Play Library

Wooden Train Sets

by Stephanie Patag on May 30th, 2005

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Took this picture a few days ago when my littles took out the old Thomas set and started playing with them again. We’ve had the set for years, so the novelty has worn thin, but every now and then they’ll remember it and take it out of storage for a day of trains.

Reasons I love this toy:

• kids from 2 up can enjoy them, it has classical appeal that doesn’t just go away
• it’s durable and can stand up to years of abuse
• the initial investment may be substantial, but if several kids use it over a period of years the cost ends up being very low

Wooden train sets are also wonderful for teaching some very important skills/concepts:
What it teaches:

• science/geometry and physics: putting the tracks together teaches your kids about patterns, spatial relations, physics (what goes up must come down), etc.
• math: How many trains do you have? How many kids will be playing? How many trains does each child get?
• language/speech/writing skills: Most kids while they play with trains will invent endless stories about the toys they’re playing with, thus developing their language, vocabulary, speaking skills, and imagination — great practice leading to good writing skills later on.
• social skills: friendship, cooperation (I go under the bridge and you can go over it, You play with the red train now, I’ll play with the blue and we can switch later).
• creativity/art: you can configure the tracks any way you want; it inspires creativity and encourages flexibility (”I can’t use a curved piece here, maybe I’ll just try the straight piece”).

You can start out with a basic set, and add a few pieces every now and then to expand your collection.

There are Thomas the Tank Engine sets (shown in pic), but other companies have manufactured pieces that are compatible, e.g., Brio.

Kids can play with these pieces in combination with wooden blocks, Lego or Playmobil people, etc. We started our set in 1999 and have been adding a couple of pieces every year. We also got a train table and a Thomas rug to go with it.

Playing with trains can also be used as a jumping off board to explore other subjects:

• trains in general (check out your local library for titles), e.g., types of trains, different countries’ trains, history of trains, etc.
• Go on a fieldtrip, ride a train, or visit a historical train station.
• Read about movie-making and how the Thomas videos were made.
• While I do not particularly enjoy all the modern Thomas books coming out, there are some that merit more than a passing glance, particularly those that teach basic skills like counting and colors, or those that offer moral lessons like being a good friend, etc.

Some people recommend the plastic Thomas toys; we started out with those when my hubby took a trip to Japan and got a set; they lasted a while, and it was fun to watch battery-operated Thomas go around the track, but I really do prefer the wooden ones more — they last longer, there are no switches to worry about (one of the trains lost the end of its switch the first day we played with it), and if you step on one, you may hurt yourself, but not the toy:). Step on a plastic Thomas and it’s “bye-bye, train”.

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