Thomas’ Christmas Delivery
Book Description
Surely every boy mom and child raised in the nineties knows who Thomas the Tank Engine is. You might, however, not know about this classic little Christmas book. This story takes place on Christmas Eve, when Thomas has three very important deliveries to make—a car full of food to deliver to Community Hall, wrapped Christmas packages to the big school on the hill, and presents to the Children’s Hospital in Vicarstown. As he makes his last delivery, poor Thomas is tasked with delivering one last package to a young boy. Worried that he will not have time to hang up his stocking and will therefore miss out on Christmas presents, Thomas of course still makes the right choice to help the young boy…and things work out well for Thomas himself on Christmas morning. This is a cheerful Christmas story that emphasizes the importance of community and giving. It is truly perfect for any child ages 2-6.
You can grab your copy here.
Nonfiction Connecting Texts
Lonely Planet Kids How Trains Work by Clive Gifford
Trains Then and Now by Scarlett Wing
Reading Comprehension and Writing Activities
You can purchase my Christmas Train Activities Bundle here. It includes:
an emergent reader
a rhyming train activity
an alphabet train activity
a writing prompt with a picture box
printable train pieces for the Christmas Train craft
Craft Connection
For our craft, we used the printable train template included in the Christmas Train Activities bundle. Just color the train, cut it out, and glue it onto a piece of construction paper. I drew train tracks on mine for more detail, as did my daughter. We had extra fabric in our craft room, so we cut out squares of fabric to be the gifts on the train. You could also use small squares of tissue paper for a similar effect. We finished it off with dots of white paint to make it snowy. We have used Q-tips in the past, but we enjoyed using a small paint brush this time so we could make both small snowflakes falling and snow covering the ground. I think this would also make a fun January hallway display if I still taught. The twelve days of Christmas don’t in fact start until December 25th, and this would be a great time to discuss the good things we could carry with us into the new year for older kids.
Field Trip Connection
This would be a great time to visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Their “America on the Move” exhibit allows you to experience classic trains like Thomas in person. It is also a great time of year to support toy, gift, and Christmas meal drives. These can really help little ones understand the importance of giving. Alternatively, you can have your kids help you look around your house to donate gently used books, clothes, and toys to places like Goodwill and your local thrift shop. These donations go directly to people in your community who might not otherwise be able to afford them. Who doesn’t love a field trip that doubles as service? It feels very suited to Thomas and his community spirit to do so.
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