teaching a child how to play with a pullback toy car

[curiousmarcus]

1. Pull the toy car back, making sure you hear the wheels winding up, then release it. It'll go forward.

2. No, that's not correct. You have to push the car down too while pulling it back, or else it's not going to work.

My questions:

Do you always have to refer to the toy car as such? Can it be just car?

I looked up on wikipedia how pullback motors work. It winds up an internal coil spring. But I was hoping to make it sound more simple to a child. Is wheels winding up okay?

It'll go forward sounds a bit off to me. Do you have a different word to describe the action other than go?

Also, if the above is okay, would It'll go suffice? Or should you always include the direction?

Can I say push the car down too when you're not really pushing the car down but putting just a little bit for downward pressure to make sure the wheels crank?

Is crank ​the correct word choice in the previous question?

 

[J&K Tutoring]

I don't quite understand what you're trying to do. It seems to me that if the child can read your instructions, he/she is much too old to play with this kind of toy!

Do you always have to refer to the toy car as such? Can it be just car? Better to refer to toy. The same mechanism might be used in a toy truck, boat, tractor, train, etc.

Is wheels winding up okay? Again, not sure the purpose of this, so hard to give best advice. Maybe 'motor winding up' would be better.

Do you have a different word to describe the action other than go? Pretty hard to suggest something better than, 'It will go.'

Can I say push the car down too when you're not really pushing the car down but putting just a little bit for downward pressure to make sure the wheels crank? You could do that, but I suspect a child will quickly discover the need for a bit of downward pressure to prevent wheel slippage. No need to over-think things.

If you are writing instructions to go on a toy package for parents to read, I suggest something like:

'Place the toy on a smooth, level surface. With enough downward pressure to prevent wheel slippage, pull the toy back until a clicking sound is heard. That means the spring is fully wound. Release the toy and it will go!'

 

[curiousmarcus]

I don't quite understand what you're trying to do. It seems to me that if the child can read your instructions, he/she is much too old to play with this kind of toy!

SNIP SNIP...

If you are writing instructions to go on a toy package for parents to read, I suggest something like:

I was actually playing with my son and describing to him how to play with the toy car. I thought that that would be quite obvious.

 

[curiousmarcus]

Do you always have to refer to the toy car as such? Can it be just car? Better to refer to toy. The same mechanism might be used in a toy truck, boat, tractor, train, etc.

Again, I'm playing with my son. My question is if I could just refer to the toy car we are playing as a car and not have to keep on repeating toy part. There are lots of other toys present, so I think toy would get kind of confusing as to what I'm referring to.

 

[Rover_KE]

I'd probably say 'Push it down and pull it back'.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd use "pull it back and then let [it] go". I think I know the type of toy you're talking about. You "reverse" the car with its wheels in contact with a hard surface which (somehow) gives the wheels some impetus. When you let go of the car, it runs forward until it's run out of ... steam?!

 

[Tdol]

I'd probably use press down on the car instead of push.