Dinosaurs are rad. Every year for many years, I have had at least one kiddo in my classroom who is wild about dinosaurs. That is why I wanted to share some of my favorite preschool dinosaur activities with you in hopes that it will inspire you to incorporate some into your classroom or at home.
It is also why I wrote a whole dinosaurs thematic unit. It’s packed with dinosaur activity ideas, crafts, dinosaur circle time lessons, and of course a dinosaur picture book list. You can check it out here –> Teacher Store
Preschool Dinosaur Activities
Turn your sensory bin into a dinosaur world! I love this activity, and the fall is the perfect time to use your water table for something that doesn’t get your students soaking wet.
I adore this activity because children do. They love pretending to be paleontologists and go out in search of dinosaur bones. This activity gives teachers a chance to talk a bit about how dinosaurs no longer exist, but they were real, and we know that because paleontologists just like us find and study their bones!
Preschool Dinosaur Crafts
Shape Dinosaur. I like making things out of shapes because activities like this offer children a chance to manipulate shapes and take note of how they can work together to create something. It also gives your students a chance to talk about shapes and their attributes.
I don’t do a lot of crafts for the sake of sending home something cute, but I do enjoy crafts that provide opportunities for specific skill-building like this clothespin dinosaur. Adding on the clothespins take serious effort and are an excellent workout for developing fine motor skills.
Dinosaur Math Activities
Sequence puzzles are great for your math center because they are lovely independent activities. This dinosaur sequence puzzle lets children use a few different scaffolds to piece it together. They can use the image or the numbers in sequence to help place the pieces in order. Print your own for free here.
Count the images and find the right number. You can clip the card with a clothespin or mark it with a button, coin, or pom pom. Print out the whole set out for free here.
Dinosaur Picture Books
This is a great list, but I have a new favorite dinosaur book that isn’t included in this older list. Rex Wrecks It is perfect for preschool! Read my review or click through my affiliate link to read more reviews on Amazon.
Rex Wrecks It by Ben Clanton is a must-read for preschool. It is all about a little dinosaur who just can not stop himself from knocking down other student’s towers. It is a great story because it empathizes with the children on all sides of this situation. The other boys in the book are calm, frustrated by the rambunctiousness but very empathetic towards Rex. Instead of revenge, the others find a way to include Rex.
Brontorina by James Howe is one of my most favorite books about standing up for others because it’s in a setting so many readers can relate to. Sure our kids aren’t dinosaurs, but some feel that different from their friends for all sorts of reasons. They stand out and don’t want to, they just want to be a part of the group, or in this case ballet class. The story is about a dinosaur who wants to be a ballerina and while a studio initially allows her to dance it’s clear that she is just too big. The story doesn’t end there. With some help from friends who stand up for her, they find a way to include everyone.
Attia-Tull-Karim Mahmood says
I loved it all the