#tuff tray

10 ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴋɪᴅꜱ ᴀᴛ ʜᴏᴍᴇ!🧁ʙᴀᴋɪɴɢ

🕯ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ

🌿ʙᴜɪʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴇʀʀᴀʀɪᴜᴍ

🖋ꜱᴄʀᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴀʀᴛ

🧈ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀ

💫ᴘʟᴀʏᴅᴏᴜɢʜ

🧼ᴍᴇꜱꜱʏ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴛʀᴀʏ

🥚ʜᴀᴛᴄʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴅɪɴᴏꜱᴀᴜʀ

🖌ᴘᴀɪɴᴛɪɴɢ

🦖ᴇxᴄᴀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴋɪᴛ

20 𝗧𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀

1. Playdough sensory play

2. Bubbles

3. Sand sensory play

4. Crunchy Autumn Leaves

5. Exploring Autumn colours with food and also Autumn books.

6. Colour blocks in the sunshine.

7. Flower Soup - this is ideal for warmer weather as the water may end up all over your child and tray!

8. Shaving Foam

9. Car Painting - you can use any cars but we like using Duplo cars as they are chunky to hold and less fidgety for little hands. Some paper and paint is all you need for this activity.

10. Rainbow Rice - if you have coloured rice already then this is a really quick set up activity. If you don't have any coloured rice then just use normal rice or oats. Tip - use a mess mat as it will catch most of the spilled rice.

11. Diggers and Sand - using some play sand set up a digging site with some stones and twigs. If you don't have play sand then you could perhaps use oats or flour.

12. Baby Bath - this is a lovely toddler activity. Just a plastic baby, baby bath and a sponge. Be prepared for it to escalate and maybe have a towel on standby.

13. Farm - setting up a farm tuff spot sounds complicated but you only need a couple of additions to make a small world. Use some of your farm animals with some kitchen staples to create a sensory play.

14. Chalking - the simplest activity you will find. You only need chalk. Allow your child to chalk the tuff spot tray, then let them rub it out and start again.

15. Water Pouring - especially nice when the weather is nice and you can get outside and not worry about any spillages.

16. Conker Scooping - a seasonal one but if its not Autumn then perhaps substitute for plastic Easter eggs or pom poms. Use lots of scoops and tubs and you have an easy toddler set up.

17. Water Beads - if you've not discovered water beads then you are missing out! These weird little balls are such an amazing sensory experience.

18. Mud Kitchen -  need is some old kitchen utensils, mud and some water. It will get messy but it is so much fun.

19. Sweet Shop - setting up your own shop is a great way to play with your tuff tray. You can do measuring and pouring.

Quick and Simple Tuff Tray Play

The end of lockdown appears to the nearing and our new normal is just around the corner. 13 weeks of full time parenting, and I still have a child addicted to CBeebies 😂 (Numberblocks over Peppa anytime though…)

As the naps shorten and even periodically disappear, I’ve taken to setting up super quick and ridiculously simple play ideas to keep him occupied and his brain ticking. Usually…

Absolutely great book!  Buy a cheap builder's mixing tray from a DIY shop and have a fantastic summer of little adventures in the garden.  These are the sort of books that teachers dip into so be prepared to be seen as the absolutely bestest ever parent on the block and have loads of other people's kids ringing your doorbell and standing on your doorstep looking wistfully down your hall wondering if they could make a run for it and once they've made it through your house to the garden, perhaps you might let them stay and play all the cool games your kids get to play...