At our house, there’s a constant stream of dinosaur-themed books, pretend play, and—of course—crafts!
If your toddler or preschooler is anything like mine, then you already know that dinosaur crafts are a surefire way to keep them engaged, learning, and having fun.
Whether we’re pretending to stomp like a T-Rex or whispering about how gentle the Brachiosaurus must have been, dinosaurs always seem to spark curiosity and playfulness.
And let’s be real—anything that keeps little hands busy while also letting them explore colors, textures, and creativity is a win.
These dinosaur crafts are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers because they encourage fine motor skills, introduce shapes and colors, and, most importantly, let kids get messy in the best way.
Why You’ll Love These Dinosaur Crafts
- Perfect for little hands – These crafts use simple materials and techniques that are easy for toddlers and preschoolers to do with a little guidance.
- Encourages creativity and storytelling – Your child might start by making a dinosaur craft, but soon they’ll be roaring around the room, creating their own dino adventures.
- Great for all seasons – Whether it’s a rainy day, a themed week at preschool, or just a quiet afternoon at home, these crafts work anytime.
- Hands-on learning – These activities sneak in fine motor practice, color recognition, and even some early science discussions. (Did dinosaurs have feathers? What did they eat? Let’s investigate!)
Dinosaur Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers
1. Paper Plate Dinosaur Craft
With our Paper Plate Dinosaur Craft, we brought a bit of that prehistoric fun into our crafting table in a fun, simple way that use everyday crafting materials!
Supplies You’ll Need:
- White paper plate
- Cardboard tube (for the legs)
- Green paint (light and dark shades)
- Google eyes
- Black marker
- Paint brushes
- Circle foam brush
- Scissors
- Glue
2. Crayon Resist Dinosaur
Our Crayon Resist Dinosaur Craft lets your kids discover the hidden world of dinosaur bones through the magical technique of resist painting.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Watercolor paper
- Dinosaur templates (printable here)
- White crayon
- Watercolor paint
- Paintbrush
3. Bleeding Tissue Paper Dinosaur Craft
Enter into a prehistoric world with our Bleeding Tissue Paper Dinosaur craft, a cool and fun dinosaur craft for kids using a unique type of tissue paper.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Watercolor paper
- White crayon
- Bleeding tissue paper (in various shades of green, brown, and orange)
- Spray bottle with water
- Dinosaur printable (available here)
4. Dinosaur Coloring Pages
What better way to explore the prehistoric world than through dinosaur coloring pages? These pages not only provide a fun and engaging activity for kids of all ages but also offer an educational journey back in time.
5. Coffee Filter Dinosaur Craft
This coffee filter dinosaur craft made from a coffee filter is such a cute STEAM art idea for kids. It’s a great way to explore chromatography.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Coffee filters
- Washable markers
- Green, orange, blue or purple construction paper
- Glue stick
- Spray bottle
- Water
6. Dinosaur Painted Heart Craft
Combine dinosaurs and Valentine’s fun with this adorable painted heart craft. Perfect for creative kids who love prehistoric creatures.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Pink or Red Construction Paper
- Scissors
- Masking Tape
- Paper Plate
- White and Red Washable Paint
- Dinosaur Toys
7. Spatula Painted Dinosaur Craft
Try something new with this spatula-painted dinosaur craft. A fun process art project that’s perfect for little hands.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Green and yellow construction paper
- Black Sharpie
- Googley eyes
- Glue
- Washable green and brown paint
- Spatula
- Paper Plate
- Scissors
8. Letter D Sticky Wall Craft
Letter D for dinosaur and duck sticky wall craft is a fun and easy sticky wall activity for toddlers and preschoolers and a great way to practice letter recognition of the letter d.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Purple and Orange construction paper
- Contact paper
- Black Sharpie
- Scissors
- Painters tape
- Bowl
- Green and yellow tissue paper
- Yellow feathers
- Googley eyes
9. Dinosaur Herb Garden Project
Have you ever made a dinosaur herb garden with your kids? Well neither had we until recently and I have to say that it was great fun!
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Large planter
- Soil
- Large and small rocks
- Herbs such as kale, basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Chives
- One large rocks for the volcano
- Red, yellow and orange outdoor paint
- Dinosaur figurines
- Optional: large lid to make a little pool plus blue gem stones
10. Cardboard Dinosaur Craft
This awesome and easy dinosaur is great for all ages! Use what you have on hand and create a unique dinosaur every time!
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Cardboard
- Green feathers, felt, foam sheets, Pom poms, straws, construction paper
- Glue
11. Cotton Pad Dinosaur Craft
This is a fun and colorful fine motor crafts using cotton pads preschoolers and kindergarteners will love!
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Cardboard
- Marker
- googley eyes
- Cotton pads
- bowls
- water
- food coloring
- eye droppers
12. Dinosaur Suncatchers
This suncatcher craft is one of my favorites! Create colorful dinosaur shaped sun catchers!
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Contact paper
- tissue paper
- black construction paper
- Dinosaur templates
13. Cotton Ball Painted Dinosaur Craft
The perfect painting activity for toddlers! Using cotton balls and clothespins.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Construction paper
- White paper
- glue stick
- cotton balls
- clothes pins
- washable paint
- marker
- googley eye
14. Sponge Printed Dinosaur Craft
I just loved how this one turned out and so will you! Create a negative space dinosaurs using sponges!
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Cardstock
- Dinosaur templates
- Sponges
- Scissors
- Washable paint
15. Dot Sticker Dinosaur Craft
This craft doubles as a learning activity as well. Decorate a dinosaur with dots and practice color recognition with this adorable dinosaur craft.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Butcher paper
- Marker
- Dot markers
- Googley eye
- Dot stickers
16. Pom Pom Painted Dinosaur Craft
Paint a dinosaur using Pom poms and paint!
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Dinosaur template (find it here)
- pom poms
- Clothespins
- Washable paint
- White cardstock
18. Salt Dough Dinosaur Fossils
Supplies You’ll Need:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup water
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
- Rolling pin
- Dinosaur toy figures or plastic skeletons
- Optional: Paints, paintbrushes, and varnish for decorating the fossils
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
