10 Easy Easter Tuff Tray Ideas
Posted by EYR Team on 11th Mar 2024
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With Easter springing upon us, what better way to keep your little ones entertained than with Easter tuff tray ideas? In this blog we present a selection of 10 simple yet fun tuff tray activities that will have your little ones “hopping” for joy. From craft activities to sensory and fine motor development, there is an activity for everyone to get “egg-cited” about.
1. Easter egg fine motor pick up
This is a great activity to support fine motor development.
Start by adding your pom poms to your tuff tray. For an Easter twist you could use chicks or eggs as long as they are easy enough to pick up. Then add long strips of overlapping masking tape to your tuff tray making sure there are gaps between the tapes.
Then, hand out pincers and tweezers to your little ones and task them with collecting the pom poms or other Easter related objects through the gaps in the tape.
2. Frozen chick hatching
Explore science with this fun ice melting activity! Overnight, pop some Easter themed objects – we went for chicks, into ice cube moulds and freeze.
Once frozen, add these to your tuff tray along with mini hammers, salt and any other objects children choose to try and melt or crack the ice and release the chick. Tuff trays make the perfect base for this ice melting activity as the raised sides contain the mess!
3. Easter chick maze
Test your children’s spatial reasoning and hand eye coordination with this maze activity! Start by defining your start and finish points and then use chalk to draw a maze directly onto your tuff tray.
Your children will need to try and find a route across the maze for the chick to get home!
4. Mud kitchen hot cross buns
What is more reminiscent of Easter than hot cross buns! Instead of baking or simply eating them, why not move your tuff tray outside and equip your children with baking trays, bowls and other utensils for them to whip up a batch of muddy hot cross buns? What will your children use to create the cross on the top?
(If the weather isn’t permitting, you could always replicate this with sand or playdough indoors!)
5. Easter egg pattern making
This is a simple activity that can be used to introduce the early mathematical concept of patterns and sequences to children.
Start by drawing an outline of an egg with chalk or paint directly onto your tuff tray. This could be one large egg or several smaller ones. Then simply encourage your children to collect resources to create a pattern on the egg, this could be outdoor and natural resources gathered on a scavenger hunt or sand, rice or other messy play resources.
Why not start a pattern off on the egg and task your children with replicating or completing the pattern?
6. Paper pad egg symmetry
Explore symmetry with this Easter themed activity. Using a sheet from a tuff tray paper pad get your little ones to paint half of an egg. This could be as simple or as intricately detailed as they like. Then, whilst the paint is wet, fold the paper pad sheet in half and watch as the paint transfers to the other side of the paper completing the egg.
7. Easter sorting
Why not use this activity to explore the concept of sorting by size, shape and colours?
Fill your tuff tray with various different Easter themed objects and add a few baskets or a fraction basket. Assign your children with a property by which to sort the materials and watch them go! This could be separating the objects by different size, different materials or colours.
8. Easter egg hunt
Let’s go on an Easter egg hunt! Regardless of the size of your space, this is possible with a tuff tray! Bury a few eggs amongst either shredded tissue paper, sand or coloured rice and equip your little ones with spoons, cups and tongs to find the eggs!
9. Oobleck egg
Oobleck is a great basis for sensory and messy play so why not make an oobleck egg?
All you need to create your oobleck is 2 parts cornflour and 1 part water. To make your yolk simply add a few drops of yellow food colouring to a section of the oobleck. Watch as your children explore the oobleck and the fun consistency it is!
10. Egg rolling craft
For this activity you will need your tuff tray, tuff tray paper pad, a selection of paints and some eggs – we used wooden ones.
Start by dipping your eggs in the paint and then roll them across the paper pad, what kind of masterpiece will your little ones create? For a fun group activity why not add a few paint covered eggs to your paper pad and get your children to grab a side of the tuff tray each to navigate the eggs around the paper.
We would love to know which activities you tried and how you got on! Share your experiences with us on social media by tagging us or using the hashtag #ExploreWithEYR!
Looking to top up your art and craft essentials for Easter? Browse our full range here!
