It’s officially February, woo hoo! This month brings so many goodies for us. For me, the first day brings me a “one year older” first born. As you know the kids’ birthdays are always bittersweet for me, but I always look forward to the traditions. February also brings us all the heart eyes and Valentine vibes. Plus, the day after Valentine’s day you can find a stock-ton of chocolate marked way down! So, if the lovey-dovey season is enough to make your scrooge-y little heart queasy, then have no fear because there is always discounted candy to look forward to… What’s not to love about that?!
You probably already know if you’ve read my recent posts on crafting with kids, that we love art and activities! Pinterest fills every part of my artsy mama heart, that’s for sure. And while I love doing scheduled activities, I’ve gotta say that by far my absolute favorite way to do fun activities with the kids is through open-ended play. Open-ended play is exactly what it implies- giving kids some supplies and letting them just go for it. I love how this makes it personal for them and gives them that “big kid” feeling of being in control. This is so important for their ever-developing young minds!
This is why I am sharing this very easy and super affordable Valentine’s Day themed tinker tray! Tinker trays are the perfect example of an open-ended play activity. If you haven’t heard of a tinker tray before, no worries. By the end of this post you will be an expert and ready to create one yourself. Use this tinker tray for a special Valentine party, play date, birthday, or just for some quiet time at home. Mine are playing away with theirs while I sit here and type these words!
It’s (v) easy. Let me show you how we put this together and the cost breakdown. Most everything is from the Dollar Tree…SCORE! If I am being honest everything would have come from there if I had shopped there first. (See my post here where I mention this crucial tip to crafting on a budget!)
Here we go!
First up you will need a large divided tray. Party trays are perfect! This one comes from the dollar tree.
Next up, decide on a main sensory item. I’m using my Raspberry Sparkle Play Dough. You can find my recipe here!
Now is the fun part. Add whatever fun side items you’d like!
Purple Unicorns and… 
Pink Ponies $1 from Dollar Tree!
Now fill in your party tray being sure to put the “main sensory item” in the middle.
From here you can decide if the tray will be used as a main tray in which kids can take items from or if you will give each child a tray of their own. I bought two trays and divided up these items equally between the two. Since the trays were only $1, why not?
Now let’s break down the cost…
Trays $1 each x 2
Pipe Cleaners $4
Squishy Dinos $3
Ponies and Unicorns $1
Jeweled Hearts $4
Colored Craft Sticks $1
Decorative Red Hearts $1
Mini Rubber Duckies $3
Play Dough ~ $2 (using my recipe)
Total Cost: $21
Wow for around twenty bucks this makes for an awesome and easy activity for a party, play date, quiet time, school activity, birthday, or just for fun!!!
My kids enjoyed sticking in all of the accessories and making their own little worlds. They were entertained for a solid hour and have already asked to play with their special trays three days in a row!
Set up and clean up is a breeze. After we are done we clean the play dough off the tray and place it in a ziplock bag to be used next time. Everything else can stay in it’s compartment, each tray stacked on the other. You can also remove the items altogether, but my kids have been enjoying their tray so much that I decided this was more convenient for us at this point!
You are now officially qualified to create your won wonderful tinker tray! And I also hope this gives you an idea for a fun Valentine’s Day themed activity. Giving your child the gift of open-ended play will truly touch not only their heart but yours too. <3
