Getting started with sensory and small world play can be daunting, especially when it comes to thinking up ideas of what to play, and choosing the right resources and supplies for your child's PlayTRAY. But don't worry - we're here to help! Sensory and creative play doesn't need to be complicated. That's why we've pulled together a whole range of free resources and ideas to make it easier for you to get started.
Sensory play allows children to develop their creativity and imagination through exploring open-ended materials in different ways. In small world play children invent scenarios, characters, and narratives, developing their creative thinking and storytelling skills.
Open-ended play is a great way to develop social and emotional skills, such as empathy, communication, and cooperation. Our products are designed to promote positive interactions and help children develop these important skills.
Sensory play helps children develop their physical skills such as hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity and spatial awareness.
Sensory and creative open-ended play is a great way to challenge children's minds and help them develop important cognitive skills, like problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making.
Sensory play is inclusive and can accommodate various abilities and needs. It allows siblings and friends, regardless of their individual strengths and challenges, to participate and enjoy having fun together.
Sensory play can be therapeutic for children, especially those with additional needs, like autism, by helping them develop their sensory processing skills and providing a calming and grounding experience.
A good first step is to download our FREE ‘Beginner’s Guide to Sensory Play’. It's full of DIY recipes & play ideas guaranteed to provide messy hands, huge grins, and a whole heap of developmental benefits!
Our Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest pages are packed with sensory, creative, and open-ended play ideas that are perfect for parents and caregivers of young children. From easy-to-make sensory bins to imaginative play activities, our social media content is designed to inspire and engage. Plus, we love to feature our followers' play-based creations, so be sure to tag us in your posts for a chance to be featured! Don't miss out on all the fun - follow @inspiremyplay on social media and start exploring even more play-based ideas and inspiration.
Our blog features a wide range of articles and posts that are packed with activity ideas, parenting tips, and play-based resources. From sensory play activities, outdoor play ideas, to themes for play our blog covers a variety of topics that are sure to inspire your child's learning and development. Plus, our blog is updated regularly, so be sure to check back often for new ideas and inspiration. Whether you're looking for something new to try with your child or just need some parenting advice, our blog has got you covered.
We've teamed up with Twinkl to create fun and engaging inserts for the PlayTRAY. There are plenty to choose from including small world inserts, colour wheels, mark making inserts and more, and they are FREE.
We offer a wide range of printable resources that are perfect for promoting sensory, creative, and open-ended play at home. Our resources are designed to be easy to use and adaptable for different age groups and interests. All are FREE to download and use. They include some seasonal activities & crafts.
As well as play ideas and printable resources to help make the most of your PlayTRAY, we've pulled together a full list of extra equipment and supplies that you might find helpful for your sensory and creative play journey!
I really wanted to love everything about this order. We got the play tray, blocks, bricks and the activity cards. Some of the activity cards had great ideas, but many were activities that are very generic (tracing in salt, rice, soapy water). I was really hoping these would be more creative as we had done many of the activities before.
Also the texture of the bricks and blocks isn’t ideal for playing with sand (kinetic or regular) as it sticks to them and in order to get them clean you lose a bunch of sand in the process.
The tray seems great, the nonstick pads will be helpful. However I’m not sure I would justify the price for what it is.
Overall good quality products, but I don’t feel they are worth the money and a lot of this could be done with similar items.
Hi there, thank you for taking the time to leave a review. The variety of activities in our cards is intentionally planned to cater to different preferences and ages. We appreciate your feedback and will definitely take it into consideration for future improvements :-) Thank you for your valuable comments and we hope you continue to enjoy your PlayTRAY!
I didn’t expect this to be as fabulous as it is! Not only are the cards themselves extremely durable, of high quality, clear, colourful and bright, but it was even packaged amazingly. You have a lovely container to keep these inside and they’re double sided
Personally, though things are available online, I honestly don’t care to be online and keep reverting back online, and actually found my toddler can interact and be a part of setting up or at least holding and feeling the cards and verbalising what she wants to play (and thus I can set up for her).
The front of the cards show the set up, and the back have easy 3-step instructions: 1) supplies, 2) how to prepare 3) ways to play, whilst concisely explaining the age range and skills that will be obtained/practised.
Absolutely marvellous product and the quality is fabulous! So many ideas as well!!! Thank you IMP!!!
I only bought the accessories, but I’m so impressed I’m going to buy the tray and inserts too!
Hello Syed Shah,
Thank you so much for you lovely review! We are so so pleased to hear you are so impressed with your purchases. A lot of time and thought has gone into the design on the cards, so we are really happy you think they are great quality. Thank you again for your kind words!
Lovely cards with inspirational ideas, clear instructions too
Thank you for your review of our Sensory Activity Cards. We love it that you've been inspired!
Sensory play is more than just a fun activity - it plays a critical role in a child's development, building the foundation for lifelong learning, creativity, and wellbeing.
Inspire My Play is a UK-based family-run business founded by former early years teacher and mother of three, Laura Tuck, and husband, Neil. Passionate about play (and the many benefits of sensory play in early childhood), our collection of thoughtfully designed play products has been developed to make sensory & creative play accessible - for parents and educators. More inspiration, easier organisation, and lots of fun!
