DIY Farm Tractor for Pretend Play

For our farm unit this year we needed a tractor prop that had a front engine because one of the “chores” students were encouraged to play was to “fix the tractor.”

Here is how to make a pretend tractor

out of a few boxes and materials you have on hand for your dramatic play center.   

Materials

Tractor Cab

• Two large cardboard boxes
• Paint – Green, yellow, and black
• Paper plates – 2 large and 2 small
• Paper bowl
• Bulletin board paper in green, yellow, and black
• Tops from squeezable applesauce/yogurt – I used green, yellow, and clear
• Brad
• Tape
• Hot glue gun

Tractor Engine & Front

• Pizza box (engine)
• Toilet paper tube (exhaust pipe)
• Mason jar lids (head lights)
• Cotton balls (exhaust smoke)
• Any materials you have on hand for the engine ( Long tubes, Old car phone charger, pipe cleaners, shelf liner, etc.)
• Construction paper – Black and white
• Grey crayon

Don’t forget toy tools so your students can “fix” the engine!

Initial Set-Up

Remove any tape from the boxes.

Tip: This prevents paint from flaking off all over your classroom like mine. Clear tape + washable temper paint = green flakes everywhere!

Directions

1. Have students paint the two cardboard boxes and the pizza box green. I didn’t have my pizza box at school yet, so I painted the sides at home and used green bulletin board paper to cover the top, bottom, and inside of it. Let dry for a couple hours.
2. Paint the paper bowl (aka steering wheel), toilet paper tube, and the two large paper plates with black paint. Let dry.
3. Paint the two smaller paper plates with yellow paint. Let dry.
4. Assemble the tractor cab where your students can sit:
   1. Glue the yellow plates onto the larger black plates to make two front wheels. Hot glue them to the front of the first box.
   2. Cut out two giant circles from the black bulletin board paper. Cut two slightly smaller circles from the yellow bulletin board paper. Glue the yellow circles onto the black circles for the big back wheels. Laminate for durability (and because the kids will be stepping into the cab, hitting the wheel with their legs). Hot glue onto the second cardboard box.
   3. Glue the recycled pouch tops onto the front cardboard box flap. These will be pretend buttons the students can push.
   4. Attach the steering wheel by poking a hole through the center of the paper bowl, then through the cardboard flap. Secure the brad with tape.
   5. Assemble the front engine for students to practice fixing the engine:

Tip: You can choose to use the materials I listed in the engine or find others around your school. Everything I used I had on hand, so don’t worry if you don’t have some of the parts.

1. Lay a piece of tan shelf liner on the inside bottom of the pizza box, on top of your green bulletin board paper lining.
2. Hot glue the drink holder upside down to the back right of the pizza box. Loosely attach silver pipe cleaners by weaving them through the holes in the drink holder. Glue a lid from the hexagonal boxes to the center.
3. Use the recyclable parts from a label maker or a receipt tape machine, separate, and secure them with hot glue. I took a long tube from the resource room and attached it through one of the parts’ holes.
4. Glue the hexagonal boxes (found in my school resource room, but also available at a local craft store), onto the box in whatever pattern you desire.
5. Attach the black fuzzy pipe cleaner to a hole in the drink holder.
6. Cut off the phone car charger part so it only leaves the coiled cord. Glue the ends into two of the engine holes.
7. Glue the entire pizza box engine to the top of the second cardboard box.
8. Add to the front of the tractor using your black construction paper. Glue white construction paper cut in half and colored grey with lines to make a grate effect.
9. Using the tops of old mason jars, flip the inside circle so the label side is facing inward and hot glue it to the rim. Next, glue the outside rim to the front left of the tractor as a headlight. Repeat for a second headlight.
10. Glue the black toilet paper roll straight up onto the center of the pizza box. Add cotton balls for steam.
11. Time to play!

This is a great prop to use during your farm themed activities.

You  may also like these farm dramatic play printables found here.