My Story

Welcome to Tinker Tray Play. Established August 2018, Tinker Tray Play is a small independent toy shop on the Dorset Coast. Started as a maternity leave venture selling homemade Tinker Trays (hence the name), my little online shop has really grown and I now proudly stock a growing portfolio of amazing brands and over a thousand products. I really enjoy sourcing unique resources and supporting other small and handmade businesses too.

This last year has been so exciting! I’ve been featured in Vogue magazine, Tatler, Mummy and Me, and Tinker Tray Play has reached celebrity homes 🤩 Billie Faiers, Laura and Russel Brand, Ola Jordan, Ali Bastian, Lyzabeth Lopez and so many more.

As you can see from my collections, I LOVE wooden toys and natural play, and I stock lots of eco conscious brands but I do believe there’s also a place for synthetic. The Early Years Resources collection has some fantastic STEM equipment using rainbow coloured plastics that I just love and of course, Connetix!

I have a passion for play. I strive to inspire little minds and create beautiful play environments that capture imaginations. A firm believer in the power of open ended play, it is so important to me that the resources I sell are engaging and educational as well as being super FUN. I want to cultivate curiosity and inspire new interests; to enable the child to create and learn in a way that is unique and meaningful to them. It is during this pursuit of individual interest that the magic happens and true learning through play occurs.

Previously the owner of Little Stars Childminding and mum to two beautiful little stars of my own, I’ve been blessed with an in house product testing team. If they don’t like it, or I wouldn’t use it myself in my setting or my home then I won’t stock it! And of course, all educational resources need to support the learning goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage. To help me with this I have a great team of brand reps, many of whom are teachers and trained early years professionals, all are parents.

When you support a small business you’re supporting a dream… Thank you so much for supporting mine. I appreciate every purchase, recommendation, and review; every social media share and like. It is so exciting to see my little business grow. I have lots of ideas for new products and brands that I really hope you’ll love. If only there were more hours in the day!

Anna xx