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Laundry Basket Train

Here's one to try together!

All aboard! Your stuffed animals are ready for a choo-choo trip around the room.

15 min5 min prepAges 2 and uplow mess

Reviewed by our team.

Safety first
  • Basket rides near stairs could cause falls, so keep the activity away from stairs
  • Riding in the basket should only be done slowly on a smooth floor with an adult pushing
  • Tape track and basket could be a trip or collision hazard in the room

What you need

  • Laundry basket, 1
  • Painter's tape, 1 roll
  • Stuffed animals, 4 to 6

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Clear a loop of floor away from stairs and tape a simple track. Gather a laundry basket and a handful of stuffed animals.

  1. Lay a tape track around the room.
  2. Mark the stations along the track.
  3. Load the stuffed animals into the basket.
    Ask: Who wants to ride first? How many passengers do we have?
  4. Push the train along the track.
  5. Stop at the first station.
    Ask: Whose stop is this? Who wants to get off here?
  6. Drop off and pick up passengers.
  7. Keep riding to the other stations.
  8. Give the driver a slow ride. A grown-up does this
  9. Now invite a friend to ride, or build a new track! Where will your train go next?
    Ask: Which stuffed animal should be the next train driver?

Play it again

  • Delivery day: pick one animal and drive it to its own special station.
  • Color train: sort the animals by color and drop each color at a different stop.
  • Count the stops: count the passengers aloud each time the train stops.
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