Storytime Theme: Dinosaurs 2021

“Amma, can you make me an Ankylosaurus costume for Halloween?” This was my mom’s deep dive into dinosaur research for my nephew’s Halloween costume last year. You can’t easily find an Ankylosaurus costume at Party City. My nephew is five years old and is quite obsessed with dinosaurs right now! He’s gotten a chance to see the dinosaur bones at the natural history museum, they’re read books on them and probably have seen YouTube videos of dinos too!

I fell into a rabbit hole of doing research this morning as I was working on this post about why young kids love dinosaurs so much and it’s so interesting! Most researchers and scientists will say that a lot of kids will develop “intense interests” in specific topics. The most popular? Transportation vehicles. And yes, my nephew was obsessed with tractors for a long time (as a two year old) and also construction vehicles. He also has no problem correcting you when you say the wrong name.

The second most popular intense interest? You guessed it, dinosaurs. This is not a bad thing, in fact, it’s pretty cool. Kids with intense interests often have better attention spans, information-processing skills, and persistence. Young kids with intense interests are learning through play – reading books, playing with plastic dinosaurs, imagining they’re T. Rex’s roaring through the jungle.

These interests often last between six months and three years and kids either find other things that interest them or as one article points out – they go to school. Where you have to balance learning about a lot of different subjects and making new friends who might have other interests.

And as for my nephew? His costume turned out amazing! And he’s anxiously awaiting for the chance to come visit Aunt Laura and go to another dinosaur museum!

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Storytime Theme: Dinosaurs 2021

• Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner
• Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton
• Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
• Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
• How to Be a T. Rex by Ryan North, illustrated by Mike Lowery
• How to Take Care of Your Dinosaur by Jason Cockcroft
• Tea Rex by Molly Idle
• Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Jay Fleck
• We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

There are probably thousands of dinosaur books available for kids! This list is a little older, but has some great titles on it!

Songs

• Dino Ditty – Jbrary
  A twist on a well-known song that kids and adults will love!
• One Dinosaur Went Out to Play – Mel’s Desk
  I made the most adorable dinosaurs for a felt board for this song – they’re so cute!
• We Are the Dinosaurs – The Laurie Berkner Band
  Laurie Berkner is a rockstar in the children’s music world – this is a must (plus you can also read this song as a book too!)

Activities

• Dinosaur Pasta Bones – Busy Bee Kids Crafts
  Use penne pasta to create adorable dinosaur fossil pictures!
• DIY Dinosaur Eggs- Instructables
  We actually just made these for a library grab-and-go program in the fall and it worked out really well! You’ll find a ton of different recipes online. Be forewarned – they’ll take a few days to dry!
• Paper Plate Dinoaurs – I Heart Crafty Things
  These might be a little more labor intensive, but could be great for older audiences or with the help of an adult!