Activity Suggestions for Wooden Train Sets

Wooden trains are fantastic for allowing young children to build, explore, and play imaginary games as their train is pushed along the tracks. Plus, the small size of the trains and track pieces, and the fact that each piece is relatively light and can be carried and maneuvered easily by small hands, makes them the perfect toy for little ones.

After constructing a basic track with your child, use the train set up as the background for some imaginary play. Perhaps the train is carrying a family across the mountains to visit their friends. Maybe the train is a circus train carrying the animals to its new location. What people or animals would be riding on a circus train? Perhaps your child will become the train conductor and collect tickets from the other passengers. When you take the time to nurture your child's imagination, you will find that the possibilities for play are endless!

This wonderful toy can be educational as well as fun!

Patterning - Use the different train track pieces to create patterns. For example, a straight piece connected to a curved piece connected to a straight piece connected to a curved piece is an ABAB pattern. Repeating a curve with two straight pieces produces an ABB pattern. A short straight piece with a long straight piece and a curve could be the start of an ABC pattern. Create a pattern for your child and ask him to add more pieces to continue the pattern. The let him use his imagination to create patterns of his own. (Remember, a pattern is a sequence that repeats.)

Sorting - Ask your child to sort the track pieces according to their shape and size. Some careful observation (visual discrimination) may be needed to differentiate between the sizes of some of the pieces.

Counting - It's always fun to see just how many track pieces there are in these wooden train sets! And of course, once the track pieces are sorted, count the different groups to find out which track shape has the most pieces. Which shape has the fewest pieces?

Comparing - Give your child some additional visual discrimination practice by asking him to compare different train cars or different pieces of track. Ask him to describe the differences to you. Are the differences obvious or subtle? Children amaze me when they notice things that I didn't see! They have wonderful observation skills when they take the time to examine things.

Adding - As you and your child begin to build a track, separate the pieces into two groups. Count each group separately, asking your child to touch each track piece as he counts to reinforce one-to-one correspondence. Then begin counting again, but this time continue counting when you reach the second set of track pieces. Then say aloud the number sentence that describes your counting: "We took five track pieces and added four track pieces and now we have nine pieces." You could also do this with the wooden figures or the train cars.

Subtracting - Taking apart the train track is a wonderful opportunity to practice subtraction. Ask your child to count the number of track pieces to start. Count as he takes some pieces away. Then ask him to count the remaining pieces. Review the subtraction aloud: "You started with twelve pieces of track and you took four away. Now you have eight pieces." Your child can create a subtraction equation several times as he cleans up! (Eight pieces, with two taken away leaves six pieces. Six pieces, with three taken away leaves three pieces.)

Measuring - Your child may be old enough to use a ruler to measure the sizes of the straight track pieces and the train cars, as well as some of the accessories, such as a bridge or railroad gate. As an added activity, ask your child to place the piece he is measuring on a piece of paper and trace around it with a pencil. Then he can measure his outline and write the measurement inside. Or ask your child to guess which is longer, the shortest straight track piece or the engine car of the train. He might enjoy guessing which is longer, three train cars connected or the longest straight piece of track. The comparisons are endless, providing lots of opportunities for measuring!

Auditory processing (or listening) skills are important for all young children. Fortunately, these skills are honed through practice and repeated exposure to verbal directions and instructions.

Wooden train sets are wonderful interactive toys. Instead of sitting in front of the television, children are moving and creating play situations. You can increase your child's auditory processing skills by using language to direct the track construction as well as the play scenario. Suggestions about which track pieces will fit best or what to do with the train as it approaches the hill, for example, require that your child pay attention and interpret your words correctly. Keeping an active dialog as you play with your child is a natural way to help him practice his listening skills.

For example, give him directions such as "Put the green train in front of the blue train" or "Try making the red train carry the coal up the hill." By listening to your directions, your child will gain important practice developing auditory processing skills. To keep your child engaged, be sure to switch turns from time to time so he can be the instruction giver also.

Since train sets are interactive toys, they are perfect for encouraging your young child to practice his social skills.

First, because a train track can be spread over a relatively large area, and because most train sets have more than one train, several children have room to play. And when more than one child is involved with a toy or game the opportunities for honing social skills abound!

As the children play, it will be important for them to cooperate. Perhaps they are building the track together and need to make decisions about the configuration and size. They might need to take turns as they put pieces of the track together or share the only train available. They may need to wait patiently as another child takes his turn moving the train around the track. They will need to share ideas, offering suggestions and also listening to the thoughts of friends. And if their ideas are not the ones chosen, children will have to accept the fact that they are not getting what they want and deal appropriately with their disappointment.

Considering throwing a train-themed playdate! Invite a few of your child's friends over to play, encouraging each one to bring a favorite train or track piece from their personal set. (Just be sure each piece is labeled with the rightful owners name, so at the end of the playdate there are no squabbles over whose piece is whose.) Once the children are together, help in building a large wooden track and then let the kids loose to play on it with their trains. Encourage the children to share their trains and to play both together and independently.

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