Do you have one of these train tables hanging around your house? Have you had one donated to your classroom? They are so fun to use with the train sets and your kiddos may use it every day. But sometimes, we have them in our playrooms and classrooms and they are gathering dust. If trains aren’t all the rage for your preschoolers, let us share some ideas for how to repurpose a train table.
These tables are wide and sturdy, and they sit at just the right height for a preschooler to move around. It’s the perfect workspace for a classroom center. But, what makes these tables better than a regular classroom table? It’s all about your imagination. You can make this space into anything you want, with some craft supplies and a little creativity. You can transform this space into a center for literacy skills, math skills, and scientific exploration.
Our teacher, Mrs. Hays, has designed a caterpillar-themed table for back to school week. Her students can use the bubble tongs or regular tongs to pick up the pompoms and place them on the caterpillars. They will practice a variety of skills, including matching, color recognition, counting, 1:1 correspondence, fine motor skills, and patterns.
By laminating the activities and taping them to the tabletop, Mrs. Hays is able to use them again and again, while changing out the theme each week.
What will the first project be for your train table?