sensory Tray Play Idea
    
93. Bears Family Storytime Tray Play
    
94. Nature Collections – looking in more detail – Tray Play
    
95. Pooh Sticks Storytime Tray Play
    
96. Collecting Magnetic Shiny Objects – Basic Science Tray Play
    

We always have a variety of accessories to hand to dress our tuff tray. Our most popular inserts and mats are our artificial grass mat, Mirror insert and felt scenery mats (all from Cosy Direct). We also have a box of items such as sticks, dried leaves, pinecones, conkers, Acorns, stones, pebbles, wooden circles and cuttings, wooden pieces to build with, small world trees and figures, potted plants, water beads, glass beads and fabrics. Fairy Lights also make tray play magical.

We also love these tuff tray alternatives and accessories:

• cover
• wooden stand
• den canopy
• smaller tuff tray and stand
• mats – reflective, artificial grass, photos, artwork
• under stand storage crates
• seating
• metallic circular tuff tray
• Tinker trays

This is an amazing wheelchair friendly disabled access tray and stand – what a fabulous idea for inclusion and accessibility for disabled children.