Big scaly reptiles with sharp teeth are my 4-year-old’s absolute favorite thing right now. Lately I’ve met moms whose son or daughter is also really into dinosaurs. Apparently, dinosaur toys are pretty popular for preschool kids! You never know, we might have a themed party and end up looking for dinosaur party ideas too! So why not dive head-first into the Jurassic period? Here are 50 ideas for dinosaur crafts and activities.
- Make a Dinosaur sensory bin
- Make a felt dinosaur playmat (or buy this pre-made playmat)
- Make salt dough fossils with your plastic dinosaurs
- Play “Dinosaur Train”by giving your figurines a ride on your wheeled toys
- Make magnetic tile dinosaurs
- Use this free printable spinner and play a dinosaur movements game
- Have a dinosaur egg hunt
- Write or tell a dinosaur story.
- Make a dinosaur matching busy bag for your little one to enjoy independently!
- Take the “What Dinosaur Are You” personality quiz
- Fill in the dinosaur on these dough mats (free printable from Pocket Full of Preschool)
- Read “How do Dinosaurs” books by Mark Teague
- Make footprint art with your favorite dinosaurs
- Build a LEGO dinosaur playset Ages 2-4 Ages 4-7.
- Make a dinosaur sensory bottle
- Crawl on hands and knees and be a pretend dinosaur herd
- Make colorful paper plate dinosaurs
- March to “We Are The Dinosaurs” by the Laurie Berkner Band
- Hide a dinosaur in a ball of clay or dough and let your child uncover it, hatching the dinosaur from its “egg”
- Put on a Gekko costume (without the mask) and BE a dinosaur!
- Make clear or light colored jello with dinosaurs inside
- Make Duplo®-stamped dinosaur art (free printable)
- Use a ruler and measure your dinosaur toys to see which is the tallest
- Build a dino using Scholastic’s online interactive activity
- Take a virtual tour of the Smithsonian dinosaur exhibit
- Download free dinosaur coloring pages
- Cut out dinosaur-shaped footprints and make tracks down the hallway
- Check out National Geographic’s cool dinosaur facts, quizzes and surveys
- Make your own dinosaur encyclopedia. Use library books or support your child as he searches for pictures and information online.
- Practice spelling with this Letter Predator game. Guess all the letters to spell out the secret words before the Triceratops becomes the Tyrannosaurus rex‘s lunch!
- Make paper bag dinosaur puppets and put on a show (or buy these soft puppets!)
- Water+balloons+plastic dinosaurs=frozen dinosaur eggs!
- Record a video of your child making dinosaur sounds
- Learn letters and colors with a dinosaur alphabet set
- Get creative with a dinosaur modeling kit
- Decorate the fridge with dinosaur magnets
- Watch National Geographic Kids dinosaur videos on YouTube
- Glue a dinosaur head on a box and cut out a mouth and “feed” the dino leaves, sticks, or pasta “bones”
- Freeze dinosaur toys in a small cup or plastic egg
- Make art with dinosaur stickers and stamps
- Act out dinosaur emotions (T-rex/angry, brontosaurus/patient, pterodactyl/afraid)
- Use dinosaurs as markers in a game of preschool BINGO
- Stomp like a dinosaur to the song “Dinosaur Stomp” by Mother Goose Club
- Make a cardboard dinosaur out of a shoebox and other household materials
- Make a dinosaur diorama in an empty shoebox
- Cut and fold this adorable glue-less dinosaur (free printable)
- Build a “reading cave” where your little ones can enjoy looking at dinosaur books
- Eat dinosaur snacks
- Make dinosaur-shaped cutouts with dough and cookie cutters
- Build a cardboard box dinosaur, perfect for little ones to wear
Thanks for checking out these 50 dinosaur crafts and activities. If you found them useful, let me know in the comments below!