Tuff Tray Paper Inserts - Exclusive to USA
Learning Through PLAY with Arts & Crafts
If you're an educator, parent, or someone involved in early childhood education, the introduction of brown craft paper inserts for Tuff Trays by Learning Through PLAYtrays® is something to get excited about for quick and easy set ups. These aren't just any inserts; they're designed specifically for large Tuff Trays/ PLAYtrays and created uniquely to the U.S. market. No available anywhere else!
Wait...what is a Tuff Tray or PLAYtray?
What is a Tuff Tray?
- A Tuff Tray, also known as a PLAYtray in the USA, is a large, shallow tray for multi-use purposes. It's typically used in educational settings for sensory play, art projects, and small world environments where children can explore and learn through hands-on-play.
What is a Tuff Tray Insert?
- A Tuff Tray insert is a pre-cut sheet or material designed to fit snugly within a Tuff Tray.
Tuff Tray or PLAYtray—Choose Your Favorite Term!
- Whether you call it a Tuff Tray or a PLAYtray, you're talking about the same great tray for creative and educational play.
About the Product
- What You Get: The package includes 30 pre-cut sheets of brown craft paper.
- Perfect Fit: Each sheet is cut to precisely fit the large Tuff Trays from Learning Through PLAYtrays®.
- Exclusive Design: These inserts are made exclusively for our tray for USA families and educators.
Painting with Cars on Tuff Tray Paper Inserts
One of the coolest activities you can do with these tuff tray paper inserts is painting with toy cars. (A real-favorite of Ms.K and her students) It’s a blast for kids and super simple to set!
How to Do It: Lay the brown paper insert in the Tuff Tray, squirt some different colored paints on the paper, and give the kids some small toy cars.
What Happens Next: Kids drive the cars through the paint and all over the paper, making colorful tracks and patterns.
Why It's Great:
- Develops Fine Motor Skills: Moving the cars around helps kids develop their hand and finger muscles.
- Boosts Sensory Skills: The feel of the paint and the paper under the cars gives kids tactile feedback.
- Sparks Creativity: Kids get to decide how to move the cars and mix the colors, which boosts their creativity.
- Teaches Colors and Cause-Effect: They learn about mixing colors and see the immediate effects of their actions with the car tracks.
Sensory play is a wonderful way for young children to explore and learn about the world around them using their senses. This type of play is especially valuable in the early years because it helps children develop their sense of touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing.
Instead of just using traditional tools like paintbrushes, kids can use everyday objects to make the experience even more exciting and educational. For instance, imagine replacing a standard paintbrush with toy cars, LEGO blocks, or even a flower. Kids can dip these items into paint and then roll, press, or brush them across paper to create unique textures and patterns. Using a toy car lets little ones zoom through paint and over paper, leaving behind tire tracks in different colors. LEGO blocks can be dipped in paint and used like stamps, making fun shapes and designs on the paper. Even a simple flower can become a paintbrush, with its petals or stem creating delicate, interesting marks that teach kids about nature and art at the same time.
All these activities work perfectly with a Tuff Tray paper insert. The tray gives kids a defined space to work in, encouraging them to experiment freely while keeping everything tidy
Where to find a Tuff Tray in the USA?
We're a small family business, led by an early years teacher with over 15 years of experience, dedicated to enriching children's learning. Our family has proudly introduced a new line of premium Tuff Trays, exclusively designed for the USA market.
What to Do With the Paper Afterwards
After the kids are done painting or drawing:
- Decorate With It: Hang the art pieces on walls or on a classroom bulletin board. This shows off the kids' artwork and makes them proud of what they’ve created.
- Make Bulletin Boards: Teachers can use the whole sheets or cut pieces to make colorful and engaging bulletin board displays.
Creative Reuse Ideas
Don’t throw away the paper when the kids are finished! Here are some neat ways to reuse it:
- Make a Sensory Bin: Shred the used paper and use it as a base for a sensory bin. Mix it with other materials like small toys or beads for a fun sensory activity.
- Cut and Create: Give the kids scissors to cut shapes out of the paper. They can use these shapes to make new art projects, like collages or scene boards.
Here are 10 creative ideas for using the Tuff Tray craft paper insert:
Color Mixing Lab: Let kids experiment with color combinations by mixing different paints on the paper. They can use their hands, sponges, or brushes to blend and see new colors emerge.
Nature Prints: Collect leaves, flowers, or twigs from outdoors. Paint one side and press them onto the craft paper to create detailed prints and explore natural patterns.
Car Track City: Use toy cars dipped in paint to drive over the paper, creating winding roads and tracks that map out an imaginary city.
Block Building Blueprints: Dip the edges of LEGO blocks or other building blocks in paint and use them to stamp outlines, creating blueprints for future 3D construction projects.
Animal Footprints: Dip toy animal feet in paint and walk them across the paper to learn about different animal tracks and the animals that make them.
Body Part Bingo: Have kids dip their hands, feet, or fingers in paint and make prints on the paper, turning it into a fun game of identifying body parts.
Alphabet Soup: Use sponges or stamps cut into letters to spell out words on the paper, combining art with literacy skills.
Fingerpainting Free-for-All: Forget brushes! Let children use their fingers to swirl, dot, and smear paint, expressing their creativity and enhancing fine motor skills.
Seasonal Scenes: Use the paper to create seasonal art, such as a snowscape with white paint footprints in winter or a bright sunflower field in summer.
Texture Exploration: Apply glue in patterns on the paper and sprinkle different materials like sand, rice, or crushed leaves over it to explore textures and create multi-sensory artwork.