Despite significant progress in the area of nanocomposites, clay/graphene reinforced polymer based composite materials have yet to be investigated. Environmentally-benign combinations of laponite RD (L-RD) and multigraphene platelets (mGh) with poly(vinyl alcohol) in the form of aerogels have been demonstrated in the present work, making use of a freeze-drying process. The structural characteristics of the aerogels were studied using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy and correlated to their compressive mechanical properties. The effects of the L-RD:mGh ratio on the glass transition temperature and crystallinity of PVA have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal properties of the aerogels have also been evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis. A remarkable synergistic effect between the L-RD and mGh platelets in improving the mechanical properties and thermal properties of polyvinyl alcohol aerogel was observed; compared to pure PVA aerogels, 130% increase in tensile strength and a ~40% improvement of compressive strength were achieved with the addition of 97/03 of L-RD /m-Gh, which suggests an excellent load transfer between the mGh and the L-Rd hybrid nanofillers. The glass transition of PVA increased from 85 to 126oC with the addition of the L-RD/mGh as well. The char yield of PVA aerogels increased monotonically with increasing levels of mGh in the composites. Keywords: Laponite; graphene; poly (vinyl alcohol); aerogel; mechanical integrity; and thermal properties.