It's hard to watch a train go by without wondering where it is going or what it is carrying. The text in this book is limited to a color and the name of the train car, but when put together, it’s like a moving rainbow. You can almost hear the “click-clack” on the track, especially in the pictures of the train moving.
Before, During and After Reading
Explore the pictures on the front and back cover together.
You might say: Let's look at this book. What do you see on the front of this book? Turn it over. What do you see on the back?
Talk about the pictures and the colors on each page. Ask your child to touch the picture of a certain color. You might say:
Can you touch the red train car? What sound does a train make?
Provide “scribble time” when your toddler can practice her fine motor skills through drawing or painting. Cut a paper into the shapes of different train cars and tape them to a piece of newspaper. Gather crayons, markers or fingerpaint in the same colors as the freight train. Let your child have fun drawing or painting her own freight train.
Connect the book to your child’s real life. Take your child to ride the train at a mall, or take her to see a real train. Each time you drive over a set of railroad tracks say a silly rhyme, like “Clickety Clack! Clickety Clack! We just drove over the railroad track!”
As your child grows, try reading more books about trains, like Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo. Browse fun, easy at-home activities for young toddlers.
