Trains, trucks and tractors: videos for toddlers and preschoolers

Trucks, trains, tractors and fire engines. For many toddlers there is nothing more exciting than something big with wheels that makes a noise. Outside they stop for every bin lorry, and at home a toy car drives across the floor all day. That love is worth using: vehicles are an easy way into new words, counting and little conversations about what people do.

Below is what you can find on KidsTube for children who love anything that moves, and how to do something with it together.

Series with vehicles in the lead

• Morphle TV is about a little creature that can turn into anything, often a vehicle. There are videos like "Bus Morphle", "Morphle the digger in the Desert" and "My Red Super Tractor!".
• Fun Learning has plenty of diggers and trucks, including "Build A Digger" and videos from Gecko's Garage, such as "Rebecca The Recycling Truck".
• Sesame Street has vehicle compilations like "Elmo's Fire Truck Songs!" and "Abby's Vehicles Songs".
• For older preschoolers who ask how things work, Nat Geo Kids has "Learn How Fire Trucks Are Made!" from its Made in a Day series.

Songs to sing along with

• Toddlers Song Playlist has "Down At The Station", "The Wheels on the bus" and "Digger Songs For Children".
• Pinkfong has "The Wheels on the Green Town Bus" and songs about monster trucks.

"The Wheels on the Bus" works especially well because it comes with actions: the wheels go round, the doors open and shut, so your child can join in.

Looking for something specific? You can also search for "train" or for "fire truck".

From the screen to the street

A video about a bin lorry is fun, but seeing a real one is even better. A few ideas:

• Go on a vehicle hunt. On a walk, count how many buses, bikes or trucks you see. That is counting practice too.
• Say what people are doing. "That man is delivering parcels", "the bus driver is stopping at the bus stop". That way it is not only about wheels, but about people as well.
• Play it out. A cardboard box becomes a fire engine, a row of chairs becomes a train. After an episode children often want to play it themselves.
• Watch a real building site together. Many children can stare at a digger for ages. Take your time and talk about what you see.

How long and when

What goes for any video goes here too: a short watch together followed by doing something works better than watching for a long time in a row. On KidsTube the next video in the series starts by itself when one ends. If you want to stop after one, agree on that before you start, so the ending is not a surprise.

Scenes with fires or rescues can be a lot for a young toddler. Watch those with them first, and if in doubt, pick the calmer videos or the songs.

Finally

Children who love vehicles often learn a lot from them without noticing: words, counting and how the world around them works. Pick an episode together, then go outside and see what drives past.