If you have a wooden train set, you have probably seen how it can provide hours of creative play for your child. Even though most are well loved, you may be thinking of new ways to keep your wooden train set exciting. Whether you are looking for ways to add a little something new to a set that is used daily, or reinvigorate a set that may have lost its luster with your child, accessories could be just what you are looking for.
Here are 4 accessories to make that old wooden train set like new again!
Buildings and Landscaping - There are many different types of buildings available to add to your train set. These range from simple block buildings to more intricate houses. If you are crafty, you can even buy plain wooden blocks or craft store wood pieces and make/paint your own according to your little one's interests -- city, town, farm and countryside etc. To complete your populated area, try adding landscaping with trees, bushes, gardens etc. If you want to stick with the wooden theme of the set, you can purchase or make your own trees. Craft stores may carry small fir trees during the holidays that may be just right for your landscaping or even your own tree farm alongside that choo-choo. Another idea for both buildings and foliage is to use Legos if that is something your kids are into. Change the scenery with the seasons or as often as you like!
People and Animals - What is a town or countryside without animals and people? Many wooden train set brands sell people that either fit into or on the trains or that can decorate the scenery. Some are posable and others are block cut outs. Lego people may also come in handy here if you have some (ditto for Squinkies and all the other little tiny toys you step on and vacuum up on a regular basis). Use toy animals you have around the house to populate a farm or zoo alongside your train. If you want to surprise your engineer, set them up during nap time or after they go to bed so they can wake up and find a flurry of human and animal activity to conduct their train through.
Vehicles - For those children who find driving the train to be the main attraction, try adding to the train car collection. Magnetic couplers are standard among most brands, making them pretty easy to interchange (some magnets are stronger than others, so some caution here as far as which brands stay together the best). Look into other types of vehicles as well. Some brands even offer things like fire trucks and car carriers that glide along the same tracks as the trains.
Tracks and Engineering Accessories - Expand the train track and get even more creative with layouts by adding more tracks to your set. Get more basic straight and curved pieces to enhance building options or invest in unique pieces like crosses and switches to allow for even more creativity. Bridges and tunnels are always popular pieces, although you will want to check things like tunnel height to make sure your trains will be accommodated. For a bit more money, you can find specific stops with tracks built in to assimilate right into your set up. Logging and coal stops as well as signal stations and even haunted mines are among the vast options available.
A little accessorizing goes a long way in the world of wooden trains. Delight your kids by sneaking in some accessories when they are not around so their train world is different the next time they visit it. Change scenery as the season change or when the mood strikes!
Here are 4 accessories to make that old wooden train set like new again!
Buildings and Landscaping - There are many different types of buildings available to add to your train set. These range from simple block buildings to more intricate houses. If you are crafty, you can even buy plain wooden blocks or craft store wood pieces and make/paint your own according to your little one's interests -- city, town, farm and countryside etc. To complete your populated area, try adding landscaping with trees, bushes, gardens etc. If you want to stick with the wooden theme of the set, you can purchase or make your own trees. Craft stores may carry small fir trees during the holidays that may be just right for your landscaping or even your own tree farm alongside that choo-choo. Another idea for both buildings and foliage is to use Legos if that is something your kids are into. Change the scenery with the seasons or as often as you like!
People and Animals - What is a town or countryside without animals and people? Many wooden train set brands sell people that either fit into or on the trains or that can decorate the scenery. Some are posable and others are block cut outs. Lego people may also come in handy here if you have some (ditto for Squinkies and all the other little tiny toys you step on and vacuum up on a regular basis). Use toy animals you have around the house to populate a farm or zoo alongside your train. If you want to surprise your engineer, set them up during nap time or after they go to bed so they can wake up and find a flurry of human and animal activity to conduct their train through.
Vehicles - For those children who find driving the train to be the main attraction, try adding to the train car collection. Magnetic couplers are standard among most brands, making them pretty easy to interchange (some magnets are stronger than others, so some caution here as far as which brands stay together the best). Look into other types of vehicles as well. Some brands even offer things like fire trucks and car carriers that glide along the same tracks as the trains.
Tracks and Engineering Accessories - Expand the train track and get even more creative with layouts by adding more tracks to your set. Get more basic straight and curved pieces to enhance building options or invest in unique pieces like crosses and switches to allow for even more creativity. Bridges and tunnels are always popular pieces, although you will want to check things like tunnel height to make sure your trains will be accommodated. For a bit more money, you can find specific stops with tracks built in to assimilate right into your set up. Logging and coal stops as well as signal stations and even haunted mines are among the vast options available.
A little accessorizing goes a long way in the world of wooden trains. Delight your kids by sneaking in some accessories when they are not around so their train world is different the next time they visit it. Change scenery as the season change or when the mood strikes!
About the Author:
Before you decide which accessories to add check out this list of DIY wooden train set accessory ideas to liven up your set! Still trying to find the right set before accessorizing don't make a purchase without taking these important factors into consideration!. Also published at Accessorize Your Wooden Train Set: 4 Ways To Make Your So-So Set Into Something Special.
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