We have a 6 year old grandson coming to visit for a week in august. I have my track layed and can run trains. The wife wants me to find something that he can do on the layout (i.e. help build a structure) or almost anything to get him involved. I don’t have much experience with 6 year olds anymore. What things might I be able to get him to help with, other than run the trains?
Thanks
Charlie
Find a Thomas the Tank Engine and give to him as his very own, personal locomotive.
AT the Boothbay Railway Village model train layout, we have a Thomas The Tank push train table/layout that keeps the younger ones occupied while the olders look at the layout and watch trains run.
I do not know anything about this company or other sources, but this is a list of Thomas train sets and tables
http://www.allaboardtoys.com/thomas-the-tank-engine-train-and-friends-wooden-train-sets/
http://www.allaboardtoys.com/thomas-the-tank-engine-train-and-friends-train-tables/
Hi!
Normally I would say just let him run trains and he will be happy with that.
To go further, assuming your layout is NOT landscaped, select some area and mark off with a pencil and give him a small brush and latex paint and let him brush in the paint, and then spread in some ground foam and the like. You may decide to keep the scene, and if not, you can easily scrape it off when he leaves.
If your layout is landscaped with all the delicate details, good luck!
Mobilman44
He might already have Thomas, but probably not ho scale. Will find out. My layout is not landscaped yet, only have the pink foam painted brownish. Might just let him do a little landscaping. Like you said, I can always scrape it up. Will check at LHS for Thomas.
Thanks all, I guess I have no imagination anymore.
Charlie
I’ve had luck the other way around with my son. I put down the base (paint or ground goop) and he enjoys sprinking on the ground foam, making the scene start to look real.
Add one more vote for Thomas the Tank Engine. Anyplace that sells Bachmann has a huge selection of Thomas and Friends stuff in HO.
I put up my vote against Thomas. Get him his own “real” loco - one he can still see running the rails. Let him run it on your layout - and, when he leaves you, give him some track, cars and a kit for a depot, so he can start his own little model railroad. 6 year-olds can easily handle that, and maybe you get him started on a life-time hobby…
Btw, that´s the way I got into model railroading, 47 years ago, as a 6 year old…
Lewt him sweep the train room floor.
[(-D]
Charlie,
Good timing to get advice from me. The woman who delivers my newspaper came by our NMRA booth with her 6-yo son in the spring. I told her to bring him by someday and I could show him some trains. She called yesterday and, even though I was busy working on a paper , I told her to come on by.
He has the wooden track version of Thomas, which might work better for younger kids. he knew the names of just about everything, so he’s been paying attention to Thomas and Friends. He did find the layout interesting and was talking to his mother about building a small layout as they were getting ready to leave.
Something to note though is that the attention span was pretty limited, as I suspect it is for many kids his age. There may be specific projects he could help with on your layout, but don’t expect him to stay at something that takes a long time, as least not at first.
If the budget can afford it, a small train set with the modern, self-locking track that’s offered by several (mutually incompatible) manufacturers might be the way to go. The fellow’s mom was asking about that, so I suspect he’s about ready to graduate from wooden track to metal that allows him to control his train.
While he did enjoy the trains I ran - he was a bit intimidated and didn’t want to run it this time - he went from looking at on to another in the blink of an eye. That’s why I suspect you should start him on something small, then maybe give him a train set to do with as he pleases. That way he can find out at his own pace what he likes about model railroading.
I’m for Thomas, but only if he’s already a fan. If he’s not a Thomas fan, avoid. Otherwise, he’ll love it. The Thomas models are rugged, ad have moving parts for kids to watch. Kids love steamers for those big drive arms. Alternatively, you could look at a Bachmann 0-4-0 or a Model Power 0-6-0 for the same reason. I don’t know of any of the 6 year olds that come to the club that like watching the Fs, or any other diesel for as long as a steam locomotive can capture them. And if he runs a atrain, it will probably go fast. For now, let him do this, and make sure you have other valuable train stuff out of the way.
When I was I think around 4, I had a Bach. 4-4-0 thst I loved, and carried everywhere. But it fell apart. The wires from engine to tender are torn out, the smokestack fell off, the lamp case is off, Pilot’s been missing up until last week, you get the idea.
I don’t kno of many simple Station kits. Simple needs to be pushes together on pegs or tabs, not somethign that requires Ambroid or Plastruct and has more than a doezen parts. About long enough for the Attention Span. zkids wll try to drink it. The old Bmann station White, ood platform, ccame in a set) might be good for this, but that’s all that comes to me. Looks at the Atlas model Nope. Not for 6. 10 probably, but not 6.
Thanks for all the replys. While he and his mother are visiting here (they are in Wisconsin), we do have other activities planned. Since i have DCC, I will limit the speed of the engine so he wont be able to go extra fast. Will also probably let him try his hand at some landscape. Will check on his interests in a set, Might wait a little longer and get him one for Christmas or birthday. His dad will have to get it set up and all. May get him interested also LOL. Will see how it goes. Thanks again
My first impressioin when I saw the title of this thread was “Send him/her to school.” but obviously that isn’t the answer you were looking for especially in August though I am sure there is more than one parent reading this and appreciating the implications.[swg]
Speaking as a grandfather of 5, you never who or what any 6 year old will be interested in. So just show him what you are doing and him tell you what he wants to do. He might like scenicking and then he might not. He might like running a train or two and then again he might not. Just play it by ear and don’t try to force him to do anything if he prefers not to. Model railroading is not for everybody and for those who like this or might like it the way one is introduced to it is an important factor.
Irv
I like this option more than the Thomas the Tank thing. I was about 6 or 7 when I was out of Thomas (got my first N scale set when i was 8, had HO when I was 6 (I’m 14 now).
The one thing though, make sure that whatever structure you sue, it can stand up to beign tossed around a bit.
If you want to get an HO Thomas, Train Control Systems (TCS) recommends their T1 decoder for a Thomas locomotive and provides the following installation photo
http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/HO_Scale/Bachmann/Thomas/Thomas.htm
The photo references the Percy installation for details
http://www.tcsdcc.com/decoderpics/Percy.htm
This is Hunter, my 6 in August grandson. Let him throw the turnouts. Hunter is waiting for the “Namakogon” to pull into Haugen, Wi.:
Terry
My Thomas and Hogwart’s Express, which live in a staging siding inside a mountain unless the grandchildren are operating, have both been converted to DCC.
Skip the Thomas and get him started like most of us did. Something durable and easy to handle and put on the track. Lionel O. At six years old he will get frustrated with derailing and small don’t touch that type of railroading. Get him his own Lionel set and let him run it like hes still a kid. If kids can not be hands on then the attention span decreases. Remember they are the hobbies future so don’t let them get frustrated.
Pete
What if you worked on something really together? I’m thinking painting figures. I glue mine with yellow glue to little blocks of wood (about the size of sugar cubes). That provides a handle for painting them and they come of the blocks easily when done. Get a little craft pallet and some poly scale paint and a few small brushes. Pour a little of each color of paint into each cup of the pallet and go for it. I can imagine a pretty good conversation as grandfather and grand son paint about 2 dozen folks. If you get the peach colored people, you only have to paint clothes on them (unless you want to represent a more diverse population). After you’re done, hit 'em with dull coat and maybe even temporarily glue them to that painted pink prairie layout. Some of your people may turn out a little silly, but the giggles will be worth it. For him, sitting down with an adult to do the real thing, not just help, will be a great memory.