TUFF Tray Play: A Canvas For Creativity

At Learning Through PLAYtrays, February is the month where it all began for us. We started our PLAYtrays in February 2024, which makes this month our two-year milestone. As we enter our third year, our focus is clear. We are returning to what matters most: the tray as a canvas for creativity.

In early childhood spaces, we often search for the right activity. The perfect setup. The one idea that will engage everyone.

But creativity doesn’t come from the activity itself.

It comes from the space that allows ideas to grow.

A canvas does not tell you what to paint.
It simply invites you to begin.

In sensory play, the tray becomes that canvas. It holds materials, moments, experiments, mistakes, and discoveries. The same space can support completely different types of play depending on the child, the day, and the materials offered.

When we shift our thinking from “What activity should I set up?” to “How can this space support creativity?”, everything changes.

The tray stops being a one-time activity and starts becoming a reusable foundation for learning.

The classic black TUFF tray surface is ideal for drawing, writing, and mark making. It invites anything and everything. Lines, letters, shapes, symbols, plans, and playful scribbles can appear, disappear, and return again. With chalk in hand, the tray becomes an open canvas where creativity takes the lead. 

Here are 3 February Valentine-themed sensory play ideas using chalk that work great on trays, black paper, or even outdoors.

1. Chalk & Water Heart Reveal
Draw hearts, zigzags, or simple Valentine shapes with chalk. Give children paintbrushes or droppers with water. As they paint over the chalk, colors deepen and lines blur and disappear. Great cause-and-effect moment and super calming to watch.

2.. Valentine Pathways (Schema Play)
Use chalk to draw roads, loops, hearts, or infinity shapes. Add small loose parts like pom-poms, toy animals, or cars.
Invite children to “follow the love path” or move objects along the lines. Perfect for trajectory and transport schemas.

3. Chalk Matching Hearts
Draw pairs of hearts in different sizes or patterns. Children match loose items (stones, buttons, bears) to each heart. You can also add numbers or dots inside hearts for early counting. Simple, open-ended, and easy to differentiate.