Train Party Games

Games where the children are the train, the station and the freight crew: press Pick 3 new games.

Train Party Games

  1. Four Freight Cars, Four Colors of Cargo1. A sorting race. Line up four boxes as freight cars, each marked with a color. 2. Tip out a basket of mixed blocks, balls and scarves in those four colors. 3. On go, the children load every item into the car of its own color. 4. Check each car together, then time a second round. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 6 min. Props: four boxes and a basket of things in four colors.
  2. Keep the Ball Car on the Rails1. A steering course. Tape two rails a hand apart in a winding line across the room. 2. Each child pushes a ball along between the rails with a pool noodle or a cardboard tube. 3. A ball that crosses a rail goes back to the last bend. 4. Time each run, or send two children from opposite ends to pass in the middle. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: tape, a ball and a pool noodle or tube.
  3. One Strip Each to the Station1. A laying relay. Mark a station at the far end of the room for each team, and give each team a stack of paper strips. 2. One child at a time walks out, lays a single strip end to end with the last one and walks back. 3. The line may bend but must not break. 4. The first track to touch its station wins. Then the whole team walks it. Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: about twenty paper strips for each team.

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How it works

These train party games are familiar party games, six of them classics by name, each with a train prop or rule added. Every game gives its youngest age, and no engine from a book or a show is named.

Read the full guide

A party in four parts

1. Hand out tickets as guests arrive and start Punch the Ticket Hunt from Station games. 2. Run two Be-the-train games while everyone has energy. 3. Set up Freight games as stations. 4. Lay tape for Track-building games with tape and end with the whole party walking the track to the cake.

What to make beforehand

Painter's tape and cardboard boxes are what the list asks for most. Card tickets, a whistle and a red and green paddle cover several more games.

Tips
  • More filters, the last entry of the All games menu, keeps the games for Age 3 or for outdoors.

Questions and answers

What games do you play at a train birthday party?

Games where the children are the train. In Engines Collect Train Cars two engines couple up the whole party. In Punch the Ticket Hunt each child collects a punch at five stations. Coal Into the Tender is a beanbag toss into a black box.

Which train games suit three year olds?

The ones marked for age 3, such as Follow the Engine, The Tunnel That Grows, Four Freight Cars, Four Colors of Cargo and Tape Maze to the Bell. In those four nobody is out, and nobody has to read.

How do you make a train track on the floor?

With painter's tape. Two long strips a hand apart are the rails, and short strips across them are the ties. Tie-to-Tie Hop, Walk the Rails With a Lantern and Keep the Ball Car on the Rails all use it.

Do the games need toy trains?

No. The children are the engines and the passenger cars, and boxes are the freight cars. One game, Fix the Broken Track, ends by driving a toy train or a block along a paper track.

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All 28 games

Be-the-train games 7

  • The Caboose Steers 1. A message-passing game. Four or five children line up with hands on shoulders. Picture cards of stations stand around the room. 2. Only the last child, the caboose, is shown which station to go to. 3. The caboose steers by tapping: a tap on the left shoulder means turn left, the right means turn right, both means go. Every car passes the tap forward. 4. The engine walks where the taps say. Change places after each station. Ages 6 and up. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: four station picture cards.
  • Engines Collect Train Cars 1. A joining-up game. Two children are engines and chug about the room, while everyone else stands still as a train car. 2. Each time an adult blows the whistle, every engine couples the nearest car, who holds on to the shoulders of the last child in that train. 3. Keep whistling until every car is coupled. 4. Count the two trains. The longest one wins, and its last two cars are the next engines. Ages 3 and up. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: a whistle.
  • Follow the Engine 1. Follow the leader, with train moves. The child at the front is the engine, and the others line up behind. 2. The engine picks the moves: piston arms, a slow hill climb, a whistle pull, backing into a siding. 3. Every car copies. 4. After one lap of the room, the engine goes to the back and the next child leads. Nobody is out. Ages 3 and up. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
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Be-the-train games, continued

  • Local, Express, Brakes 1. A change-your-speed game. Everyone chugs around the room in one direction. 2. An adult calls "local" for a slow shuffle, "express" for a fast walk and "brakes" for a stop with a long hiss. 3. Add "tunnel" for a crouch and "bridge" for tiptoes. 4. The child with the sharpest brakes makes the calls for the next minute. Ages 3 and up. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
  • Signaler Calls the Branch at the Fork 1. A listening game on a fork of tape. Lay one line of tape that splits into two, with a cone at the end of each branch. 2. Children chug along the line one at a time. 3. Just before the fork, the signaler calls "left track" or "right track." 4. A train that takes the branch that was called scores a sticker. With older children, call the name of a station at the end of each branch. Ages 4 and up. Players: 3 to 14. Time: 8 min. Props: tape, two cones and stickers.
  • Stop on the Red Paddle, Chug on the Green 1. Red light, green light, with a signal paddle. Children pair up as an engine and a caboose, hands on shoulders, at the start line. 2. An adult at the far end holds up a paddle: green on one side and red on the other. 3. Trains chug forward on green and stop on red. A train still moving on red backs up three steps. 4. The first train to reach the signal tower holds the paddle next. Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: a paddle with a red side and a green side.
  • The Tunnel That Grows 1. London Bridge, with a tunnel for the bridge. Two adults hold hands high as a tunnel, and the children chug through in a line, around and back again. 2. On the whistle, the tunnel comes down gently around whoever is under it. 3. That child steps out, joins hands with the next one caught, and the two make a second arch beside the first. 4. Play until the tunnel is longer than the train. Ages 3 and up. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: a whistle.

Station games 7

  • The Conductor Says 1. Simon Says, with a conductor. An adult in a cap gives orders: "The conductor says show your ticket," "pull the whistle cord," "watch your step." 2. Children do it only when the order begins with "The conductor says." 3. A child who moves at the wrong time sits in the dining car for one turn and is then back in. 4. Let a child be the conductor for the last round. Ages 3 and up. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 6 min. Props: a cap.
  • Match Your Tag at the Luggage Desk 1. A matching hunt. Draw the same shape or color on a paper tag and on a small box, and make one pair for every child. 2. Hide the boxes around the room and hand out the tags. 3. Each child hunts for the suitcase that matches their tag and leaves the others where they are. 4. Bring it to the luggage desk to open. Each box holds the same sticker. Ages 3 and up. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: small boxes, paper tags and a sticker for each box.
  • Musical Stations, a Seat for Everyone 1. Musical chairs with nobody out. Set chairs two by two in a row, like seats in a passenger car, one for every child. 2. While the music plays, the children chug around the car. 3. When it stops, the conductor calls "all aboard" and everyone sits. 4. The last one seated is not out: they punch the tickets by tapping each chair once, then the music starts again. Ages 3 and up. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: a chair for each child and music.
  • Now Boarding at Platform Three 1. A find-the-number game. Tape four big numbers on the floor in four corners as platforms. 2. Children chug about the middle until the announcer calls a platform. 3. Everyone goes to that number and lines up as one train. 4. For older children, announce it as a sum: "now boarding at platform two plus one." Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 6 min. Props: four numbers on paper and tape.
  • Punch the Ticket Hunt 1. A station-to-station hunt. Give every child a card ticket with five empty squares. 2. Set up five stations around the yard, each with a sign and a helper or a sticker sheet. 3. Children visit the stations in any order and collect one sticker or punch at each. 4. A full ticket is handed to the conductor for a seat on the party train, which is the line for cake. Ages 3 and up. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: card tickets, five station signs and stickers or a hole punch.
  • Trains Leave in Clock Order 1. A line-up puzzle. Give each child a card with a clock time written on it, such as 8:00, 9:30 or 12:15. 2. They are the trains, and they have to leave in order. 3. Without an adult's help, the children line up at the platform edge from earliest to latest. 4. The announcer reads the line aloud and each train chugs away when its time is called. Ages 6 and up. Players: 4 to 14. Time: 8 min. Props: cards with clock times.
  • Where Is This Train Going? 1. Charades, with places for the words. Put picture tickets in a hat: the beach, the zoo, the mountains, the city, a farm. 2. One child draws a ticket and acts out what they would do when the train gets there, with no words. 3. The passengers guess the place. 4. The child who guesses first draws the next ticket. Ages 4 and up. Players: 3 to 14. Time: 8 min. Props: picture tickets in a hat.

Freight games 7

  • Coal Into the Tender 1. A beanbag toss. Paint a box black as the tender and stand it two steps from a line. 2. Each child throws three black beanbags, or scrunched black paper, underarm. 3. Count the coal that lands inside. 4. When the whole party has loaded twenty lumps, the engine has steam and an adult blows the whistle. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: a box and three black beanbags.
  • Crane Hook Cargo Lift 1. A fishing game, with a crane. Tie a string loop to the top of five small boxes, and bend a pipe cleaner hook onto a string tied to a stick. 2. Each child stands behind a line and lowers the hook to catch a loop. 3. They lift the box and swing it across onto a tray, the flatcar. 4. Five boxes loaded ends the turn. Time it for children over six. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 8 min. Props: five small boxes with string loops, a stick with a pipe cleaner hook, and a tray.
  • Four Freight Cars, Four Colors of Cargo 1. A sorting race. Line up four boxes as freight cars, each marked with a color. 2. Tip out a basket of mixed blocks, balls and scarves in those four colors. 3. On go, the children load every item into the car of its own color. 4. Check each car together, then time a second round. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 6 min. Props: four boxes and a basket of things in four colors.
  • Load the Boxcar Relay 1. A loading relay. Set an open cardboard box at the far end for each team as its boxcar, with a pile of blocks at the start. 2. One child at a time carries a single block to the boxcar, sets it in and walks back. 3. Blocks have to be packed flat so that the load does not stand above the sides. 4. After three minutes, count the blocks in each boxcar. Ages 3 and up. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: a cardboard box and about twenty blocks for each team.
  • Log Car Balance Carry 1. A balancing relay. Each team has a tray as its flatcar and a pile of cardboard tubes as logs. 2. The first child loads as many logs on the tray as they dare and carries it to the sawmill, a box at the far end. 3. Logs that roll off stay where they fell until the next trip. 4. Tip the load in and hand the tray on. The first team to move all its logs wins. Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: a tray and about ten cardboard tubes for each team.
  • Mail Car Delivery by Letter 1. A delivery relay. Write a big letter on each of six boxes and stand them along a wall as mailboxes. 2. Give each team a bag of envelopes with the same letters on them. 3. One child at a time takes an envelope, finds the box with the matching letter and drops it in. 4. The first team with an empty mailbag wins. Use colors or shapes with children who are not reading yet. Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: six lettered boxes and lettered envelopes.
  • What Order Were the Cars? 1. A memory game. Cut a paper engine and five cars in five colors. 2. Run the train slowly across a table from behind a propped-up book, so that the children see each car pass. 3. Hide the train again. 4. The children say the colors in order, from the engine back. Add a car each round. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 6 min. Props: a paper engine and paper cars in several colors.

Track-building games with tape 7

  • Fix the Broken Track 1. A puzzle race. Draw a winding track from one station to another on a strip of paper for each team, and cut each strip into eight pieces. 2. Mix each team's pieces. 3. Teams lay the pieces end to end, so that the rails join all the way from station to station. 4. The first team to drive a toy train or a block along the whole track wins. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: a drawn track cut into eight pieces and a block for each team.
  • Keep the Ball Car on the Rails 1. A steering course. Tape two rails a hand apart in a winding line across the room. 2. Each child pushes a ball along between the rails with a pool noodle or a cardboard tube. 3. A ball that crosses a rail goes back to the last bend. 4. Time each run, or send two children from opposite ends to pass in the middle. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: tape, a ball and a pool noodle or tube.
  • Longest Loop of Tape Track 1. A building contest. Give each team a roll of painter's tape and a patch of floor. 2. In five minutes, each team lays a track that comes back to where it began. 3. Rails must be straight lines of tape, and the loop has to close. 4. Walk each loop heel to toe and count the steps. Most steps wins. Adults tear the tape for children under five. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: painter's tape.
  • One Strip Each to the Station 1. A laying relay. Mark a station at the far end of the room for each team, and give each team a stack of paper strips. 2. One child at a time walks out, lays a single strip end to end with the last one and walks back. 3. The line may bend but must not break. 4. The first track to touch its station wins. Then the whole team walks it. Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: about twenty paper strips for each team.
  • Tape Maze to the Bell 1. A maze on the floor. Lay a branching track of tape with three dead ends and one line that reaches a bell. 2. Children chug along the track one at a time and choose a branch at every switch. 3. A dead end means backing up to the last switch. 4. Ring the bell on arrival. Change one strip of tape and the maze is new. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: tape and a bell.
  • Tie-to-Tie Hop 1. A hopping game on a ladder of tape. Lay two long rails of tape with ten short strips across them as ties. 2. Children hop from tie to tie, and never land on the gravel in between. 3. Call the pattern for each run: two feet, one foot, every other tie. 4. Older children hop the track while counting the ties backward from ten. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 6 min. Props: tape.
  • Walk the Rails With a Lantern 1. A balance walk. Lay two lines of tape side by side as rails, with a bend or two. 2. Each child walks one rail heel to toe, carrying a paper cup lantern with a ball in it. 3. Stepping off the rail or dropping the ball means starting that rail again. 4. Walk back along the other rail. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 6 min. Props: tape, a paper cup and a small ball.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions for a child's train party at home or in a yard, for ages 3 to 9. The wording is ours, and the player counts, times and ages are our estimates. Six are classics by name and the rest are familiar kinds of party game, each with a train prop or rule; the first step says which. No engine or character from a book or a show is named, nobody is blindfolded, nothing is eaten and no game uses water. Rules of the classics were checked against Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) on 2026-10-03, after the stem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/: London Bridge Is Falling Down, Statues (game), Follow the leader (game), Musical chairs, Simon Says, Charades. Licence: own work