For this post, I have put together a collection of the 10 best mats to use with a Tuff Tray (also called Tuff Spot), currently available on the market.
Also see my guide to the Best Tuff Trays.
Recently we have seen a huge growth in popularity in the use of Tuff Trays in schools and Early years settings, but we are now seeing them in homes and children’s groups.
They are so versatile and have a wide range of uses. They can be used just as they, as a tray for messy play, shaving foam, Lego or painting, but they can be jazzed up and given a whole new learning experience by using a Tuff Tray mat, or insert.
There are many variety’s to choose from, so take a look at my Top Picks.
Our Top Picks
- Best For Babies: Black and White Sensory Tuff Tray Mat
- Best For Small World: No products found.
- Best Learning: Rainbow Wheel
- Best For Versatility: Sensory Artificial Grass
In this article I’ll go over:
- My selection of the 10 best Tuff Tray mats and inserts currently on the market.
- A review of each mat, stating what I love and the key information along with an alternative suggestion.
- Why do you use a mat in the tuff tray?
Also see my top picks for the best tuff tray covers, the best tuff tray stands and best tuff tray ideas.
Black and White Sensory Tuff Tray Mat
Product Description:
Designed primarily for use with babies for sensory play. This Mini Tuff Tray Mat features a strong contrast of black and white to stimulate the development of the optic nerves.
Learning to focus on these images encourages the eye muscles and brain to coordinate and function properly.
Why We Love It:
This is the ideal mat for babies. Place this in a tuff tray, with other black and white items and allow baby to roll, wiggle and explore whilst developing their vision and brain development.
The tuff tray, with this mat, could be used a play tray, a large treasure basket or even stick the mat to to the tray and stand upright up as a visual aid for baby to look at.
- Material: High quality, durable vinyl material.
- Alternative: Ocean Floor
The Lost World
No products found.
Product Description:
The Lost World Dinosaur mat is ideal for use with a Tuff Tray. Spot and name the dinosaurs and add your own dinosaur toys for more fun! Drive a Jeep around to check they’re all okay – or to make a quick get away!
Why We Love It:
I love this mat, I use it regularly with my group, adding in sand, water, fresh greenery and pebbles. When you then add in the small world dinosaurs, the tray comes to life!
We love trying to find our favourite dinosaurs on the mat, which allows plenty of opportunity for language development and imagination.
The colours and detail on the mat are wonderful, and creates a wonderful base for developing creative skills and small world play
- Material: High quality, durable vinyl material.
- Alternative: Grass Mat
Rainbow Wheel
Product Description:
The rainbow wheel mat is ideal for use with a Tuff Tray. Use it at home or in an early years setting to introduce and discuss colour and matching small objects to the rainbow wheel.
Ideal to gently develop fine motor skills and foster cooperative play.
Why We Love It:
A really inviting super bright mat with many uses. As the description states, it can be used for colour matching and sorting but also for naming the colours, colour games or just as a bright base for playdough or craft play.
I use this tray for my baby group when learning about Elmer the patchwork Elephant and her colours along with our Elmer Plush
- Material: High quality, durable vinyl material.
- Alternative: Colours Of the Rainbow
Sensory Artificial Grass
Product Description:
This artificial grass/astro turf style mat is ideal for use with a tuff tray.
It’s perfect for individual or small group play. This insert mat is designed to perfectly fit in a standard tuff tray.
It Can be used with character or animal toys for imaginative play.
Why We Love It:
This is the most versatile mat we have! It can literally be used with everything.
Fill it with animals and loose parts to create a woodland tray, or create a Gruffalo’s deep dark wood.
Add in wooden blocks with dinosaurs, or sand with a fairy garden – the opportunities are endless with a faux grass mat.
It looks fantastic in a tray- no matter what the colour of the tray is, and adds to the sensory experience.. and.. its waterproof!
- Material: High Quality Non Abrasive Artificial Grass
- Alternative: Sand Tuff Tray Mat
Coin Sorting
Product Description:
Tip out the piggy bank and get familiar with British Currency.
All current coinage is represented here, and sorting coins using the tuff tray mat will help with quick coin recognition, preparing children for managing their own pocket money.
Why We Love It:
This is super for older children, school age children who are learning all about the value of money.
Sort the coins, or play money games using this tuff tray mat. There is plenty of space in the middle for mixed up coins, and each section is clearly divided. It is inviting and a really quick way of helping to teach coins and their values.
- Material: Vinyl
- Alternative: Coin Sorting and Counting Mini
British Wildlife & Minibeasts
Product Description:
This British Wildlife and Minibeasts Tuff Tray Mat is ideal for use with a Tuff Tray. Spot a frog, hedgehog, otter, rabbit, butterfly, squirrel and more.
Why We Love It:
This is super cute and ideal for nature topics.
The mat is full of realistic images of the British wildlife in their natural habitat, a frog on a lily pad and a squirrel nestling in the leaves.
There is so many opportunities for language and learning with this mat, and what I love is that it can be used solely as it is, or extended using natural resources and books.
- Material: Vinyl
- Alternative: Fairy Tale Woodland
The Earth
Product Description:
Children can learn and imagine what the earth looks like from space, a great insert for any child interested in space and planets.
Perfect for individual or small group imaginative play.
Why We Love It:
A superb resource for a space theme. It has a realistic design.
I add in rockets, astronauts and space crafts or just black glittery playdoh balls for some super space activities.
It’s great for talking about the world and space and how to look after our planet.
- Material: Vinyl
- Alternative: Personalised Space Station
Mud
Product Description:
The Mud mat can fit in the Tuff Spot Tray and is ideal for individual or small group play. The trays enable children to add water, toys, sand, pebbles, and leaves to create interesting small environments.
Why We Love It:
This is perfect for a topic on minibeasts or bugs.
I use this to add in a few scoops of real soil, with the small world minibeasts. not only does it add to the look of the tray, but it also makes cleaning the tray easier, as you just roll the mat up and shake outside.
It is a realistic print of sloppy mud which the children absolutely love! It defitinley gets their creative juices flowing!
- Material: Vinyl
- Alternative: Water
Picnic Blanket
Product Description:
A high durable vinyl mat printed with an image of 4 plates and cutlery, Ideal for a use in a Tuff Tray in an Early Years setting.
Ideal For Early Investigation, Discovery And Inspiring Imaginative
Why We Love It:
Its bright, vibrant colours and design make it ideal for all sorts of topics . I love that it can be used with toy food to role play eating and preparing food and encourage healthy eating.
This mat would also be fantastic used for a Teddy Bears picnic theme.
- Material: High quality Vinyl
- Alternative: Bramble Countryside
Emotions Tree
Product Description:
This Insert is ideal to help children recognise different emotions it can be used to encourage children to talk about their feelings, can be used to create interactive games.
Why We Love It:
I find this a really useful tool in my setting. We often get this out with the younger children, as well as the older children to talk about how we are feeling today.
It can be used to encourage children to identify and express their emotions, helping them to explain and cope with difficult situations and empathise with others.
- Material: Vinyl
- Alternative: Small Acts of Kindness
Why Do You Use A Mat In A Tuff Tray?
Tuff Tray mats and inserts are great for a change of scenery to encourage new types of creative and imaginative play.
The Standard Tuff Tray Mats are colourfast and waterproof and so you can add water, gloop, toys, sand, pebbles and real leaves to create interesting small world environments.
Tuff Tray mats are the perfect way to bring your Tuff Tray to life in a matter of minutes for Creative Play, and not only that, there are so many different designs on the market , they can be really educational too.
From numbers to alphabet mats, shapes and scenes.. a mat really enhances a child’s learning and sparks their imagination.
The best part is that you can roll the mat up if you have filled the try with sand, soil, flour etc and shake it straight in the bin, or wipe the mat and tray down afterwards to play afresh the next day!
