— December 23, 2024

Do you have a child who is obsessed with trains? Every time you see a railroad crossing sign they have to notify everyone in the vehicle. If they hear a train in the distance, they stop and again let everyone know that they hear a train. Or maybe you have read, and re-read the same train book countless times. To the point that you bought a couple more train themed books because you needed a break from the other one. If you can relate to these scenarios then you’re in good company because I have had two boys just like this. Absolutely in awe of those locomotives and railroad cars.

As a result I knew I wanted my sons to have their own special toy trains. I found a couple train crafts that each of my boys absolutely fell in love with. But what really brings it all together is the extra enrichment though books and poetry. Find suggestions at the bottom of the post.

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Two options to make this train craft a hit.

I have used two separate train crafts for my preschoolers. My eldest, Marty, colored the Melissa and Doug train set kit that runs on their train tracks – pictured above. This was perfect for him because building and playing with his train tracks was where a huge chunk of time went being an only child for the first two years of his life. 

After he painted it, that was the only locomotive and set of train cars he desired to play with and the little people included were a huge hit. Unfortunately, I searched everywhere for this kit. And could not find it when it came time for my second born to complete his week of Tt is for Train. As a result I found another option. Marty was a little jealous because Mick’s was bigger. This one did not fit on any train track but that means he can crawl along on hands and knees “chugga, chugga, chooing,” anywhere.

Where to find the train craft that suits your family best.

There are now options for purchasing party sized wooden train sets to color. These are a surprisingly reasonable price for a party pack. The extra sets can be used for multiple children in the house, future party favors, or presents. They are very similar to what I used for Marty’s train craft. Find those here. These would work well with most typical wooden toy train tracks. A cheaper option is to have your child paint a Christmas tree ornament as a personal keepsake instead of as a toy to be played with.

There is an alternative that we love! The Paint Your Own Wooden Train from Made By Me! We still have every piece to this one and all my boys play with it. The size is perfect for a young child. It is very durable other than I occasionally have to reglue one of the pegs that links all the pieces together. This is a minor issue and takes a few minutes to fix with a hot glue gun or wood glue. 

Why this train craft for homeschool for preschool?

Encourage creativity.

What would your child’s dream train look like? This train craft takes a favorite art medium, paint, and a favorite object and lets a child imagine.

Encourage independence.

Because your child can’t really go wrong with this train craft, the most difficult part is waiting for it to all dry! I simply monitored from a distance. Acrylic paint is necessary for durability but it is also much more permanent than tempura. I made sure it remained at the table. Also, his big brother should have been painting his own coloring page but he was more interested in Mick’s artwork.

Encourage ownership.

Why was big brother not participating in the fun activity? Because this was not his homeschool lesson. Normally, Marty is included in the fun science experiments, games, and more. However, Letter of the Week activities are specifically for his little brother and he understands this.

Marty already completed his own train when he was a preschooler. A different train craft but still a train craft. This was Mick’s turn to shine. Although the train still looks like a preschooler painted it, the concentration on his face and attention to detail was impressive. Mick painted every surface and took pride in his work.

Enrich the train craft with train books and activities.

Our favorite train books for kids to read in our homeschool.

Books about trains.

Enrich this train craft by reading train themed books to your child. You probably already have one in your home but here are a few more suggestions. We love whimsical train books such as Chugga, Chugga, Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis, Freight Train by Donald Crews, and the classical The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. We also love pouring over the real life pictures together in The Big Book of Trains by DK. 

Poems about trains.

There are also many poems about trains from classical poets. We love reading poetry in our homeschool as much as possible. If you aren’t sure why it’s so important in a child’s life then this post is for you, Why is Poetry Important in Your Child’s Life? 

Here are the poems we enjoy reading aloud during the week of Tt is for Train. In the book Doubleday’s Favorite Poems: Old and New there are a few poems. These include: Trains poem by James S. Tippett, Song of the Train poem by David McCord, and From a Railway Carriage poem by R. L. Stevenson. Additionally, The Railway Train poem by Emily Dickinson and This Train song by Sister Rosetta Tharpe are beautiful poems to consider reading to your child as well. 

The perfect screen time for the train enthusiast.

Mick has also loved watching the YouTube channel, CoasterFan2105. The clips of the locomotives are beautiful and the videos are well edited to keep them interesting and engaging for little ones. 

Additional train inspired activities for your homeschool.

There are many train crafts out there. This train craft encourages creativity, independence, and ownership in your child. They will have this train to play with for years to come. Be sure to enrich the craft and overall learning experience with literature. 

If you are seeking more train activities then check out Tt is for Train. Free printables and coloring pages are included for learning math concepts and recognition of the letter, T. To explore this and more follow the link.

Letter of the Week.

Tt is for Train is one week in a 26 week curriculum that is all free. Coloring pages, activity ideas, free printables, book suggestions, and more await. Click the button below.

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