Preschool Dinosaur Lesson Planning Ideas
This site uses affiliate links (What's that?)
Welcome to the Dinosaur Lesson Planning Page from Pre-K Printable Fun!
Exploring the world of Dinosaurs with preschoolers is a blast!
Exploring the world of Dinosaurs with preschoolers is a blast!
Click on a link below to view a section-use the yellow arrow to return to the top!
|
Pre-K Printables Club Members
Log In to download these Pre-K Printable Fun Products for free! Not a member? Find out more about our membership
|
Dinosaur Track Fossil Necklace
Invite your preschooler to create a special dinosaur necklace of their very own!
See the tutorial on the Dinosaur Track Fossil Necklace blog post.
See the tutorial on the Dinosaur Track Fossil Necklace blog post.
*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.
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 Mircroscopes, 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
*Dinosaur Small World Play
Invite the children to create a Dinosaur Small World Play Area: Add Dinosaurs, Pretend Plants, Nature Items (Twigs, Rocks), Volcano, Blue Felt (Water), Brown Felt (Dirt), Green Felt (Grass) to the Construction Area.
Build Outside
Build a dinosaur habitat outside using unit blocks or tree blocks. Add mud or sand to create volcanoes and mountains.
More IDeas:
- How to Make Small World Play Volcanoes from Still Playing School
- Invitation to create a mini dinosaur world from Little Worlds
Dino Themed Patterning
Practice patterning with this dinosaur themed patterning printable included in the Dinosaur Activity Pack from PKPF.
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.
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.
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.
more Dino Math ideas
- Dinosaur Clothespin Counting Activity from The Hive
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.
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.
Community Member Sheena W. invited her preschooler to sort mini dinosaurs based on type using the word wall cards.
What If?
Encourage your preschooler to engage in imaginative thinking.
Plan to read (or listen to the read aloud below) the book 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 below) the book 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.
More Language & Literacy Ideas
- Digging for Dinosaur Fossils from Learning 4 Kids
- Dinosaur Letter Tracing from Modern Preschool
We Love Dinosaurs By Lucy Volpin
How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors? By Jane Yolen
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs By Catherine D. Hughes
The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone By Jan Berenstain and Stan Berenstain
How Tall Was a T. Rex? By Alison Limentani
Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners By Judy Sierra
*My Big Dinosaur Book By Roger Priddy
Tammy from Tammy's Daycare made these DIY Dino Fossils.
Try this tutorial for fossils made from coffee grounds.
Try this tutorial for fossils made from coffee grounds.
Dinosaur Egg Excavation
Set 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.
Support preschoolers as they learn patience, perseverance, and the thrill of discovery as they engage in this Dinosaur Egg Excavation activity.
Create A Dino Sensory Bin
Members of the PKPF Community have shared some great sensory bins, see a few for inspiration below.
Dinosaur Sensory Bin from Erica's Educare Learning Center
Dinosaur Sensory Bin from from Happy Hands Early Learning Academy
Dinosaur Sensory Bin using aquarium gravel, fake leaves, and rocks from Building Blocks Family Child Care
Dinosaur Slime
Create some slime for pretend dinosaurs to stomp through
More 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
Dinosaur Shape Clip Cards
When preschoolers use clothespins they are strengthening their hands and improving dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
These Dinosaur Shape Clip Cards are great fine motor fun and support preschoolers in shape recognition.
These cards are included in the Dinosaur Activity Pack from PKPF.
These Dinosaur Shape Clip Cards are great fine motor fun and support preschoolers in shape recognition.
These cards are included in the Dinosaur Activity Pack from PKPF.
Dinosaur Fine Motor Activities
Engage your preschooler in fun hands-on fine motor activities from the PKPF Dinosaur Fine Motor Fun Activity Set.
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
Dinosaur Roar
Preschoolers often struggle with big feelings.
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!
What would you eat? Group Sorting
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.
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!
