Plastic dinosaurs
Plush dinosaurs
Dinosaur puppets
Books about dinosaurs
Dinosaur stickers
Dinosaur cookie cutters
Dinosaur stamps
Green, white, and brown playdough
Pictures of dinosaurs
Dinosaurs puzzles
Dinosaur eggs
Dinosaur bones
Dinosaur file folder game
Grass, sticks, large rocks, plastic plants, dirt
Dinosaur costumes
Magnifying glasses
Binoculars
Shovel
Sand
Brush to brush sand off bones
Paleontologist costume
Dinosaur feet- here is link that shows how to make them http://lalymom.com/2014/05/dinosaur-activities-for-preschoolers-diy-dinosaur-feet-stilts.html
Water table: plastic dinosaurs, large smooth rocks, dinosaur eggs, small plastic plants, etc
Sensory table: sand, brush, "dinosaur bones", shovel, small buckets, etc
1. Stamp dinosaurs on paper
2. Pretend play with dinosaur puppets
3. Dig for dinosaur bones in sand or dirt
4. Let children build dinosaur habitats using grass, sticks, large rocks, plastic plants, dirt
5. Felt Board Counting
Materials Needed: Felt board, dinosaurs cut out of different colors.
Give each child a felt cut out and ask them to place it on the board as you sing the colors:
Sung to the tune of “One Little, Two Little”
1 red, 1 blue 1 green dinosaur.
1 orange, 1 yellow, 1 white dinosaur,
1 pink, 1 brown, 1 black dinosaur
1 purple dinosaur…
10 dinosaurs in all.
Repeat as needed so that each child has a turn.
6. Playdough Fossils
Materials needed: white playdough, small plastic dinosaurs
Have the children make the playdough into balls and then flatten them.
They then press the side of a dinosaur into the playdough to make fossils.
EXTENSION: Let the fossils dry. When dry, let the children paint them using watercolor paints.
7. Swamp picture- squirt paint in middle of construction paper. let children add dirt, grass, sticks then let dry. Pretend play by moving plastic dinosaurs along the artwork.
8. Dinosaur tracks (using plastic dinosaurs, paint, and paper)
9. Free dinosaurs frozen in ice by squirting ice with warm water and and hit with plastic hammer
10. Where is the dinosaur? Take 3 paper cups, hide small plastic dinosaur under one of the cups and let children try to figure out which cup it is under. Let children take turns hiding the dinosaur.
1. Paleontologist Hunt (Hide theme related items outside: mini dinos, stuffed dinos, dino bones, plastic eggs with mini dinos in them)
2. Move like they did! Materials: Pictures of different dinos. Talk about how they moved (fly, walk on 2 legs, on 4 legs, little steps, big steps? As you discuss each one have children “move like they did” around playground.
3. Dinosaur tracks- place dino tracks around playground and have children look for them using magnifying glasses.
4. Dinosaur jump/crawl- lay out dinosaur tracks for children to jump or crawl on
5. Stomp around wearing homemade dinosaur feet, here’s link to make the feet: http://lalymom.com/2014/05/dinosaur-activities-for-preschoolers-diy-dinosaur-feet-stilts.html
1. Did You Ever See a Dino? (tune: Did You Ever See a Lassie?)
Did you ever see a dino, a dino, a dino?
Did you ever see a dino munching his lunch?
He munches and crunches and crunches and munches.
Did you ever see a dino, munch his lunch?
Repeat with:
Stomp his feet
Wiggle his tail, and so on.
2. All Around the Jungle (tune: Wheels on the Bus)
The brontosaurus goes, much, munch, munch.
Munch, munch, munch. Munch, munch, munch.
The brontosaurus goes, much, munch, munch.
All around the jungle!
Repeat with:
The stegosaurus’ tail goes spike, spike, spike.
The triceratops’ horns go poke, poke, poke.
The pterodactyl’s wings go flap, flap, flap.
The Tyrannosaurus goes grr, grr, grr.
3.Dinosaur, Dinosaur (tune: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Chant)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, stamp your feet. (stomp feet)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, show your teeth. (show teeth)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, swing your tail. (sway arm back
and forth)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, touch your scales. (rub your belly)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, show your claws. (bend fingers
like claws)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, open your jaws. (open mouth)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, give a roar. (make a “roar” sound)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, sit on the floor. (sit down)
4. Dinosaur Finds A Friend (tune: Farmer in the Dell)
(Brontosaurus) finds a friend.
(Brontosaurus) finds a friend.
She searches high. She searches low.
(Brontosaurus) finds a friend.
*continue song with:
Stegosaurus
Triceratops
Pteradactyl
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Then when everyone has been found, sing:
We all found a friend.
We all found a friend.
We searched high. We searched low.
We all found a friend.
5. The Dinosaurs
The dinosaurs lived long ago, when life on earth
began. (gesture palm up and wave over your shoulder)
Some were tall. (gesture high)
Some were small. (gesture low)
Some liked water. (pretend to swim)
Some liked land. (alternate patting legs to make
walking sound)
Pteranadons had leathery wings. (pretend to fly)
Brontosaurus has longs necks. (stretch your neck)
But the meanest dinosaur of all. (make a mean face)
Was Tyrannosaurus Rex! (roar, make claws and show
teeth)
6. Dinosaur Moves
Spread your arms, way out wide,
Fly like a Pteranodon, soar and glide.
Bend to the floor, head down low,
Move like a Stegosaurus, long ago.
Reach up tall, try to be,
As tall as Apatasaurus eating on a tree.
Using your claws, grumble and growl,
Just like Tyrannosaurus on the prowl.
7. Dinosaurs by Shaun Brown
Teaching Concepts for Fingerplays
1. Five Crazy Dinosaurs
Five crazy dinosaurs sweeping up the floor.
One got swept away., and then there were
four!
Four crazy dinosaurs being chased by a bee,.
One got stung, and then there were three!
Three crazy dinosaurs playing with some glue.
One got stuck, and then there were two!
Two crazy dinosaurs out for a run.
One fell down, and then there was one!
One crazy dinosaur acting like a super hero.
He went off to save the others, and then there were ZERO!!
2. Enormous Dinosaurs
Five enormous dinosaurs letting out a roar.
One went away and then there were four!
Four enormous dinosaurs munching on a tree.
One went away and then there were three!
Three enormous dinosaurs didn’t know what to do.
One went away and then there were two!
Two enormous dinosaurs having lots of fun.
One went away and then there was one!
One enormous dinosaur afraid to be a hero.
He went away and then there was ZERO!
3. Colorful Dinosaurs (tune: Ten Little Indians)
One red
One blue
One green dinosaur,
One orange
One yellow
One white dinosaur,
One purple
One brown
One black dinosaur,
Nine dinosaurs in all.
4. Five Silly Dinosaurs
Five silly dinosaurs began to snore,(make snoring
noises)
One woke up, and then there were four.
Four silly dinosaurs climbing a tree, (reach up with
arms and move legs as if climbing)
One fell out, and then there were three. (fall down)
Three silly dinosaurs playing with glue, (move hands)
One got stuck, and then there were two. (act like
feet are stuck to floor)
Two silly dinosaurs went out for a run, (run in place)
One fell down, and then there was one. (fall down)
One silly dinosaur acting like a hero,
Went out to save the others, and then there were
zero. (sit down)
5. One Friendly Dinosaur
One friendly dinosaur wanted to play peek-a-boo.
She found another, and then there were two.
Two friendly dinosaurs looked behind a tree.
They found another, and then there were three.
Three friendly dinosaurs went to find some more.
They found another, and then there were four.
Four friendly dinosaurs in the water did dive.
They found another, and then there were five.
Five friendly dinosaurs played in the sun.
They all ran to hide; now there are none.