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The adventures are never ending with this deluxe set that includes a truck, train and crane. The crane spins 360° and can pick up the six included boulders. Transport the boulders via chute to the cargo trains and dump truck.
Approx. Price: $49.99 Box Age Range: 2+ yrs # of Pieces: 11-50 Washability: Surface Wipe Storability: Bulky Directions: Simple Play Locations: Indoor Adjustability: Position Levels of Play: Five or More Levels Batteries: None needed
Durable
High Contrasting Colors
Visually Stimulating
Open-ended
Can Be Used Independently or w/Others
Connects/Assembles Securely
Hands-on Approach to Learning
Provides Pretend Play Opportunities
Easy to Grasp/Hold
Familiar Objects/Pictures
Different Shapes and/or Colors
Simple
Fosters Imagination/Promotes Creativity
Developmental processes promoted
Visual Attention
Visual Tracking
Visual Processing
Memory and Recall
Language Development
Cause and Effect
Action Concepts e.g. In/Out, Push/Pull, On/Off, Go/Stop
This set is large enough for several children to play together to encourage parallel, cooperative and interactive play.
Moving a train back and forth on the track may be a soothing activity because of its organized, predictable, repetitive nature. This can be used by some children, who are anxious or over-stimulated, to calm nad regulate themselves independently.
Trains and trucks are familiar to children.
The assembled track provides a defined play space to focus attention.
Skills
Eye tracking, a pre-literacy skill, is enhanced through train play.
Manipulating the train, truck and crane builds eye-hand coordination.
This set can be used with a child and caregiver together, which invites opportunities for verbal discussion and direction.
There is plenty of opportunity to develop pretend play skills and to use imagination.
Take turns with two children on either side rolling the train around and passing it to the child on the other side to continue its loop.
Children can learn to understand spatial relationships through play and talking about where trains and boulders are located in relation to other play set features and themselves.
This toy is wonderful for a small group of children due to the number of pieces. This can encourage cooperative learning, turn-taking, and communication.
Action concepts such as in/ out, push/ pull, stop/ go and up/down can be practiced on a concrete level. For example: child can physically put a boulder into and dump it out of the chute, therefore reinforcing the meanings of these otherwise abstract words.
Positional concepts can be practiced physically; such as on, off, through, under and over. A child can put the train on the track, and put the train through the tunnel which reinforces the meanings of these words during play.
Cooperative play opportunities are abundant. Children can each use a train or truck with which they can interact.
Parallel play opportunities can be set up easily with children playing with train cars next to each other.
Language development opportunities arise on multiple levels, from labeling individual objects (“train”), putting two words together (“train go”), labeling actions (“I’m making the train go”), verbalizing needs or wants (“I need help”, “Put the train on, please”), to pretend play scripts (“The train went to the coal chute and said ‘hi coal car, lets get some coal.’”).
Play Ideas
Create road blocks for the child to problem solve. For example, a roadblock on the track; part of the track is apart; a train car is derailed.
There are ample opportunities to act out elaborate, creative storylines.
Work together to build the track.
There are no intrinsic sound effects to this toy. Have the child make the sounds to practice sound formation, volume control and articulation.
Talk about everything you or your child is doing to reinforce communication and help make connections between actions and words.
Sing, “She’ll be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain.” Singing may encourage auditory processing and language.
Give the child directions for what to do next. This encourages listening skills, language processing, attention, focus, and can work on receptive language.
Adaptation Ideas
If the child is impulsive, has attention issues or difficulty with motor planning, hand the train cards one at a time to cut down on over-stimulation, throwing. This idea can also encourage attention.
Play is open-ended in nature. There is no right or wrong way to play.
Train sets and play are organized and predictable in nature.
The set is made of all molded hard plastic pieces.
The set and all the accessories have rounded corners.
The clear physical outline may help encourage a child who is blind or has very low vision to use the set to the best of his ability.
The set has large accessories which lead to increased success to pick up and play.
This is a good set for children to explore with their hands.
The set up track provides a defined play space to focus attention.
Skills
Eye tracking, a pre-literacy skill, is enhanced through train play.
Children can learn to understand spatial relationships through play and talking about where trains and boulders are located in relation to other play set features and themselves.
Manipulating the train, truck and crane builds eye-hand coordination.
When using this toy, play occurs in three dimensions, adding to children’s understanding of spatial concepts such as in/out, over/under, and up/down.
Play Ideas
Different types of small objects can be placed at the ends of the tracks for the trains to knock over.
Adaptation Ideas
Use train cars or truck independently to lessen stimulation. For some children; five or six cars may be over-stimulating.
Add textured stickers to increase tactile stimulation.
Play is open-ended in nature. There is no right or wrong way to play.
The set has large accessories which lead to increased success to pick up and play.
Children learn and comprehend through repetition and this toy is conducive to repetitive play.
This is a good set for children to explore with their hands.
The set up track provides a defined play space to focus attention.
Skills
Eye tracking, a pre-literacy skill, is enhanced through train play.
Manipulating the train, truck and crane builds eye-hand coordination.
Children develop problem solving skills in a fun, nonjudgemental way when they figure out how to fix a derailment or how to connect the train cars.
There is plenty of opportunity to develop pretend play skills and to use imagination.
Action concepts such as in/ out, push/ pull, stop/ go and up/down can be practiced on a concrete level. For example: child can physically put a boulder into and dump it out of the chute, therefore reinforcing the meanings of these otherwise abstract words.
Positional concepts can be practiced physically; such as on, off, through, under and over. A child can put the train on the track, and put the train through the tunnel which reinforces the meanings of these words during play.
The set has different colors for children to learn to recognize and identify.
Counting can be a part of play when children count the six boulders or the three train cars.
Sequential thought process to dump ball in the train, scoop and place. Steps can be done over and over.
Motor planning is encouraged when a child builds; they must plan and carry out ideas using motor skills. Often they must be able to do things in a certain order for them to work.
Children can improve motor skills needed for daily living as they manipulate and play with this set.
Play Ideas
Create your own road signs to encourage attention and following directions.
Embellish this set with little people and animals.
Play is open-ended in nature. There is no right or wrong way to play.
The set has large accessories which lead to increased success to pick up and play.
This is a good set for children to explore with their hands.
The set up track provides a defined play space to focus attention.
Skills
Children can practice whole hand grasping using the boulders.
Manipulating the train, truck and crane builds eye-hand coordination.
When assembled, the set is large, wide and has a tall mountain. This helps children reach and extend their arms and core muscles.
The different physical levels of play encourage children to squat, stand and sit during play which works large body muscles.
Two-handed play is encouraged when children connect the train cars and manipulate the crane.
Moving trains on a train track encourages a child to cross midline. Crossing midline in play helps children identify a dominant side with directly affects their intrinsic organizational skills.
Counting can be a part of play when children count the six boulders or the three train cars.
Children can improve motor skills needed for daily living as they manipulate and play with this set.
Children can learn to understand spatial relationships through play and talking about where trains and boulders are located in relation to other play set features and themselves.
Manipulating the train, truck and crane builds eye-hand coordination.
Eye tracking, a pre-literacy skill, is enhanced through train play.
Balance and coordination are used when a child is in a sitting or standing position while moving the train along the track.
This toy provides opportunities to develop hand dexterity as children assemble the track, grasp and release the train cars, manipulate the crane and drive the truck.
As the trains move from start to finish, children have to extend their reach and shift their weight in order to place the trains at the top of the mountain.
Play Ideas
Playing with this set on a traditional kitchen table or a train table can encourage children to stand or kneel during play.
Making train noises can help children, who do not have the physical ability to move the trains, become an active participant in play.
Use part of the train track and assemble it on an incline so the child can push the train gravity will help it move.
Adaptation Ideas
Take a few train track pieces and assemble them on a child’s wheelchair tray so he can play with the trains and encourage arm movements and crossing midline.
Assemble the train set on a table so a child who is in a wheelchair can see and access it.
