5 Fossil Activities for Kids Who Love Dinosaurs

Every dinosaur fact your kid loves to share started with a fossil. Paleontologists study bones and imprints preserved in rock to learn how these animals lived, and your dino lover can try the same kind of work at home. Start with a dig through a sensory bin full of hidden dinosaurs or a skeleton frozen in a block of ice. Then press a toy dino into salt dough to make a mold fossil your kid can keep and show off. These projects are all hands-on activities your kid can do right at the kitchen table.

  • Visual aid of how to complete Dinosaur Dig Sensory Bin

    What we have here is an archeological dig site for dinosaurs -- or simply a dinosaur dig sensory bin!

  • Visual aid of how to complete Ice Excavation
    Ice Excavation

    (Ages 3-11)

    On a trip to Michael's a few months ago, my daughter talked me into buying a $5 set of dinosaur skulls. We played with them at the beach this summer, pretending to be paleontologists digging up fossils in the sand. I rediscovered them again this week as I was doing our quarterly playroom purge, and as we head into winter, I thought it would be fun to move our fossil excavation to the Ice Caps.

  • Visual aid of how to complete Salt Dough Dinosaur Fossils

    Create your own fossils out of salt dough!

    Looking to spark fun and learning for a young dinosaur-loving adventurer? Use tools to excavate bones just like a real paleontologist with a Paleontologist Starter Kit from the KiwiCo Store!

  • Visual aid of how to complete Dinosaur Soap
    Dinosaur Soap

    (Ages 9-16)

    You can make your own all-natural, moisturizing glycerin soap with just one ingredient and a microwave. Then, add in some fun decorations, like tiny dinos, to make bath time a little more fun!

  • Visual aid of how to complete Dinosaur Pencil Toppers

    Go back to school in style with a dinosaur pencil toppers!

  • Keep the fossil fun going with the Paleontologist Starter Kit from the KiwiCo Store. Kids use tools to excavate bones and assemble them into a dinosaur skeleton display, then make detailed fossil impressions with mini dinosaurs, modeling clay, and plaster.


Get inspired!