Dinosaur Craft for Kids - Triceratops

My kids have always loved dinosaurs. And one of the best decisions we ever made was to have dinosaurs as a theme this year. I’m so excited to come on here today to share a dinosaur craft for kids that you’ll love!

This week we made this wonderful Triceratops out of a paper plate and toilet rolls! And my kids LOVED it. In fact, they loved it so much, I think we’re going to have to make crafts for every type of dinosaur now!

Here is what our finished triceratops craft looked like. It even stands up on its own! We displayed them around the classroom. And my kids loved playing with them too! If you want to make one, follow the directions below.

What You Need

Paper plate
Orange paint
Paintbrush
Scissors
Glue
Stapler
Print out of a triceratops face – we got ours off Google
1 empty toilet roll

How to Make

Paint both sides of your paper plate orange – do one side, let it dry then do the other side.
Cut the toilet roll in half.
Paint both halves of the toilet roll in orange.
Once everything is dry from the paint, fold the paper plate in half and staple together at the top.
Cut small slits in the tops of the toilet roll halves to place the paper plate into. Use glue around the edges to secure together.
Glue the face of the triceratops on to the paper plate

And you’re done! Don’t forget to send me pictures if you make these crafts too! I love seeing how everything turns out. If you like this craft, be sure to share it with friends and colleagues too.

Why Dinosaurs?

Dinosaur-themed activities aren’t just about fun (though there’s plenty of that). They’re packed with educational benefits:

Boosts curiosity and inquiry skills (“What did dinosaurs eat?” “How big were they?” “Why are they extinct?”)
Encourages imaginative play and storytelling
Supports fine motor development through cutting, gluing, coloring, and painting
Inspires creative expression while giving students a meaningful project to be proud of

And because dinosaurs are such a high-interest topic, even your most reluctant learners are more likely to engage.

Differentiation Tips

This craft is perfect for a wide range of learners. Here’s how you can adapt it:

Cutting assistance: Pre-cut parts for students working on assembly only
Visual supports: Use step-by-step visuals or offer a completed example
Color matching: Use colored outlines for each part to guide independent assembly
Velcro versions: Attach Velcro dots for students to practice putting the dinosaur together again and again

You can also offer options like gluing onto a background scene or creating a dinosaur puppet using craft sticks.

Social-Emotional Learning Bonus

Dinosaur activities like these can also offer rich social-emotional learning opportunities:

Sharing materials during craft time
Turn-taking during group activities
Expressing feelings about dinosaurs – “Would you be scared of a triceratops?”
Practicing patience while waiting for the dinosaur eggs to hatch

You can even have students role-play as paleontologists or archaeologists and work together to “discover” dinosaurs around the classroom.

Helpful Links

You may also be interested in;

If your students are as dino-obsessed as mine, you’ll definitely want to check out these hatching dinosaur eggs. It’s a super fun sensory activity that pairs perfectly with our dinosaur craft and adds that extra bit of excitement to your themed lessons. Imagine the look on their faces as they crack open their very own dinosaur egg, it’s hands-on learning and pure magic all in one!

If you found this blog post helpful, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues on social media, it helps more teachers find support, and it means the world to me and my little family too.

And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out my Free Resource Library for tons of classroom tools, visuals, and printables to make your teaching life easier (and a whole lot more fun!).

P.S. Have you signed up for my VIP membership yet? If not, head on over and sign up now. You’ll get access to hundreds and hundreds of resources, templates, crafts and more being uploaded every month!

Nikki