With just a few empty tissue boxes and some craft paint, your child can construct a colorful, kid-sized train. Modify the instructions below to make the train as simple or as fancy as your kids would like.
Empty tissue boxes
Toilet paper roll
Craft paint (or self-adhesive contact paper)
Paper cup
Scissors
Gold or silver glitter (optional)
Glue (in a squeeze bottle)
Soup can (or other cylindrical object)
Construction paper
Pencil for tracing
Crayons or colored markers
Brass paper fasteners (brads)
Pipe cleaners
Paintbrushes
1 tissue
Step 1
Help your child paint the tissue boxes and the cardboard roll (the train's smokestack) with craft paint (or help your child cover the boxes and tube with self-adhesive contact paper). Parents can cut off the bottom of the paper cup about 1 inch up from the bottom to make the train's headlight. Help your child paint the cup and allow it to dry completely. If you'd like, you can add sparkles to the light by putting glue on the bottom of the paper cup and sprinkling it with glitter. Let the glue dry.
Step 2
Using a soup can, trace circles onto the construction paper for your child to make the train's wheels.
Step 3
To make the cow catcher, parents can cut out a flat-topped pyramid from construction paper. The top of the pyramid should be as wide as the front of the train's engine and the bottom a bit wider. The pyramid should be as tall as 1/3 of the engine. Your child can color the cow catcher with crayons or markers.
Step 4
Using the tip of the scissors, parents can gently poke holes in the tissue boxes and help the child attach the wheels with paper fasteners. Glue on the smokestack, front light, and cow catcher, and allow the glue to dry.
Step 5
Attach the cars end to end by gently poking holes in the front and back of each of the cars and helping kids thread pipe cleaners from one car to the next. Reach into the boxes to knot the pipe cleaners and prevent them from slipping through the hole. Tuck a tissue into the top of the smokestack to create a plume of smoke.
