Talk About It: How Big Were Dinosaurs?

Some dinosaurs were huge, and some were small.

Talk About It: How Do We Know What Dinosaurs Looked Like?

Scientists use clues, like bones and footprints.

Dinosaur Activities for Toddlers

Mystee Ipong

Oct 5

2 min read

Updated: 5 hours ago

Dinosaur activities for toddlers: snack, play, book and free printable

Dinosaurs are big, loud and long gone, which is exactly why little kids love them. This week uses that excitement for some real science: digging, comparing sizes, looking for clues and asking how we know.

Everything below goes with Episode 5 of Sprocket & Sprout. Do a little each day, or pick the ones that fit your week.

Watch

Episode 5: Dinosaurs. The full episode.
Stomp Like a Dinosaur!. This week's song.

Snacks

Dinosaur dirt cup: a clear cup layered with pudding and crushed cookie "dirt" with a dinosaur cracker on top, next to two wooden toy dinosaurs

Dinosaur Dirt Cups. Pudding and cookie "dirt" with a dinosaur hiding on top.
Stegosaurus Apples. Half an apple for the body and thin slices for the plates along its back.
Volcano Fruit Bowl. A fruit mountain with strawberry yogurt "lava" running down the sides.

Projects

Dinosaur Mystery Dig, a project for toddlers from Sprocket & Sprout

Dinosaur Mystery Dig. Bury toy dinosaurs in sand or rice, then dig, dust and count.
Fossil Impression Art. Press toy dinosaur feet, shells and leaves into salt dough to make your own fossils.
Bowling Alley. Roll, knock down and count to 5.

Books

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton, front cover

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton. A simple, bold first dinosaur book. Get the book on Amazon
Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland. A loud, happy book of opposites. Get the book on Amazon
Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner. A bright, rhyming book about the bones inside dinosaurs and inside us. Get the book on Amazon
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodbye? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. A funny, gentle book about a big feeling. Get the book on Amazon

Talk about it

Illustration of a huge dinosaur longer than three school buses and a small dinosaur the size of a chicken

Talk About It: How Big Were Dinosaurs?. Some dinosaurs were huge, and some were small.
Talk About It: How Do We Know What Dinosaurs Looked Like?. Scientists use clues, like bones and footprints.

Free printables

Dinosaur Track Detective (free PDF). Count 5 tracks, find which way the dinosaur walked and match each track to its dinosaur.
Finish the Dinosaur (free PDF). Look at the skeleton, then draw what the dinosaur looked like when it was alive.

Looking for more? See all our free printables.

Letter and number of the week

This week's letter is E and the number is 5. See Letter E Activities for Toddlers and Number 5 Activities for Toddlers.

Keep going

The supplies we used are in our Week 5 Amazon list. Browse every Week 5 post, see all the weeks, or get the free Passport and collect a stamp for each week you finish.

Every child is different. Please use your own judgment about what's safe and right for your family. Always supervise children during activities and while eating, and adjust foods for allergies, dietary needs and your child's age and chewing ability. Sprocket & Sprout shares these ideas for fun and learning only. We are not responsible for any injury, allergic reaction, damage or mess that may result from trying them. This post may contain affiliate links; if you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.