Top 5 train tracks and toy garages
Our favourite train tracks and toy garages toys around now
Why buy them?
Playing with a movable toy helps stimulate a child’s developing gross motor skills, which can often lead to crawling and their first steps. Learning how to put tracks together so a train can run smoothly or moving a vehicle around obstacles can also help with their problem-solving skills, too.
What to spend
Simple train sets can be bought for as little as £15, with larger sets that have a bigger amount of pieces costing in the £50-100 range. Wooden garages tend to pricier than plastic models, with a general price range of £30-50.
What to look for
It’s useful if train sets can be added to at a later date, with more track pieces or accessories, which means that it will have greater longevity and get more complex as your child grows. Some garages come with cars, which can bring the overall cost down, and they’ll be the right size, too.
My First wooden train set, £12.99, BigJigs
If you’re looking for a simple starter train set for very young children, then this is a great buy. It comes complete with eight pieces of track, a train with two carriages plus figures and scenery to add to the fun. Better still, you can add other sets in the same range to expand it.
Happyland Country Train set, £40, ELC
A bright and colourful toy that’s perfect for a toddler from 18 months old, with an easy-to-build circular track, and great features like a level crossing, mini station, plus three people to act out stories. For an added touch the train also makes a realistic steam train noise as it approaches the station.
Deluxe Wooden railway, £74.99, Melissa & Doug
A bumper railway set for older toddlers with over 100 track sections plus a whole host of accessories including a six-piece freight train with cargo, a four-piece passenger train, and a three-piece flatbed truck with cargo. Made from wood with brightly coloured sections, this set will be played with for years.
Toot Toot Garage Playset, £29.99, VTech
Designed for use with the Toot Toot range of vehicles, this colourful garage comes with a tow truck that has interactive features including nine songs and melodies. The garage has a lift and car wash, plus SmartPoint locations that interact when driven over. There are also chunky buttons to press to hear colours, sounds and phrases.
Parking garage, £54.99, Brio
A classic wooden garage with two levels of play for little drivers that includes two cars, a trailer, two train track ramps plus a road ramp. It’s solid and sturdy and makes a great starting point for hours of imaginative play, with the added benefit that it can also link to Brio’s train set too.