Train Pretend Play for Kids

When my husband saw our dining room chairs in the entryway he probably thought we were crazy but I prefer the term creative! I always feel like I don't set up pretend play scenarios often enough for our kids and rarely do I play with them as well. This pretend play train station was a full afternoon of engaging dramatic play for all three of us (so it was worth the cluttered entryway)!

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Our kids didn't know I had joined up with Happy Brown Houses' Dramatic Play from A to Z Series. They were just told that I had a surprise for them as I led them down to our hallway where I had set up the chairs, conductor hats from Day Out with Thomas, a roll of tickets, a hole punch, post it notes, and a pen.

They knew right away that we were playing train station! Our daughter wanted to sell the tickets first. I explained that tickets coordinated with seat numbers so first she wrote a letter and a number on a post it to label each seat. This was bonus writing practice as well as letter and number identification built into our play!

"Excuse me, sir! May I have your ticket please?" "Oh, here you go!"

Ripping and punching the tickets was excellent fine motor practice. She even decided that we needed to fill out our name, address, and phone number on the tickets so we reviewed this important information as we wrote.

Once our tickets were purchased, filled out, and punched we found our corresponding seats before the train left the station!

"All aboard!" I had so much fun asking our son where he was going. He changed his destinations through the whole afternoon of our play. He went to town and his grandmother's house!

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We took turns being the train engineer who shouted out stops. Passengers would disembark at their destination.

What a welcome reminder this afternoon of play was about just how much we all enjoy when we drop everything else to play together. I mean, seriously, how heartwarming is this view?