Because of my daughter’s recent interest in trains, we spent an entire day doing different train-themed activities. We played games, made a train track, ate train-themed food, read books about trains, and even dressed up as a conductor, to just name a few. I think you’ll find that even the grownups will have fun with this train-themed day!
Below are basic and detailed schedules you can print so you can follow along when your family has “Train Day.” Click HERE to access the schedules.
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What did we Do?
Make a train whistle: Use a paper towel or toilet paper roll. Secure wax paper over one end with a rubber band. This is similar to a kazoo. My daughter (3 years old at the time of writing this) used markers to color and decorate the rolls.
Play with a train set: We don’t own a train set so instead of spending money on a new one, I decided to make our own. Helpful tip: buying a train set would have been the easier option! Here is a suggestion if you are interested. This train even comes with a map to place under the railroad tracks.
If you’d rather make your own:
Open up a cardboard box
Draw train tracks with a marker
Have your child color/draw scenery on the box
Add any special features (we added a bridge and tunnel)
To make the scenery more fun, I got out some of my daughter’s toys. This is how it looked with toys:
Make a train out of an egg carton: I planned on my daughter pushing the egg carton train along the drawn train tracks. However, my daughter had a better idea. She flipped the egg carton over and placed the play people inside as if they were riding the train. I was pleased she was able to come up with this idea on her own at three years old. What a great imagination!
Play Red Light/Green Light: I assume most have heard of this game but just in case, here are the rules:
A caller will say either red, yellow, or green light.
The player will perform an action based on which color was called.
Red light=STOP
Green light= GO
Yellow light= MOVE SLOWLY
However, my daughter informed me that this is not the correct way to play. Her version of the game is to say “STOP” and “GO” instead of “RED light” and “GREEN light”. Depending on your child’s age, you can determine which will be easier.
Play Ticket to Ride board game. *Warning, this game is a lot of fun! It can become addicting and a regular rotation on game night. The recommended age to play is 8+, excluding First Journey which is age 6, but kids younger can be on a team with someone older.
There are also MANY expansion packs, which increase the number of people that can play. *Make sure you read which starter game you need before buying the expansion. Here are a few:
Paint a train and match colors: Download the train template HERE which contains detailed instructions on how to make this. Cut out, color, and decorate the train with colorful stickers. Our inspiration for how we decorated the train was from the book “Freight Train” by Donald Crews.
There are a few options for this activity:
The “easy” way: Print this train template on cardstock and have your child paint or color directly on the train.
The “more work” and “more mess” but may be the “more fun” and certainly the “more sturdy” way: Cut out the train template and then trace onto cardboard.
As you can see in the picture below, I traced the template on cardboard and cut it out. This was a lot of work! If I had to do it over again, I would just print the train template (pages 4 and 5 on the PDF) on cardstock and have my daughter paint directly on the printed pages. However, I’m certain cardboard held up much better than cardstock would have, so it lasted a few months instead of likely weeks or days.
This activity does require some prep work for the grown-up, especially if you trace and cut the train on cardboard. My daughter helped as much as she was able to safely. She felt important “helping” me. She stabilized the pattern of the train while I traced on cardboard and then I cut it out with scissors. Once the prep work is done by an adult, your child will benefit from this activity because it is great for:
Visual motor and scanning
Weight bearing and proprioceptive input through his/her arms
Matching colors
Improving fine motor skills with stickers
Imaginative play once the train is finished
Sing about Trains
Instead of singing “The Wheels on the Bus,” insert train instead of bus to sound like “The Wheels on the Train”
Ride a Train
Tie a rope to a laundry basket and go on a train ride around the house!
Make things more fun by having your child get his/her ticket stamped each time he/she passes.
Play “Follow the Conductor” (Similar to “Follow the Leader”)
Make Train Tracks and practice gross motor skills (see ideas below)
If playing indoors use: use pool noodles or place masking tape on floor in the shape of a track
If playing outdoors use: use pool noodles or sidewalk chalk to make the track
Get creative with play here! Make it a game and time everyone that participates.
Jump from one track to the next (both feet)
Jump from one track to the next (one foot at a time)
Side step or hop
Crab walk
Bear crawl
Older kids: Grapevine (Cross one leg in front of the other as you quickly walk sideways. With each step repeat with the opposite leg in the front each time.)
Go visit a local train station, tour a train at a park, or ride a train (The following links are all websites that will navigate you away from daisiesanddoodles.com and is not affiliated with Daisies and Doodles. At the time of researching these websites, they were up to date. These links are checked regularly to ensure they are reliable and functioning.
Speech and Language Development: expressive and receptive language, following directions
Fine motor skills: academic skills- pencil skills (scribbling, coloring, drawing, writing), scissor skills, play skills (construction), bilateral hand integration
Gross motor skills: locomotor skills (running, jumping, crawling, etc.)
Print this train conductor’s hat HERE with both adult and kid sizes
I hope what I said in my opening paragraph proved to be true: everyone participating had a great time doing these various train activities! Let me know in the comments how your train day went. I’d also love to see your train-themed days on social media.
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Great ideas for young children!
Thank you Alice!
This is super creative and useful for my next teaching day in my class! Thank you so much.
Thank you Kayla!! I’d love if you’d post some pictures on either Instagram or Facebook!