Preschool Dinsosaur Theme
Below you can find tons of fun and engaging preschool Dinosaur Activities!
Pick and choose activities for your Dinosaur Lesson Plans!
Pick and choose activities for your Dinosaur Lesson Plans!
Pre-K Printables Club Members
Club members can download our dinosaur activities and this Dinosaur Theme Planning Guide for free!
Not a member? Find out more about our membership
Not a member? Find out more about our membership
Click on a button below to view a section-use the yellow arrow to return to the top!
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Dinosaur Preschool Theme Map
Sign up below to get your own free sample plan we created using ideas found on this page!
Dinosaur Track Fossil NecklaceInvite your preschooler to create a special dinosaur necklace of their very own!
See the tutorial on the Dinosaur Track Fossil Necklace blog post. |
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Dance and Sing
Dance and Sing along with The Laurie Berkner Band to the song We Are the Dinosaurs.
This is a super fun song that encourages movement and has a great beat.
This song is on their album The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band and is a staple in any early learning program.
Add extra creativity by making Dinosaur Hats to wear while dancing.
This is a super fun song that encourages movement and has a great beat.
This song is on their album The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band and is a staple in any early learning program.
Add extra creativity by making Dinosaur Hats to wear while dancing.
Dinosaur Stamping
Place out plates of different colored paints, large sheet of chart paper, and plastic dinosaur toys. Invite students to dip the dinosaur feet in the paint and create tracks across paper. This is a great process art project that all of your students can work on together!
Dino Shape Art
saGive students pieces of construction paper cut into different shapes in different colors (squares, triangles, circles, rectangles, ovals, diamonds, etc) and invite students to use the shapes to create their own dinosaur by pasting the shapes together on a piece of paper.
Paper Plate Volcano Craft
Fold a paper plate in half. Cut a small circle from the center, and a slit from the outside edge of the plate to the center. Fold the plate to make a cone and secure it with staples or packing tape attached to the inside. Cover with glue and brown tissue, or paint brown. Once dry add strips of red orange tissue paper "Lava" to the center of the cone to make it look like it is erupting.
More Ideas
Here is a tutorial for a DIY Dinosaur Hat Craft from Crafty Morning using egg cartons.
Pretend to be a Paleontologist
Create a Paleontologist Lab in your Dramatic Play Space. Add Microscopes, DIY Fossils, and Bones. Add Dinosaur Books, Posters, and Identification Cards. Add Flashlights, Binoculars, Pretend Shovels, Magnifying Glasses, and Paint Brushes.
Dinosaur Dress-Up
Provide Dinosaur Dress up items such as: Masks, DIY Dinosaur Tails, and DIY Dino Feet.
Check out these Tutorials for DIY Dinosaur Dress-Up items:
Dinosaur Tails from Running with Scissors
Dino Cape from Friends Stitched Together
Tissue Box Dino Feet from a Bird and a Bean
Check out these Tutorials for DIY Dinosaur Dress-Up items:
Dinosaur Tails from Running with Scissors
Dino Cape from Friends Stitched Together
Tissue Box Dino Feet from a Bird and a Bean
Museum Dramatic Play Center
Set up the dramatic play area as a dinosaur museum. Print out images of dino fossils and place around the center. Include other items related to dinosaurs. You can include placards with information. Set up a welcome booth/ticket booth. Have students pretend that they are spending the day exploring the museum.
Dinosaur Dig Site
Set up sensory bins with sand and images of dinosaur bones buried in them. Provide students with sun hats (like paleontologists would wear), small shovels, paint brushes, tweezers, and containers to put each fossil in. Have them pretend they are at a dig site looking for dinosaur bones
Dinosaur Puppet Show
Add dinosaur puppets and props to the dramatic play center.
Invite students to create stories using the dinosaurs!
Invite students to create stories using the dinosaurs!
Dinosaur Small World Play
This Dinosaur small world play invitation is from community member Justina Y.
I love how she incorporated different styles of terrain in the tray. |
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Build A Dinosaur Habitat
Build a dinosaur habitat outside using unit blocks or tree blocks.
Add mud or sand to create volcanoes and mountains.
Add mud or sand to create volcanoes and mountains.
Build a Dinosaur
Place out images of dinosaurs and a variety of blocks.
Challenge students to study the images and create their own dinosaurs.
Challenge students to study the images and create their own dinosaurs.
Dinosaur Towers
Place large images of dinosaurs on the wall.
Challenge students to try to build towers as tall as the dinosaur pictures.
Challenge students to try to build towers as tall as the dinosaur pictures.
Dinosaur Pattern Block Mats
Practice building as well as fine motor skills with these Dinosaur Pattern Block Mats from the PKPF Dinosaur Fine Motor Set. Children follow the templates to place the correct blocks on the picture to finish the dinosaur.
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More Dinosaur Building & Small World Play Ideas:
- How to Make Small World Play Volcanoes from Still Playing School
- Invitation to create a mini dinosaur world from Little Worlds
Dinosaur Word Wall Cards*
Word wall cards are useful for all kinds of activities!
Use them while investigating dinosaurs and related items, for gross motor games, in the writing center and more! These 16 word wall cards are included in the Dinosaur Activity Pack from PKPF. Practice your dinosaur stomping by stomping out each syllable in these words. |
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Community Member Sheena W. invited her preschooler to sort mini dinosaurs based on type using the word wall cards.
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What If?
Encourage your preschooler to engage in imaginative thinking.
Plan to read (or listen to the read aloud on youtube) If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most.
Before reading the book, ask children to imagine what life would be like if dinosaurs came back. Keep the conversation light and silly. In what ways could dinosaurs be helpful? How might they cause mischief?
After the read aloud invite your preschoolers to create a book together or draw pictures about what might happen if they brought a dinosaur to school one day.
Plan to read (or listen to the read aloud on youtube) If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most.
Before reading the book, ask children to imagine what life would be like if dinosaurs came back. Keep the conversation light and silly. In what ways could dinosaurs be helpful? How might they cause mischief?
After the read aloud invite your preschoolers to create a book together or draw pictures about what might happen if they brought a dinosaur to school one day.
Dinosaur Letter Match*
Practice identifying upper and lowercase letters with this Dinosaur Letter Match file folder activity found in the PKPF Dinosaur Activity Pack. Children match the lowercase fossil letters to the uppercase letters in the ground for a fun language activity!
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Erupting Rhymes-coming soon!
Name-o-saurus
Give students images of Stegosauruses without their back spikes. Have students write one letter of their name on each piece of construction paper and then attach in the correct order on the Stegosaurus's back. Name-o-saurus
Dinosaur Syllable Clap
Clap the syllables of each dinosaur name.
More Dinosaur Language & Literacy Ideas
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We Love Dinosaurs By Lucy Volpin
How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors? By Jane Yolen
The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone By Jan Berenstain and Stan Berenstain
How Tall Was a T. Rex? By Alison Limentani
*My Big Dinosaur Book By Roger Priddy
How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors? By Jane Yolen
The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone By Jan Berenstain and Stan Berenstain
How Tall Was a T. Rex? By Alison Limentani
*My Big Dinosaur Book By Roger Priddy
Dino Themed Patterning*
Practice patterning with this dinosaur themed patterning printable included in the Dinosaur Activity Pack from PKPF.
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Dinosaur Skeleton Match-Up*
This Dinosaur Skeleton Match-up game supports children as they learn to recognize similarities & differences and developing attention to detail. This activity is included in the Dinosaur Activity Pack from PKPF.
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Dinosaur Pom Pom Color Matching*
Pair this printable with colorful pom poms to work on sorting & classification as well as color recognition skills. This printable is included in the Dinosaur Activity Pack from PKPF.
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Dinosaur 2D Shape Clip Cards*
In addition to supporting preschoolers in shape recognition, these cards also support fine motor development. When preschoolers use clothespins they are strengthening their hands and improving dexterity and hand-eye coordination. These Dinosaur Shape Clip Cards can be found inside our Dinosaur Activity Pack.
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Measure and Compare
Look up lengths that a few favorite dinosaurs were known to grow to. Make a line on the floor with masking tape to represent them, or draw on the ground outdoors with sidewalk chalk.
Show the children a photo of each type of dinosaur that you drew a line for, without telling them which line represent which dinosaur. Challenge children to guess which line represents each dinosaur. Engage in discussion about the sizes of each. Invite children to lay down next to the line to compare their size.
Encourage use of a variety of size related vocabulary words such as: ginormous, huge, average, vast, wide, slight, and microscopic.
Show the children a photo of each type of dinosaur that you drew a line for, without telling them which line represent which dinosaur. Challenge children to guess which line represents each dinosaur. Engage in discussion about the sizes of each. Invite children to lay down next to the line to compare their size.
Encourage use of a variety of size related vocabulary words such as: ginormous, huge, average, vast, wide, slight, and microscopic.
T-Rex Teeth Counting
Laminate a T-Rex with an open mouth. Place play dough "gums" around the edges. Roll a die and have your student add foam dinosaur teeth to the mouth based on the number they roll.
Big Feet
Use painters tape to recreate a dinosaur footprint (actual size), and have your student guess how many students could fit inside. Graph their guesses, and ask several children to sit inside the circle. Have the remaining children count the number of children inside the circle and compare the number to their estimates.
More Dino Math ideas
Make your own Fossils
Tammy from Tammy's Daycare made these DIY Dino Fossils. Try this tutorial for fossils made from coffee grounds.
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Dinosaur Egg ExcavationSet up a fun invitation to excavate!
Support preschoolers as they learn patience, perseverance, and the thrill of discovery as they engage in this Dinosaur Egg Excavation activity. |
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Create A Dino Sensory Bin
Our readers have shared some great sensory bins, see a few for inspiration below.
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Dinosaur Sensory Bin from Erica's Educare Learning Center
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Dinosaur Sensory Bin from from Happy Hands Early Learning Academy
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Dinosaur Sensory Bin using aquarium gravel, fake leaves, and rocks from Building Blocks Family Child Care
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Dinosaur Tar Slime-coming soon!
Create some tar slime for pretend dinosaurs to stomp through
Erupting Volcano Experiment-Group Activity
As a class, create a volcano. You can use paper mache, or a toilet paper roll surrounded by clay or kinetic sand. Put baking soda and red food coloring in the middle of the volcano. Add vinegar to make the volcano erupt. Talk about lava and volcanoes erupt.
Meat or Plant Eaters?
Learn about Herbivores and Carnivores. Place two bins (each labeled as Herbivores or Carnivores) in the center of the group area, along with a pile of pretend food. Have each child take turns sorting the the foods items into the bins based on whether they would be eaten by a carnivore or a herbivore.
Extend the learning by sorting dinosaurs as well.
Extend the learning by sorting dinosaurs as well.
More Dinosaur Science & Sensory Ideas
Digging for Dinosaurs from the Jenny Evolution
*Excavating Dinosaurs from Ice from Little Bins for Little hands
Dinosaur Fossil Rocks from By Stephanie Lynn
*Excavating Dinosaurs from Ice from Little Bins for Little hands
Dinosaur Fossil Rocks from By Stephanie Lynn
Dinosaur Fossil Sweeping
Engage your preschooler in fun hands-on fine motor activities from our Dinosaur Fine Motor Fun Activity Set.
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Dinosaur Bone scoop-Fine Motor
Bury 2-3 different types of dry pasta "Dinosaur Bones" to add to sand.
Place photo labels on bowls or bins. Using tweezers have students find and sort the bones.
Place photo labels on bowls or bins. Using tweezers have students find and sort the bones.
Extract Dinosaurs from Ice- Fine Motor
Freeze plastic dinosaurs in an ice chunk. Have children use warm water and eye droppers/spray bottles to free them for some great fine motor practice.
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Move Like a Dinosaur-Gross Motor
Challenge students to move like different dinosaurs.
Example: Stomp like a T-Rex, Glide like a Pterodactyl, Run like a Velociraptor.
Example: Stomp like a T-Rex, Glide like a Pterodactyl, Run like a Velociraptor.
Follow The Dino Tracks-Gross Motor
Print off or draw different shaped Dinosaur tracks. Lay them out in different patterns in the classroom or outside. Have students follow the tracks in different ways.
Examples: Hop on the T-Rex tracks or skip on the Stegosaurus tracks.
Examples: Hop on the T-Rex tracks or skip on the Stegosaurus tracks.
The Floor is Lava-Gross Motor
Play the floor is lava. Provide students with stable items that they can hop onto move on in order to not touch the floor. Give students a spot in the room or outside to get to without touching the floor. Extend this activity by setting up the items so students have to work together to get everyone to the other side.
Dinosaur Egg Rescue-Gross Motor
Set up a hopscotch game with dinosaur eggs at one end an a dinosaur nest at the other. Have students take turns taking an egg, completing the hopscotch pattern and delivering the dinosaur egg safely to its nest.
Triceratops Toss
Use bulletin board paper to make a Triceratops Head, and place it on the floor. Place plastic cone "horns" on top of your cutout. Have students stand several feet away and attempt to toss rings onto the cones.
More Physical Development Ideas
Dinosaur Fine Motor Hunt from Best Toys for Toddlers
Dino Drop from Frogs Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Dinosaur Toss from Mess for Less
Dinosaur Play Dough Kit from Mama Papa Bubba
Dino Drop from Frogs Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Dinosaur Toss from Mess for Less
Dinosaur Play Dough Kit from Mama Papa Bubba
Participate in a Group Chant
Children will have fun practicing subtraction with this fun chant. Before singing place 5 dinosaur figures (or paper cutouts) near you, or on a display board.
Sing to the tune of "5-green and speckled frogs"
5 dinosaurs all green
Looking so fierce and mean,
Stomping their big feet on the ground-stomp, stomp
One got too close to me.
I hid behind a tree.
It left before I could found. Shhhh...
(take away one dinosaur and whisper "how many went away? How many are left? whisper-count how many are left).
Sing each verse, until all of the dinosaurs are gone!
Sing to the tune of "5-green and speckled frogs"
5 dinosaurs all green
Looking so fierce and mean,
Stomping their big feet on the ground-stomp, stomp
One got too close to me.
I hid behind a tree.
It left before I could found. Shhhh...
(take away one dinosaur and whisper "how many went away? How many are left? whisper-count how many are left).
Sing each verse, until all of the dinosaurs are gone!
Take a virtual museum tour
Take a virtual dinosaur museum tour like this one from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Paleontologist Guest Speaker
If you are able to find a paleontologist in your community, invite them to come present to the class via Zoom to talk about dinosaurs!
Play a Game Together- Dinosaur Charades
Have students act out different dinosaurs while their classmates try to guess what kind of dinosaur they are. This is a great way to practice taking turns and collaboration.
Dinosaur Emotion Mats-coming soon!
Dinosaur Egg Pass-Teamwork
Have students line up. At one end of the line place a bucket of plastic dinosaur eggs. At the other end have a dinosaur nest. Challenge the students to see how many eggs they can get to the nest in a certain amount of time. They have to use teamwork to pass the dinosaur egg down the line to place it in the nest.
Theme Communication
- Ask families if they have any dinosaur experts in their family or friends that might like to come in and talk about their work.
- Ask families if they have any fun materials or books for the program to explore this week.
- Add the suggested materials and books from this page to your Amazon Wish List for parents to donate to the classroom.
- Share your lesson plan with parents so they can extend the conversation and learning at home!
Dinosaur Name Seating Mats
Use craft foam or paper (laminated) to create large dinosaur seating mats.
Add a student name to each mat, so they can find where to sit during group time.
Add a student name to each mat, so they can find where to sit during group time.
