The Train Picks Up Passengers

A train starts with one engineer and picks up passengers waiting at stations (hoops) until the whole class rides together. Children practice moving in a line, matching their pace to others and welcoming those who join.

How to play

1. Spread hoops around the yard as stations. Each child stands in one holding up a “ticket” (a raised hand). The teacher is the first engineer and blows the whistle: “Choo-choo, the train is leaving!” (2 min).
2. The train rolls slowly past a station; the passenger lowers the hand, says “I'm getting on!” and holds the shoulders of the last car (3 min).
3. Whenever a train has four cars, it splits in two and the second child becomes engineer of a new train, so several trains pick up passengers at once (3 min).
4. The drum runs the tracks: slow beats, the train climbs a hill slowly; fast beats, it zooms a short way downhill; drum stops, we brake without letting go (4 min).
5. When no one is left waiting, all trains hook up into one long train that loops the yard chanting “Choo, choo, choo, the train goes through” (2 min).
6. Last stop: each passenger gets off, waves goodbye to the engineer and sits in a hoop (1 min).

Rules

• We hold shoulders gently, no pushing.
• At the station, keep your hand up until the train comes.
• If the train comes apart, we stop and hook back on.
• There's room for everyone: no one stays at the station.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a child in a wheelchair is a special station the train circles to pick up; an adult pushes the chair as a train car.
• Autism: let the child ride as the last car, where no one holds them, or hold a hoop linked to the car in front.
• Hearing impairment: the engineer raises an arm to brake and circles it to speed up.

Learning goals

• Move in a line, adjusting speed to the group.
• Start and stop on a sound signal.
• Welcome classmates who join the game.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Hoops: 25
• Hand drum: 1
• Toy whistle: 1

Teacher tip

Demo with two adults first: “getting on” by holding shoulders is much clearer when they see it. The usual mistake is an engineer who runs too fast, so ask for “toy-train speed.”

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