Kids love dinosaurs because they’re huge, powerful, real and safely extinct: exciting without being dangerous. Dinosaurs also give kids a subject they can become experts in, with long names to master and facts to share. That passion is a gift for learning. Drawing dinosaurs turns it into practice with shapes, observation, vocabulary and patience.
Why dinosaurs are so appealing
- Power without danger. Big, fierce and long gone. Kids can enjoy the thrill safely.
- Expertise. Knowing that a pachycephalosaurus had a thick skull is a great feeling at 5.
- Real but mysterious. They existed, but there’s always more to discover.
- Variety. Horns, spikes, plates, long necks, tiny arms.
Researchers who study children’s intense interests have found that deep interests like this are common in young kids and can support attention, persistence and information-processing skills.
Why this is great for drawing
Dinosaurs are perfect drawing subjects:
- They’re built from simple shapes. A brachiosaurus is an oval body, a long neck and a small head. See drawing with shapes.
- Every species is a new challenge. Kids who love one will want to draw them all.
- Accuracy matters to fans. That motivates careful looking.
- There’s no wrong color. Nobody knows exactly what color most dinosaurs were.
15 ways to turn dinosaur love into drawing
- Draw one dinosaur a day for a week.
- Make a dinosaur alphabet: A for ankylosaurus, B for brachiosaurus.
- Draw a dinosaur and label its body parts.
- Draw a dinosaur family: a parent, a baby, an egg.
- Draw what dinosaurs ate.
- Make a fact card for each dinosaur (name, meaning, size, food). See art and science activities.
- Draw a dinosaur in a modern setting: at school, at the supermarket.
- Draw a robot dinosaur.
- Draw a dinosaur skeleton, then the dinosaur over it.
- A four-panel comic about a T-rex who can’t reach things.
- Draw a dinosaur by grid. See what is grid drawing?
- Design a new dinosaur and name it.
- Draw a map of a dinosaur park.
- Draw the size of a dinosaur next to a bus.
- Draw a dinosaur birthday party.
Free lessons are in the dinosaurs hub.
By age
- Ages 3 to 5: trace and color dinosaurs.
- Ages 5 to 8: draw them step by step, with a light gray guide of the finished dinosaur on every step.
- Ages 7 to 12: draw them by grid and invent new species.
When it’s the only thing they draw
That’s fine, and normal. See my child only draws dinosaurs for ways to stretch it without stopping it.
The book that helps
Cartoon Dinosaurs comes in all three formats, so a dinosaur fan can grow from tracing to step-by-step to grid. Robot Dinosaurs is the next level.
Trace Then Color: Cartoon Dinosaurs
How to Draw: Cartoon Dinosaurs
Draw by Grid: Cartoon Dinosaurs
How to Draw: Robot DinosaursAs an Amazon Associate, FirstArtBooks earns from qualifying purchases.
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Questions
Why are kids obsessed with dinosaurs?
Dinosaurs are huge, powerful and real but safely extinct, and they give kids a subject to become experts in.
Is a dinosaur obsession good for kids?
Yes. Intense interests like dinosaurs can support attention, persistence and learning.
How do I draw dinosaurs with my child?
Start with big simple shapes, use a step-by-step lesson, and add facts and labels to make it a science lesson too.