Dinosaur Excavation

Recommended Ages: 2–6

Calling all paleontologists! It’s time to dig for dinosaurs. Fill a bin, sandbox, or outdoor area with sand, dirt, or mud and hide a few treasures inside. Your little explorer can dig, scoop, and search for dinosaur discoveries just like a real archaeologist.

Try burying:

  • Plastic dinosaurs
  • Toy bones
  • Easter eggs
  • Large pasta shapes
  • Small rocks

For an extra challenge, freeze small toys inside ice and create your own frozen fossils!

As your child digs, ask:

  • What did you discover?
  • Do you think this dinosaur was big or small?
  • What would you name your dinosaur?

You’ll Practice:

  • Fine motor skills
  • Sensory exploration
  • Problem-solving and discovery

Dinosaur Freeze Dance

Recommended Ages: 2–6

Get ready to stomp, flap, and roar! Put on your favorite music and dance like a dinosaur. When the music stops, freeze as still as a fossil!

Try these dinosaur dance moves:

  • Stomp your giant T-Rex feet
  • Flap your Pteranodon wings
  • Take tiny Micro-Raptor steps
  • Swing your Stegosaurus tail
  • Roar like a Triceratops

Want an extra challenge? Dance in slow motion or super speed!

Dinosaur Song Playlist

The Dinosaur Dance 

You’ll Practice:

  • Focus and concentration
  • Listening skills
  • Gross motor development

Hot Dinosaur Egg

Recommended Ages: 2–6

A dinosaur egg needs your help! Find a soft ball or other safe object to use as a dinosaur egg. Sit in a circle and pass the egg around while music plays. When the music stops, everyone freezes! The person holding the egg becomes the egg protector. Can they keep the baby dinosaur safe from the group’s gentle dinosaur roars and stomps? Take turns being the protector and imagine what kind of dinosaur might hatch from the egg.

Ask:

  • What color is your dinosaur?
  • How big will it grow?
  • What does it like to eat?

You’ll Practice:

  • Turn-taking
  • Imaginative play
  • Listening and self-regulation

Fossil Pasta

Recommended Ages: 2–6

Create your own dinosaur fossils! Flatten a piece of playdough and press different objects into the surface to make fossil imprints.

Try using:

  • Pasta shapes
  • Leaves
  • Sticks
  • Shells
  • Small toy dinosaurs

Lift the object carefully and see what pattern is left behind.

No playdough? Try using damp sand, dirt, or mud outdoors. Or make your own!

Talk about:

  • Which fossil pattern is your favorite?
  • What do scientists learn from fossils?
  • What kind of dinosaur left these tracks?

You’ll Practice:

  • Fine motor skills
  • Observation
  • Creativity and exploration