Preschoolers love dinosaurs. If your living room rug turns into a prehistoric battleground every afternoon, craft time gives kids a fun way to channel that extra energy. These projects spark imagination and help little hands build muscle control. Looking for more indoor fun on rainy days? Check out our favorite rainy day activities for preschoolers when you need more ideas.
You do not need expensive art supplies or a fine arts degree to make great memories with your kids. Grab paper plates, paint, safety scissors, and glue sticks. Here are 25 simple dinosaur crafts your preschoolers will love.
1. Paper plate T-rex
Turn a plain paper plate into a Tyrannosaurus rex. Cut a paper plate in half to make the body, then glue on paper cutouts for the head, tail, and tiny arms. Preschoolers love slapping green paint across the paper and adding big googly eyes. If your kids enjoy paper plate projects, try our budget-friendly paper plate crafts during your next project session.
2. Salt dough dinosaur fossils
Mix flour, salt, and water to create a simple dough. Roll the dough into flat circles, then press toy dinosaur feet into the surface. Bake the circles on low heat until they harden into permanent footprint stones. Kids can paint their finished fossils brown and gray to match real rocks. Read through real prehistoric dinosaur facts together while the dough bakes.
3. Egg carton stegosaurus
Save your empty cardboard egg cartons for this activity. Cut out individual egg cups and glue them down the spine of a paper dinosaur cutout to make back plates. Preschoolers build hand control while painting each cup a different color. This upcycled project works exceptionally well for little fingers.
4. Handprint dinosaur keepsake
Paint your child’s palm green or blue, press it onto thick paper, and turn the paper upside down so the four fingers point down like legs. Draw a long neck coming off the thumb and a tail on the pinky side. Pro tip: Write the date on the back of the paper because kids grow quickly.
5. Frozen dino egg dig
Tuck small plastic dinosaurs inside water balloons, fill the balloons with water, and freeze them overnight. Peel off the rubber balloon material once the water freezes into solid ice. Give your preschooler squirt bottles filled with warm salt water so they can melt the ice and free the toy dinosaurs.
6. Tissue paper volcano and dino craft
Glue a black paper triangle onto cardstock to form a volcano base. Let kids glue red and orange tissue paper squares at the top to look like lava. Glue a small dinosaur paper cutout near the bottom of the page. Kids love telling stories about the escaping dinosaur as they assemble the scene.
7. Clothespin dino feet
Cut large footprint shapes out of heavy cardboard. Clip wooden clothespins along the front edge to act as claws. Paint the cardboard feet bright colors, then let your child step onto the shapes and stomp around the living room.
8. Cupcake liner triceratops
Fold a colorful paper cupcake liner in half to form a Triceratops neck frill. Glue a paper circle over the folded liner to make the head, then add three white paper triangles for the horns. Kids practice spatial skills as they position each horn on the face.
9. Sponge-painted dinosaur silhouettes
Cut a dinosaur shape out of painter’s tape and press it onto heavy white paper. Have your child dab washable paint around the tape edges using a kitchen sponge. Peel the tape away to reveal a clean white outline surrounded by textured color. This method supports fine motor development without requiring neat brushwork.
Sensory craft tip
Use a damp sponge to create a bumpy texture that mimics rough dinosaur skin.
10. Paper bag dino puppet
Kids paint the outside of a brown paper lunch bag, then glue paper teeth under the top flap. Slip a hand inside to open and close the mouth while making roar noises. You get an instant tabletop puppet show.
11. Bubble wrap dino skin print
Roll paint onto a sheet of bubble wrap, then press a paper dinosaur cutout down onto the wet paint. When you lift the paper, you find a scaly pattern across the dinosaur’s body. Save your packing bubble wrap for rainy afternoons like this.
12. Popsicle stick brachiosaurus
Glue craft sticks together to build long-necked dinosaurs. Form a simple triangle base with three craft sticks, then glue a long vertical stick to the side to represent the neck. Kids paint the wood green and add small googly eyes to complete the body.
13. Dino feet tissue box shoes
Turn empty tissue boxes into stomping shoes. Wrap two tissue boxes in green construction paper, then glue foam triangles along the front edge for claws. Kids slide their feet right into the box openings and march around the room.
14. Cardboard roll diplodocus
Recycle cardboard tubes into standing dinosaurs. Cut two small arches out of the bottom of a cardboard roll to form four legs. Cut small slits near the top of the roll, then slide in a paper neck and tail. The finished dinosaur stands upright on flat surfaces.
15. Sticker dot dino fine motor craft
Draw a dinosaur outline on thick paper and hand your child a sheet of round sticker dots. Kids peel the stickers and place them along the lines to complete the shape. This quiet activity holds their attention and builds hand strength.
16. Pasta shell dino skeleton
Use uncooked pasta to construct dinosaur skeletons. Glue dried noodles (such as penne, macaroni, or shell pasta) onto dark paper to create bone structures. Fun fact: Uncooked noodles look like fossilized bones when you glue them against a dark background.
17. Paper strip spinosaurus
Build a sailback dinosaur using paper strips. Kids loop strips of red and yellow paper, gluing the ends to the back of a dinosaur cutout to make a textured ridge. This project gives young kids practice with simple folding and gluing movements.
18. Feed the dino shape sorter craft
Combine crafting with simple shape recognition. Decorate a cardboard shoebox to look like a dinosaur, then cut a wide mouth hole in the front. Cut out cardboard shapes such as circles, squares, stars, and triangles. Your preschooler can feed the cutout shapes into the mouth slot.
19. Paper plate pterodactyl
Cut a paper plate into two curved wings, then glue them onto a cardboard tube body. Glue on a pointed head piece, and let your kids fly their finished pterodactyl around the yard. This simple project introduces basic assembly skills.
20. Playdough dino habitat
Flatten green and brown playdough across a baking tray to create a ground base. Give your child rocks, plastic trees, twigs, and toy dinosaurs to arrange across the tray. This setup encourages independent, imaginative play.
21. Coffee filter dino art
Kids draw patterns on round coffee filters using washable markers, then spray them lightly with water to blend the colors together. Once the filters dry, cut them into dinosaur bodies or paper scales.
22. Wobbly paper plate dinosaur
Fold a paper plate in half so it rocks on its curved edge. Glue a paper head onto one end and a tail onto the other. Tap the top of the folded plate, and watch the dinosaur rock back and forth on the table.
23. Yarn-wrapped dinosaur craft
Cut dinosaur shapes out of thick cardboard. Tie a piece of yarn around the center of a cutout, then let your child wrap yarn around the middle section until they cover the body. If you want more yarn projects, look through our easy summer crafts for kids for extra ideas.
24. Leaf monster and dino collages
Take your craft session outside to collect materials. Gather fallen leaves, pine needles, bark, and small twigs from your yard. Glue these pieces onto cardstock to build dinosaur spikes, tails, and bodies.
25. Dinosaur crown craft
Cut a paper strip long enough to wrap around your preschooler’s head. Glue paper triangles along the center of the band to look like stegosaurus spikes. Secure the ends with tape or staples to make a wearable crown. Explore more creative hands-on learning projects to keep kids busy throughout the week.
Quick recap checklist
- Gather household items like paper plates, cardboard tubes, egg cartons, and scrap paper.
- Keep washable paints, glue sticks, and scissors nearby.
- Expect messy hands because young kids learn best when touching materials.
Conclusion
Crafting with your preschooler should stay fun and straightforward. These 25 dinosaur projects build fine motor skills and keep kids busy without requiring expensive supplies. Pick a project, clear off the kitchen table, and start building together. Paper scraps may end up on the floor, but your child will love showing off what they made.