Front and Back Train

Trains of four kids travel around the gym holding shoulders. The engineer is in front, the caboose is at the back, and when the train goes in reverse everyone turns around and swaps places. Kids practice front, back and in the middle.

How to play

1. Build a sample train with four kids: “You're in front, you're the engineer. You're at the very back, you're the caboose. You two are in the middle.”
2. Make trains of four. While the tambourine plays, trains walk slowly around the gym with hands on the shoulders of the child in front (2 min).
3. Stop the tambourine and ask: “Who's in front? Raise your hand! And who's in the back?” Each train checks (2 min).
4. Call “Reverse!”: everyone lets go, turns around and holds on again. Now the caboose is the engineer. Repeat until everyone has been in front (4 min).
5. Add station calls: “The engineer claps,” “the caboose jumps,” “the middle cars crouch” (2 min).
6. To finish, link all the trains into one long train behind you and travel slowly around the gym (2 min).

Rules

• Hold on gently, no pulling or pushing.
• Trains walk, never run.
• If a train breaks apart, stop and hook back up.
• Trains don't crash: steer around each other.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a child using a wheelchair or walker can stay engineer, with the others following and touching their shoulder.
• Shyness: start in a train of two with a friend and let the child choose a spot.
• Skill level: skilled kids do reverse by walking slowly backward without letting go.

Learning goals

• Identify who is in front, in back and in the middle of a line.
• Change direction by turning around and see that their place changes.
• Move in sync with a small group.

Equipment for a class of 25

• tambourine: 1

Teacher tip

Do the first reverse in slow motion with a sample train. Add a choo-choo sound when the trains start: it really gets them going.

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