Easter Tuff Tray Ideas
Sensory tray set ups were one of my favourite things to do for Elian when he was little, and I am just starting to make them for Effie now she is old enough to start exploring items on her own. They can be great fun for kids but also a great learning experience. Introducing babies and toddlers to all manner of different objects and textures. They can help develop a whole range of skills which you will find detailed later in this post.
For this Easter Tuff Tray Set-Up I knew I wanted something simple but fun for Elian to play with, and this was one of my first proper full tray scenes for him. The rice has been used time and again since I made it so is super versatile, and all the little bits come out for other set ups throughout the year. Elian spent ages mixing the different colours of rice together, buying the eggs or fishing them out using the measuring cups, scooping and pouring the rice onto the plates and just having some imaginary play with all the small world characters and animals I included
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If your looking for other Tuff Tray ideas or sensory play set ups then check out our Gelli Baff Dinosaur Wash which is a firm favourite with Elian in the summer, or if you want something less messy then maybe my Alphabet Hunt and Match Game for Toddlers is more your style, this is a great one for starting letter recognition and development.
How to dye rice for sensory play
There are a number of methods you can use to safely dye rice for sensory trays, or any other dried food item. Some methods use food dye, icing gels, vinegar or alcohol, personally I like the good old paint method!! You can check out my post on the super simple method to dye rice for sensory play as honesty I found it the quickest and easiest way to dye rice (and pasta). It also produced the most vibrant and brightly coloured tuff tray bases.
The Benefits of Sensory Trays
- It helps to build nerve connections in the brain.
- It encourages the development of fine motor skills and pincer grip which is hugely important for toddlers and babies
- It supports language development
- It encourages ‘scientific thinking’ and problem solving
- It can develop colour and shape recognition, spacial awareness and lots of other key developmental skills
What I used for our Dyed Rice Easter Sensory Tray
- Dyed Rice (this is about 4 bags of rice, but the tray is really big!!)
- Glitter Eggs
- Little chicks
- Little bunnies
- Little sheep
- Carrots
- Measuring spoons
- Plates or bowls
- Large Container (in this case I used a storage box)
- Sheet for the floor (this is simply to make cleaning up a little easier for you, so its up to you if you want to use it)
I’ve provided links to where you can find these items on Amazon, but on the run up to easter you are able to find loads of great easter based decorations that are perfect for sensory play set ups in shops like B&M, Home Bargains, The Works and pound shops. I bought most of the decorations in discount shops and they have been used year on year to make fun play sets ups.
How to set up your Easter Sensory Tray with Dyed Rice
Layer your rice in your chosen container, you can use trays, bowls, boxes, serving plates or something like a flisat table as your container. Either use a multicoloured mixed rice or pour your single coloured rice into sections like I did (which they will mix up the minute they start playing! lol). Add in your extra props, scoops and any other instruments they can use to pour and mix the rice. Place it all on a sheet or mat to make clean up a little easier. Then just let your little ones explore and have fun.
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