Mystery Train

What to do:

This is a good activity to follow up the reading of a tra in book, such as The Little
Engine That Could, Freight Train, or The Train.

  1. Tell children that they are going to pretend to go on a train ride.
  2. Have children sit or stand in a line and pretend they are going on a train ride. They are the passengers.
  3. Ask children how trains sound. Have them practice saying “chug chug chug.” Whenever you turn your arm in the air, the children should say “chug chug”. For older children, have half the children make “chug chug” sounds, the other half say “clickety clack.” When you turn your arm faster, they should make the sound effects faster. When you slow down, the children should slow down as well. When you hold your hands in the air, they should stop.
  4. Practice making sound effects.

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  5. Start off train sounds slowly. Ask children to pretend they are looking out the window of the train. Ask each child in turn what he/she sees as the train moves down the track. For older children, have the train speed up, slow down, and stop from time to time. Encourage older “passengers” to listen to the sounds the train is making and describe what they are seeing out the window.
  6. A variation of this activity is to use tape recorded sounds of a train or other sounds. Have children guess where they are going by listening to the sounds and talk about what they are seeing as they listen.
  7. Try to use clear, distinct sounds with which children are familiar and increase the level of difficulty as children are more comfortable with the activity (or for older kids).