Train track challenge activity for kids
Can you build a train track to get your passenger to their destination?
Our train track has always been a big hit in our house, and I love to find ways to keep it interesting and engaging. Over Christmas we were sent a Nintendo Switch game called Tracks, which is all about building a train track in video game form, and it gave me some inspiration for how I can spice up our everyday train track fun.
For this activity, I created a train track challenge, where I laid out a train station (you can use any train props you have) with a train with carriages and some pretend passengers. I then used some other toys as destinations and challenged my children to build a track to take the passengers from their starting point to one of the destinations.
This is an activity that has endless play opportunities and you can make it different every time you do it as you can use different toys and props.
This is a really fun activity that also helps develop a lot of skills and creativity. Your child will use logic and problem-solving strategies to get the passengers from one place to the next, and they can also use their imaginations to create how they will get there.
How you can adapt this activity for older and younger children
Train track challenge for toddlers
For younger children, you could line some small characters (that are small enough to tug in a train carriage) on the train's platform, then create a few destinations close by that your child can easily build a track to.
As they get older and more confident, you can create a few destinations for them to choose from and make them a bit further away.
Train track challenge for older children
You can make this more of a challenge by getting your children to choose from a variety of of passengers and destinations, then add some other variations like a point they need to go via or certain bits of track they need to use.
You can also make this more fun by incorporating your children's favourite characters as the passengers and their toys for the destinations. Using different toy groups really elevates the activity and it a great way to make it different each time you do it as you can use different toys.
Here are some examples of the cards I created for our activity
Select your passenger card
I used any small figurines I could find, which included playmobile people, animals, Mario and Sonic. Other toys that would work well are lego characters, duplo, animals, polly pocket and anything else small enough to fit in a train carriage.
Destination card:
- To the construction yard
- To the village
- To the next station
- The farm
- Barbie land
- Supermarket
Via Card
- The village
- The construction yard
- The supermarket
- Barbie land
- The farm
Pieces of track you need to use card
- A bridge
- 5 corners
- At least 10 pieces of track
- The tunnel
Don't forget to laminate your cards so they are easy to reuse and won't risk getting damaged.
I really hope that your children enjoy this activity as much as mine did. If you have any other ways to make train tracks more fun and engaging please do share them with us.
