These are some of my train ideas for the first week of January.
Shape Train
Cut two circles, one triangle, one large square, and one rectangle from the paper. They can then add the circles to the bottom of the square and the rectangle standing up on top of the square and the triangle pointy end to the square. Then let the kids paint their train. This lets the kids see how different shapes can go together to form a unique shape.
Train color sorting
Get different colored containers or train car shapes (train cars). Let your little one sort buttons, beads, toys, paper shapes, or pictures cut our from magazines of different colors into the matching train car. You could also number the cars and have the kids put the matching number of items in the car (or on the paper). Five buttons for train #5, for example.
Train matching or counting
Cut our train car shapes from different color paper (two of each color). Stick one set to a big paper or poster board (bulletin board). Let the little ones match the color
Laundry basket trains
Matthew loves getting a train ride around in a laundry basket.
Milk Carton Trains
Use paper milk cartons or shoe boxes, or other small carboard boxes. Paint and decorate them if desired then use string or twine to attach the boxes. Fill the boxes with cargo (play food, stuffed animal passengers) and let the little ones pull the "train" around with another string attached to the front.
Draw train cars outside with sidewalk chalk
Draw train cars outside with sidewalk chalk
Custom Railway
She makes a roadway for hotwheels cars here, but you could do a railway too or a combination of roadways and train tracks.
Train tracks art
Use a toy train to paint tracks
Egg Carton Train
Cut egg carton in half the long way (or not, whatever) and let the little ones fill each compartment of the egg carton with small items (buttons, beads, cheerios, raisins)
Train car "puppets" for the little red caboose game
Cut out different train cars from construction paper and attach them to popsicle sticks. Use them to tell the story of the Little Red Caboose.
Engine
Coal Cars
Flat Cars
Box Cars
Caboose
Train concepts to talk about:
What a train looks like
A train can have many cars hooked together
Trains move on tracks
Trains carry things from one place to another
Sometimes people ride on trains
There are different kinds of train cars
A field trip train ride would be fun too.
Songs:
Down by the station
Little Red Cabose
Morningtown Ride
Wabash Cannonball
Books:
Polar Express
Freight Train
The Little Engine that Could
The Little Red Caboose (Little Golden Book)
Thomas the Train books
Snacks:
Cracker Train
Use club crackers for the cars, cheerios for wheels, and any other food you want for cargo. Your children will love their edible train. You could do a similar thing with graham crackers.
Candy Train
Make a candy train out of candy bars cut in 1/2 with peppermint wheels. The engine is made with 1/2 a candy bar placed horizontally, then a 1/2 roll of lifesavers is glued on top horizontally with frosting. The other half of the candy bar is glued next to the open end of the lifesavers standing up vertically to make the engineers part. A hershey kiss is glued to the front end of the lifesaver roll and a candy orange slice is glued to the front of the candy bar for the grill. The cars to the train are made out of candy bars cut in half, and then a variety of candy is glued on top for cargo. This is all glued (again, with frosting) to a piece of cardboard covered with foil with licorice train tracks.
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