In a week when we have once again been celebrating the simple things in life like Sunday lunches with the family, bedtime storytelling and switching off the TV to play board games, it was perhaps inevitable that our thoughts would turn to wooden train sets.
I don’t really recall playing with a wooden train set as a nipper. I can remember the smells of our Hornby set, the disappointment when the transformer burned out and the frustration when trains were then stalled in between stations for hours, days even. Only in recent years as friends and family have had children have I become more and more fascinated with wooden trains as opposed to their metal or plastic equivalents. Admittedly, the digitally controlled Hornby sets are something to behold, but for younger children, the wooden railway system just can’t be beaten. For starters, you don’t need to worry about electrics or about damaging plastic trains and track. A wooden railway is altogether more robust and can easily withstand the most heavy handed of toddlers. Plus, it’s the perfect toy to indulge your little angel’s obsession with trains without having to break the bank!
Children can learn so much from playing with a wooden train set. Simply opening the box and learning how to put together the wooden train track will help with fine motor skills, problem solving and also the development of concentration and patience. Once the track is assembled it’s time to move on to scenery and buildings. Where should we put the station? Next to the supermarket or post office maybe, but definitely not in the middle of the woods! These activities can help children begin to understand how towns and cities work and when they do venture out with Mummy and Daddy maybe the big wide world won’t seem quite as daunting as before.
Young minds can also benefit from the imaginative play potential that comes with toy train sets. I have watched children deep in thought as they embark upon pretend journeys along with the passengers in their wooden trains. It’s wonderful to witness little ones dreaming up adventures and stories and as they get older and more confident, they begin to articulate these stories as they tell you where the train is going, who is driving it, which stations it will be stopping at, how many passengers it is carrying and what freight is being transported along the wooden track.
I have two favourite train sets, both of which will keep your apprentice train driver happy for hours. First of all, the John Crane City of London Train Set makes me smile every time I look at the wooden models of some very familiar landmarks that are supplied with the wooden train and track. If you are planning a trip to the capital, what better way to prepare the children than laying out this set and ‘visiting’ Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London, Canary Wharf, St. Paul’s cathedral and the London Eye? The kids will love this virtual journey around town, I guarantee it!
Let's
My absolute favourite has to be the BigJigs Mountain Railway Set. Alongside the wooden train and cargo wagons, this 112 piece set is filled to the brim with exciting features, including bridges, cranes, a mountain range and a station. There is also plenty of scenery, people and vehicles as well as lots of track and accessories for building an imaginative layout. In fact, if the children will step aside for a minute, this WoodenToyShopper wants to put his Casey Jones hat on, blow his whistle and get the trains moving himself!
Rob's
