Hands-On Dinosaur Activities for Preschoolers That Are Totally Roar-some

If there’s one thing most preschoolers can agree on, it’s that dinosaurs are awesome. Big ones, little ones, friendly herbivores or fierce T. rexes—they spark curiosity like nothing else. And the best part? Dinosaurs are the perfect theme for playful, hands-on learning. Whether your child is roaring through your living room in a dino costume or carefully digging through the sandbox for “fossils,” this is a stage when wonder is the best teacher.

In this post, we’re sharing our favorite preschool dinosaur activities—easy, engaging ideas that build early learning skills while embracing the fun. And if you’d love to skip the prep and get everything in one box, our Explore Dinosaurs homeschool unit is packed with 25+ open-and-go activities, step-by-step directions, and all materials included.

At this age, learning is rooted in movement, imagination, and sensory exploration. Dinosaur-themed play naturally supports:

• Fine motor development through sculpting, stamping, cutting, and building

• Early literacy and language through themed read-alouds and vocabulary building

• STEM learning through cause-and-effect science experiments and sorting

• Creative expression through art and pretend play

In other words, dinosaurs aren’t just fun—they’re a gateway into meaningful early education.

When it comes to preschool dinosaur activities, crafts are always a hit. There’s something magical about giving kids a pile of supplies and watching them turn it into their own prehistoric creation. The projects don’t have to be fancy—just open-ended enough to spark imagination and simple enough for little hands to do with confidence. Whether your child loves to paint, glue, cut, or just get messy, these dino-themed art activities are the perfect way to blend creativity with learning.

Start with a sturdy cardboard dinosaur cutout and a set of colorful markers. Kids decorate each piece with their own unique patterns, then assemble it into a standing dino creation. It’s simple, satisfying, and just the right mix of art and puzzle play. Want to take it up a notch? Add feathers, felt, foam, or other craft scraps from home to give your dinosaur even more personality.

This project creates a bold black dinosaur silhouette set against a dreamy watercolor-style sunset background. Kids experiment with blending warm and cool colors to form the sky, then layer a painted stencil over top for dramatic effect. It’s part process art, part prehistoric magic—and always ends in a frame-worthy piece they’ll be proud to show off.

In this project, special paper transforms marker scribbles into dreamy watercolor-like patterns when sprayed with water. It’s the perfect combination of process art and surprise science—and we even include a mini spray bottle so you don't have to scramble for any supplies.

Inspired by the whimsical book If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most, this project invites kids to imagine what modern life would look like with dinosaurs roaming the streets. After reading the story, children use their imaginations to build a city scene—complete with a blast-from-the-past dinosaur! 

Encourage your child to invent their own dinosaur species using whatever they find—bottle caps, yarn, tissue paper, etc. We include pompoms, buttons, and corrugated cardboard to kick things off!

Preschoolers learn best when they can get their hands in the mix—literally. That’s why this unit includes a full set of dino-themed science and sensory activities that let kids squish, fizz, bubble, and build while exploring big ideas like volcanoes, weather, fossils, and the prehistoric world.

These aren’t just busy play—they’re real learning opportunities disguised as fun.

The classic baking soda and vinegar reaction becomes even more exciting when it’s framed as a dinosaur-era eruption. With colorful fizz and real test tubes, kids get to safely recreate a prehistoric volcanic explosion. It’s simple, dramatic, and sets the stage for dino-themed imaginative play.

In this two-step sensory activity, kids first create their very own "fossil" mixing ingredients and pressing a dinosaur figure into a provided mold. Then get ready to make your discovery—in a fun and fizzy way!—with the help of bubbling vinegar. It’s a great intro to paleontology for our youngest scientists!

Sticky, stretchy, and totally irresistible, this activity turns glue, shaving cream, and a few other ingredients into gooey “Jurassic slime.” Kids trap their dino figures inside and try to dig them out—while learning about texture, polymers, and the challenges prehistoric creatures may have faced in their environment.

What happens when your favorite dino gets stuck in a frozen fossil mold? Kids experiment with freezing and melting colored water to learn about ice ages and how glaciers once covered the land. Bonus activity ideas even include using salt to help “rescue” the trapped dinos—a perfect blend of science and storytelling.

Add shaving cream to the original eruption and what do you get? A slow, foamy version that mimics the kind of lava flow that might trap unsuspecting dinosaurs. Kids can even place dinos near the “volcano” and narrate their fate, sparking dramatic storytelling alongside the chemical reaction.

This bubbling experiment simulates a submarine volcanic eruption using oil, water, and fizzing tablets. It’s visually fascinating and introduces the idea that not all volcanoes explode above ground—some happen deep under the sea. A great way to add variety to the volcano theme and build observation skills.

This stretchy, bouncy, DIY putty is part science, part sensory fun. Once kids mix and play with it, they can hide a dino inside for a mini scavenger hunt—making it just the right mix of hands-on chemistry and playful adventure.

Using shaving cream and colored water, kids create their own miniature storm system in a cup. As the clouds “rain” down into the water below, children see how storms form and mix colors to watch new ones emerge. It’s hands-on weather science—no umbrellas needed.

Once kids have made all the sensory materials—slime, putty, and kinetic sand—they’re invited to combine them in one giant dinosaur habitat. They sculpt terrain, set up muddy swamps, and act out stories with the included dino figures. It’s open-ended, child-led play that pulls together everything they’ve learned and created.

While kids are fizzing, digging, and painting, they're also building foundational literacy skills—especially when activities are paired with thoughtful questions, storytelling prompts, and snuggly family time. These activities bring dino adventures to life while sneaking in plenty of early reading and communication practice.

This Learning Resources game is a big hit with preschoolers, kindergarteners, first graders, and beyond! Kids use chunky dinosaur stompers with suction-cup feet to smack down sight words as they’re called out. The kit includes over 200 color-coded sight words that grow with your child, from prek through 3rd grade. It's a playful, high-energy way to build reading confidence without flashcards or worksheets!

The crate includes Usborne Beginners: Dinosaurs, a nonfiction book filled with simple facts, bold illustrations, and easy-to-read text that’s perfect for building dinosaur vocabulary. It’s great for reading together, asking questions like:

• How do we know dinosaurs existed?

• Which dinosaur do you think was the biggest?

• Would you be scared or excited to see one in real life?

Families can also dive into a family-style chapter book like Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne. This read-aloud from the Magic Tree House series sparks longer attention spans, builds listening comprehension, and opens the door to all kinds of imaginative questions—like “What would you do if you traveled back in time?”

We love dinosaurs because kids love dinosaurs—but beneath the roars and giggles is something deeper. These kinds of hands-on preschool dinosaur activities help build skills that matter long after the toy dinos are put away:

• Problem-solving through building and experimenting

• Creative thinking through open-ended art and play

• Early literacy and math skills through themed games

• Emotional development through expression and imagination

And because our crate includes everything in one box—materials, instructions, books—it’s easy for parents too. No planning, no prep. Just learning disguised as fun!

Planning hands-on preschool activities can be a lot. Between gathering materials, figuring out what to do, and making sure it’s actually educational—it adds up fast. That’s why we’ve taken care of all the prep for you. With this ready-to-go crate, everything you need is already packed, organized, and waiting to be opened.

Inside the Explore Dinosaurs preschool–early elementary crate, you’ll find: