Introducing Our New Book: 60 Tuff Tray Ideas for Sensory Play
If you've ever found yourself staring at an empty tray wondering "What should I set up today?"—this book was created for you.
Written by Kamilla, an early years educator and founder of Learning Through PLAYtrays, this book was built around one simple goal: to help you get started with sensory play — and actually feel excited about it.
Inside, you'll find 60 easy tuff tray activities for little hands, ages 1–6, all designed with real life in mind:
- Quick setup — most trays come together in minutes, not hours
- Everyday materials — rice, glue, chalk, scoops, and things already in your kitchen cupboard
- Screen-free play — hands-on exploration that captures little ones' full attention
Hand-drawn illustrations that help you discover your inner child
Every activity in the book features hand-drawn tray art — and this was a very intentional choice.
Instead of staged, intimidating photos, each playful illustration shows you exactly what you're creating while leaving room for your own twist. The moment you flip through the pages, something happens: you don't just understand the activity, you want to make it. The colors, the doodles, the whimsy — they're designed to inspire you immediately and bring out your own inner child, so setting up the tray feels less like a task and more like play in itself.
Because here's a little secret from the classroom: when the grown-up is excited, the child feels it. Play becomes something you share, not something you supervise.
More than just fun: built on how little ones really learn
Behind the playful pages sits a solid foundation. Every tray in the book is mapped to the Wheel of Learning — eight early-years learning domains: sensory processing, science, literacy, math, physical development, logic, social-emotional learning, and creativity.
Children rarely practice just one skill at a time. A single tray of scooping and sorting can build math, motor skills, language, and confidence all at once. So while your little one is happily elbow-deep in rainbow rice, you can relax knowing that every giggle is doing real developmental work. Eight domains. One tray. Endless growing.
Your invitation to play
Remember the Magic of Play? This Book Brings It Back — For Your Little One, and For You. Getting started with sensory play doesn't require perfection — just one tray, a handful of everyday materials, and an idea you feel excited about. This book gives you 60 of them.
60 Tuff Tray Ideas for Sensory Play is available now on Amazon, and pairs perfectly with our textured PLAYtrays designed for sensory exploration.
Pick a page. Raid the pantry. And rediscover just how joyful sensory play can be.
