Theme Tray is a critical thinking activity that challenges kids to figure out the theme of items on a tray. This activity takes a few seconds to set up and kids can participate as much or as little as they like with little to no guidance.

This simple activity takes a little bit of creativity on your part and some critical thinking on the part of the kids.  I like to do this every few weeks or so and the kids love it.

Setup

Think of a theme.  It could be something simple like, things that start with the letter “C”.  Or Things that smell good. The photo below shows the tray I put out for space week.   The items on the tray are:Astronaut Puzzle UFO Ball Fuse bead star Bill Nye the Science guy – Gravity Episode Starbursts and Play-doh with universe stickers on one outside. These are all items I found at my program.

How To
I put the tray out before the kids arrive and leave it out for 40 minutes – 1 hour.  This allows children time to discover the activity on their own, and to participate if they choose to do so. I leave small  pieces of paper next to the tray for kids to write down their ideas. Some kids prefer writing it down to saying it out loud.  The game continues until someone get the theme correct.

Theme Tray Ideas

Items
paper bag
play dough
plate
paint
pencil
Popsicle sticks

Theme: Things that start with the letter “P”

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Items
Ruler
Timer
Change
Die
Calculator
Protractor

Theme: Things that have numbers

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Items
Tacky Glue
Tape
Bubble Gun
Glue Stick
Candy
Paint
Mod Podge

Theme: Things that are sticky

Other Theme Tray Ideas

• Things that make noise
• Items that rhyme with Door
• Things that are made in WI (or whatever state you live in)
• Things that roll

If you can think of other ideas share them in the comments below!

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