I find them in various spots around the house throughout the day. And for a while now, they’ve been the highlight of most imaginative play here. One or two of them will also accompany each child if we have an appointment that involves some wait time or if Tom has to be at church early on a Sunday morning. The boys love to go with him to “help out” or watch him practice singing. But there are also cars brought in tow to keep them occupied for a bit!
A few years ago Thomas got the Disney movie Cars as a gift. At the time he was a little young to follow an entire movie, but eventually it became a staple favorite followed by Cars 2 and, most recently, Cars 3. Matter of fact, the boys’ first trip to the movie theater was to see Cars 3 this past summer. The overall theme of the Cars’ movies we love. And Tom has joked that possibly the movies will lead to a new generation of Nascar racing fans.
Naturally, in a house full of little boys, they’re always drawn to anything with wheels. The majority of the cars and trucks they play with are Cars figures and some are a random assortment of various cars and small trucks we’ve collected over time. They play for hours together or alongside one another crafting different scenarios of races and pile ups or wrecks. There are times that other household items are used to step their play up a notch. Most recently this has involved turning a basket upside down to create a crew chief stand.
Arthur’s current morning routine is to come find me for a few minutes to snuggle and then he promptly announces he’s “going to have a race” and shortly thereafter I hear the familiar sound of cars being dumped on the floor and his play begins.
On any car ride, we’re always “in a race.” There’s full commentary at times of cars pulling out of the race when making a turn or us taking the lead when we pull ahead of someone. And there’s always a spotting of the Jackson Storm character from Cars 3 or any of his race car “friends.”
John Lloyd is gaining interest as well and has caught onto the fact that he should say “go” when he’s holding a car. It’s truly a blessing to watch them use their minds to create play. Just the way childhood should be. And it’s an added bonus to watch them bond over something they all enjoy.
