These red toddler trays make your toddler think they are just playing, when really they are learning so much. Here is what we set up to teach the color red.
These Montessori-inspired toddler trays make your toddler think they’re playing, but really they’ll be learning so much. It’s wonderful!
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Special Red Tray: Red Pegboard and Pegs
This fun pegboard and peg set is from Amazon. They make great Montessori material for toddlers.
Color Game: Color Find
These color circles are the sand mounds from my colored fishies color game. To do this toddler school activity, tell your toddler a color and let them put a bean on the circle of that color.
This is a great way to review all the colors with your toddler.
Pouring
This is definitely a Montessori inspired toddler tray. It has a measuring cup filled with red water beads and a clear cup. Have your toddler pour the red water beads from the measuring cup to the cup. Then, have them pour the beads back into the measuring cup.
If your child spills some of the water beads, they can just pick them up with their fingers and put them back. Grabbing water beads with their fingers is fantastic fine motor practice!
Counting
This toddler tray has laminated number trees. It also has some red pom poms. Using the pompoms as make believe “apples,” have your toddler put the correct number of “apples” onto each apple tree.
Gluing
This tray has a piece of paper with a green vine drawn onto it. There is also a bottle of glue and bunch of red buttons. The red buttons become “tomatoes” that are growing on a vine.
Teaching colors? Grab the done-for-you pack
Hands-on color activities your toddler will actually want to do, with every printable you need included. Takes the guesswork (and the prep) out of teaching colors at home.
Fine Motor
Use red milk caps and hot glue magnets to the back. This toddler tray is a cookie sheet so the milk caps stick to it.
Use the printables in the Learning Notebook to let your child color on. Dry erase crayons are perfect for this activity.
For the bigger picture, take a look at our full how to teach colors guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many trays should I set out at once?
Start with just two or three. Too many choices can overwhelm a toddler. Swap in new ones as the old ones lose their shine.
What if my toddler dumps the tray instead of doing the activity?
That is normal for younger toddlers, and dumping and filling is its own kind of learning. Show them the activity once, then let them explore however they like.
What are toddler trays?
Toddler trays (sometimes called tot trays or tot school) are simple activity invitations set up on a tray or in a divided container. Your toddler works on one at a time, which keeps things focused and low-mess.