• 12+ months
• Introduce your baby to the parts of the train set - the train, it's carriage, the tracks, the tree, the driver and his dog. Encourage independent exploration of the toy but if necessary demonstrate the character's moving, clicking parts and show your child how the driver fits into the train and the dog into the carriage. 
• Show your baby that the train and carriage come apart and can be pushed along separately as well as attached  
• Show your baby that the toy can move along the floor and encourage your little one to push it along the ground and move after it. 
• Construct the rail tracks for your tot into a figure of eight arrangement, placing the train on the tracks and showing your tot how to push the drivers head to make the train chug around the track. 
• Imitate the sounds the train makes as it chugs along and praise your infant for any effort made to join in.
• Use excited and enthusiastic language to heighten the experience for your child.  
• Encourage your child to push the driver's head down to make it go again! (At this stage your infant may be too young to do this themselves but they will love to watch the train spring to life and move around the track.
• 18+ months
• Show your child how to place the driver in the train. Encourage them to do it by themselves and to either push the toy along the floor, or place on the tracks. Encourage your toddler to move after it. 
• Imitate the sound effects of a train and encourage your infant to do the same - ‘chug-a-chug-a-chug’, ‘toot toot!’ 
• Pretend to be trains yourselves and chug around the room! 
• Talk about the appearance of the train, its driver and his passenger - e.g. what colour it is, how many wheels has it got?  Introduce younger children to new language such as horn, carriage, railway, track, station etc.
• Talk with your older child about the function of trains. What do trains do? Where would you see one? Who might travel on a train? 
• Relate the toy to pictures or real trains and show your infant the similarities between the two.
• Encourage your child to use his/her imagination to play. Let your child take the lead but help with ideas if necessary. You may like to bring in other Tolo characters, vehicles and accessories to help your child create a colourful and imaginative world!  

Write a review