Books

“Freight Train” by Donald Crews
“Chugga Chugga Choo Choo” by Emma Garcia
“I Love Trains” by Philemon Sturges

Choo Choo Train

Here’s a little choo choo train
Chugging down the track (chug arms)
Now it’s going forward (lean forward)
Now it’s going back (lean backwards)
Hear the bell ringing (ring a bell)
Now the whistle blows (blow train whistle)
What a lot of noise is makes
Everywhere it goes

Clickety-Clack

(this flannel board was used for the book “Freight Train” as well)

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack
Here comes the train on the railroad track

Clickety-clunn, clickety-clunn
Here comes engine number 1

Clickety-clew, clickety-clew
Here comes coal car number 2

Clickety-clee, clickety-clee
Here comes box car number 3

Clickety-clore, clickety-clore
Here comes tank car number 4

Clickety-clive, clickety-clive
Here comes coach car number 5

Clickety-clicks, clickety-clicks
Here’s the caboose, that’s number 6

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack
There goes the rain on the railroad track
Chooo-choooo

Chug, Chug, Chug (tune: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom)

Chug, chug, chug (chug arms)
We’re riding on the train
Chug, chug, chug
In sunshine (circle arms above head)
Or in rain (wiggle fingers down)

If you want to get somewhere
Climb aboard and pay the fare (climbing motion)

Chug, chug, chug
We’re riding on the train
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Choo, choo!!

Chug, chug, chug
The train goes up and down (raise and lower arms)
Chug, chug, chug
We’re almost at the town

If you want to get somewhere
Climb aboard and pay the fare

Chug, chug, chug
The train goes up and down
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Choo, choo

The Wheels on the Train

The wheels on the train go clickety-clack
Clickety-clack, clickety-clack
The wheels on the train go clickety-clack
All around the town

(repeat with)

The whistle on the train goes toot, toot, toot

The conductor on the train says “Ticket, please”

The people on the train go up and down

The engine on the train goes chug, chug, chug

How it Went: The train theme was a big hit! Children really enjoyed the books and especially the songs. The theme was so exciting that the kids were a little too rambunctious. The flannel board my co-worker made was just too adorable for little fingers to leave alone. Also, I had a bell and train whistle. I tried to hide them but the second the kids saw them they ran up to me and tried grabbing them. Every time I used the whistle I had a little girl yell “can I try?” I tried to explain that only I could use the whistle but it didn’t matter. I currently put all of my story time things in a crate under the flannel board or on a shelf on the flannel board. Even though I ask adults to discourage the children from taking the stuff it still happens every story time. I think it’s time for a new method!