Early Years Activities

Dinosaur Activities for Early Years

Posted on by Eden Training Solutions
dinosaur activities for early years
31
Mar

Dinosaur Activities Early Years: 5 Fun EYFS Ideas for Nursery & Preschool

Early Years Activities

Dinosaur Activities for Early Years

5 roar-some, hands-on ideas for nursery, preschool and childminders. Support EYFS learning through sensory play and prehistoric adventures.

Explore Activities Play Dino Memory Match

Dinosaurs are a massive source of fascination for early years children. Exploring the prehistoric world is the perfect hook for introducing big vocabulary (like herbivore and carnivore), developing fine motor skills, and encouraging imaginative outdoor play.

These Dinosaur activities for early years are designed specifically for nursery and preschool settings. They are low-cost, incredibly engaging, and easy to adapt for different ages and abilities. Every activity is mapped to the EYFS framework to help you effortlessly track learning and development.

From excavating fossils in the sand to rescuing frozen dinosaur eggs, these ideas will bring the Jurassic era straight into your classroom or garden!

🦖
5 Activities Ready to use
🧠
EYFS-linked Learning through play
🌿
Messy Play Sensory rich
🎮
Interactive Memory Match Game

Our Top 5 Dinosaur Activities

Tap an icon to jump to each activity

🦖 Dino Memory Match

Find all the matching dinosaur pairs! Click two cards to flip them over. How quickly can you match them all?

0/8 Pairs Found
Attempts: 0
Dinosaur fossil excavation sensory bin with play sand, skeleton toys, and paintbrushes
Activity 1

Dinosaur Fossil Excavation

Best for: Sensory exploration, fine motor skills, understanding the world

What you need

  • A deep tray or tuff tray
  • Play sand or kinetic sand
  • Toy dinosaur skeletons or plastic “bones”
  • Small paintbrushes and magnifying glasses
  • Small cups to collect the finds

How to set it up

  1. Fill your tray with a layer of sand.
  2. Hide the dinosaur skeletons and bones deep within the sand.
  3. Provide children with paintbrushes to carefully “excavate” the area.
  4. Encourage them to brush away the sand gently, just like real paleontologists!
💬 Adult prompts
  • “What body part do you think this bone belongs to?”
  • “How many bones have you found so far?”
  • “Can you brush the sand away very carefully?”
📚 EYFS links
  • Physical Development (Fine motor skills using brushes)
  • Understanding the World (Discovery and exploration)
  • Maths (Counting bones)
💡

If you don’t have play sand, you can easily use dry oats or crushed cereal as a taste-safe alternative for younger toddlers!

Frozen ice dinosaur eggs melting in a water tray with pipettes
Activity 2

Frozen Dinosaur Eggs

Best for: Scientific thinking, problem-solving, sensory play

What you need

  • Small plastic dinosaurs
  • Balloons or small round containers
  • Water (and optional food colouring)
  • Warm water and pipettes/syringes

How to set it up

  1. Squeeze a plastic dinosaur into a balloon, fill with water, and tie it.
  2. Freeze overnight. Once frozen, cut away the balloon to reveal the “ice egg”.
  3. Place the eggs in a large tray.
  4. Provide children with warm water and pipettes to “hatch” their dinosaurs by melting the ice.
💬 Adult prompts
  • “How does the ice egg feel in your hands?”
  • “What happens to the ice when we add the warm water?”
  • “How can we get the dinosaur out even faster?”
📚 EYFS links
  • Understanding the World (Changes in state, melting and freezing)
  • Communication and Language (Scientific vocabulary)
  • Physical Development (Squeezing pipettes develops hand strength)
💡

Add a tiny pinch of salt to the eggs while they melt — children will be amazed at how it makes the ice crackle and break apart!

Dinosaur footprint painting on large paper using plastic dinosaur toys and washable paints
Activity 3

Stomping Footprint Painting

Best for: Expressive arts, pattern making, physical development

What you need

  • A large roll of paper or old wallpaper
  • Washable paints in shallow trays
  • Plastic dinosaurs with textured, bumpy feet
  • Wipes or a washing bowl for cleanup

How to set it up

  1. Roll out the paper across the floor or an outdoor space.
  2. Pour different colours of paint into shallow trays.
  3. Show the children how to dip the dinosaur’s feet into the paint.
  4. Let them stomp the dinosaurs across the paper to make colourful tracks!
💬 Adult prompts
  • “Which dinosaur made these massive tracks?”
  • “Can you make the footprints go around in a circle?”
  • “What happens when the red tracks and yellow tracks mix?”
📚 EYFS links
  • Expressive Arts and Design (Exploring colour and mark-making)
  • Physical Development (Gross motor movements across large paper)
  • Maths (Creating and observing repeated patterns)
💡

After the activity, setting up a “dinosaur wash” station with soapy water and toothbrushes is a brilliant extension that handles the cleanup for you!

Children building a large dinosaur nest outdoors using twigs, leaves, and pebbles
Activity 4

Build a Dinosaur Nest

Best for: Outdoor learning, teamwork, imaginative play

What you need

  • An outdoor space (garden, forest school, or playground)
  • Natural loose parts: twigs, leaves, long grass, bark
  • “Dinosaur eggs” (smooth pebbles or papier-mâché balloons)

How to set it up

  1. Go on an outdoor hunt to gather building materials.
  2. Find a sheltered spot (like under a tree) to be the nest site.
  3. Work together to arrange the sticks and leaves into a large circular nest.
  4. Carefully place the dinosaur eggs inside to keep them warm and safe.
💬 Adult prompts
  • “What materials will make the nest strong and cosy?”
  • “Is the nest big enough to fit all our dinosaur eggs?”
  • “Where is the safest place to build it away from predators?”
📚 EYFS links
  • PSED (Working collaboratively towards a shared goal)
  • Physical Development (Moving and handling large natural materials)
  • Understanding the World (Habitats and nature)
💡

This is a fantastic autumn activity when there are plenty of fallen leaves and sticks available. Children love taking ownership of “protecting” the eggs.

Dinosaur sorting activity with leaves for herbivores and red pom-poms for carnivores
Activity 5

Herbivore vs Carnivore Sorting

Best for: Maths (sorting/categorising), communication and language

What you need

  • Two large bowls or plates
  • Real leaves or green tissue paper (for herbivores)
  • Red pom-poms or red playdough chunks (for carnivores)
  • A selection of plastic dinosaurs (T-Rex, Triceratops, etc.)

How to set it up

  1. Label one bowl “Leaves (Herbivores)” and the other “Meat (Carnivores)”.
  2. Discuss what different dinosaurs eat (sharp teeth vs flat teeth).
  3. Scatter the “food” and the dinosaurs on a table.
  4. Ask the children to feed the correct food to the right dinosaur!
💬 Adult prompts
  • “Does a T-Rex eat leaves or meat?”
  • “How many leaves did you put in the herbivore bowl?”
  • “Can you find a dinosaur with a very long neck to reach the tall trees?”
📚 EYFS links
  • Maths (Categorising, sorting, and counting sets)
  • Communication and Language (Using new, complex vocabulary)
  • Understanding the World (Diet and physical characteristics of animals)
💡

Young children are surprisingly excellent at memorising complex dinosaur facts. Use this activity to introduce big words like “Stegosaurus” and “Herbivore” with confidence!

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about setting up dinosaur activities

What age are these dinosaur activities suitable for?
These activities are perfectly designed for children aged 2–5, making them ideal for nursery, preschool, and childminder settings. They can easily be adapted for younger toddlers by ensuring all materials are taste-safe, or extended for older children by introducing measuring and complex vocabulary.
Do I need to buy expensive resources?
Not at all! Most of these activities use basic household items or natural materials you can find outside — like leaves, twigs, water, and ice. A basic set of plastic toy dinosaurs is the only specific resource you need, and they can be used across all 5 activities!
How do these activities link to the EYFS?
Dinosaurs cover a massive breadth of the EYFS framework. The activities on this page specifically target Understanding the World (habitats and science), Physical Development (fine and gross motor skills), Expressive Arts (painting), and Maths (sorting and patterns).
How can I make the sensory activities less messy?
Messy play is great, but cleanup can be hard! To contain the mess, use a deep tuff tray or a large plastic storage box. For the fossil excavation, you can substitute sand with dry cereal or rice which is easier to sweep up. Better yet, take the messy activities outside!
Are these activities safe for young toddlers?
Yes, but always supervise closely. If you have children who still mouth objects, ensure you use large toy dinosaurs that aren’t a choking hazard, and swap the play sand for edible alternatives like crushed biscuits or rolled oats. Always closely supervise the frozen egg activity.