The Young Builders Wooden Tray Project from Homco Lumber & Hardware is a great way to nurture an interest in crafting and construction. After building their tray, kids can use it to store knickknacks, schoolwork, or small toys. Or they can give it as a gift to a friend or family member.

Like those in HomCo’s Young Builders series, construction and craft projects help kids develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills while allowing them to practice higher-order skills like reasoning, organizing, and spatial thinking. Building projects also inspire play-based learning, exposing kids to math and science concepts like measuring and estimating. But, most importantly, building projects are FUN!

Are you ready to make a wooden tray of your own? Check out the video from Charlie, an expert in the Paint Department at HomCo Lumber & Hardware, and follow our simple, step-by-step instructions below!

What You’ll need for this Project

You’ll only need a few supplies to complete the Wooden tray Young Builders Project. You may have some items available at home, and you can pick up the rest at HomCo Lumber & Hardware. In the video above, Ian creates an approximately 6” x 12” tray, but you can cut your wood larger or smaller to fit your needs:

• One piece of plywood or project board, cut to size
• Two rectangular wood panels, cut to size and grooved on one side
• Two six-sided wood panels, cut to size and grooved on one side
• Two square wood dowels
• Rag
• Fine grit sandpaper
• Hammer
• 1 ½” to 2” brad nails
• Wood stain or paint (optional)

Step #1: Line up the Materials Needed

Before building your wooden tray, line up all the materials and separate them by type to ensure you have everything you need.

If you’re helping a younger child with this project, you can ask them to sort the pieces by shape. For example, they can sort them into piles of two long rectangles, one wide and flat rectangle, two small rectangles, and two irregular hexagons (a shape with six unequal sides).

After you’ve sorted your materials, find the two long, rectangular side pieces and line them up, so the beveled sides are on the bottom facing each other.

Then, locate the two shorter, six-sided boards. Line up the first one in between the two long panels with the beveled side facing inwards.

Step #2: Begin Nailing Your Frame

Once you have the first three boards lined up, very carefully tap two nails into each side of the long side boards, securing them to the shorter, six-sided board. Please make sure the grooves on all three boards line up before nailing them together, or the base of your tray will not be secure and may not fit properly.

Step #3: Slide Your Base Plate In

With the first three sides of the frame complete, you can now get ready to insert the base plate. The base plate is a large, flat rectangular board.

First, line this piece up at the open end of the tray, so it slides into the indentations.

Next, slide the base plate to the other side, where it will be held in place by the adjoining grooves on all sides.

After inserting the base plate, line up the other six-sided board, so the base fits into the carved-out channel. Then, carefully tap two nails into each side board to affix them to the six-sided board, just as you did in the step above.

Step #4: Attach Your Handles

Now your tray is almost done. The only thing left is attaching the handles.

To attach the first handle:

• Position a small rectangular piece near the top of a six-sided end piece.
• Carefully hammer in two nails to hold it in place.
• Repeat this step for the second handle.

After constructing your tray, you can leave the wood unfinished or use fine-grit sandpaper to get it ready for staining or painting.

START BUILDING YOUR OWN WOODEN TRAY!

The Wooden Tray Young Builders Project gives budding young builders and other curious kids a fun and enriching opportunity to practice their skills and have fun along the way. When a child takes on a project and completes it from start to finish, it helps them build confidence and positive self-esteem. And, when kids partner with a parent or friend on a project or work together in a group, it nurtures their social and emotional growth.