Who loves watching a train chug along its tracks more than a wide-eyed child? There is something special about trains, whether taking a ride on a tourist excursion pulled by an old locomotive or watching a sleek freight train, or hearing the choo choo of the whistle – children find it magical. As teachers, there are always a few kiddos in class who light up as the train experts, who are more than happy to school their pals on everything train!

GoNoodle has partnered with Chuggington, Union Pacific Railroad and Safe Kids Worldwide to help parents and teachers educate your little trainees all about rail safety! With the help of your favorite Chuggington trainees, Wilson, Koko, and Brewster, your kiddos will learn how to be rail safe!

Classroom Resources About Rail Safety!

Looking for ways to celebrate in the classroom or at school? Check out a few of these downloadable activities:

• Rail Safety Pledge Kit: Get your entire school involved in rail safety! The Top Tips and Pledge Kit help guide the conversation. Review and see how many students can be rail safe in your school by challenging everyone to take the Rail Safety Pledge! The pledge kit is also great to share with parents and caregivers at home. They too can take the Rail Safety Pledge.
• Rail Safety Pledge Board or Door Decor Kit: Use these great cut outs to make the most Chugg-tastic Rail Safety Bulletin Board or Door Wrap for the classroom or anywhere in the school!
• Rail Safety Poster Kit: These colorful and engaging posters are perfect for your school, highlighting key rail safety messages. Brighten up any hallway, bathroom, door or window to remind all your trainees about the importance of rail safety!
• Classroom Activity Sheets: Check out lots of great downloadable worksheets featuring activities, coloring, or even create your own Rail Safety Badge, or cut and create your own Wilson train, Chuggington track and crossbuck to act out the rail safety tips!

How to Use the Rail Safety Resources

Chuggington, Union Pacific Railroad, and Safe Kids Worldwide designed these easy-to-use resources to help you have meaningful, educational conversations about rail safety with your students and help them become rail safety trainees!

Here are some important rail safety tips to review and know when talking to your students:

• Never walk on train tracks. It’s against the law because you are walking on private property. But most importantly, walking on train tracks is dangerous. Trains are big and can overhang the rails by three feet!
• Cross railroad tracks only at places marked by a crossbuck, a gate or a flashing light. A crossbuck is a traffic sign used to indicate that there is a railroad crossing. Sometimes they have a yield or stop sign with them. You should always stop and look both ways before crossing because trains are quiet!
• Wait for the train to pass. When the gate is down or lights are flashing, wait for the train to cross and don’t be in a hurry. Trains are fast and can take up to a mile to stop!

After reviewing these rail safety tips, it’s time for everyone to take the Rail Safety Pledge and receive their very own Rail Safety Badge! Your rail safety trainees can proudly display their Rail Safety Badges and confidently practice rail safety year-round! The goal of rail safety education is to keep ourselves and our communities safer and stronger.

Check out Chuggington’s Rail Safety Video!

Check out the Chuggington Rail Safety video here for a traintastic visual way to teach rail safety to your students. Wilson, Brewster and Koko each teach their very own rail safety tip on how to keep your community safer and stronger

Rail Safety Week is September 19th - 26th, 2022, but we think you should practice rail safety year-round with your Chuggington pals. Review these fun activities throughout the year to reinforce rail safety. As caregivers, parents, and educators, modeling safe behavior around the tracks is key. So, don’t forget to earn your very own Rail Safety Badge and display it proudly!

Chuggington, Union Pacific Railroad, Safe Kids Worldwide and GoNoodle thank you for helping promote rail safety! Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!

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Hard Facts About Safety Around Railroad Tracks

Trains are exciting and fun for many reasons: The size, the speed, the sounds. But railroad tracks and train crossings can be dangerous as well. Trains play an important part in our society by transporting goods and people, but too many kids are injured or killed on or around tracks.

Between 2009 and 2019, 826 children died as a result of a rail-related injury and more than 2,000 children were injured. Trespass incidents make up 65 percent of these fatalities and 47 percent of the nonfatal injuries, with teens ages 15-19 being the age group most frequently impacted. By educating children when they’re young about the importance of rail safety, we can better inform and raise awareness to help prevent rail-related injuries and deaths involving children.