Looking for preschool dinosaur dramatic play ideas? We all know that play-based learning is so important to healthy child development. With this in mind, your Dramatic Play area can be a place full of fun and LEARNING. Thus, your Dinosaur theme is no exception. Read more about the importance of Dramatic Play here.
Preschool Dinosaur Dramatic Play Ideas-Setting it Up
To start with, I like to use a lot of fun printables in my dramatic play area. I created a Natural History Museum Dramatic Play printable set for just that reason. For our Natural History/Dinosaur Dramatic Play area I focused on fossils, paleontology, and the dinosaurs my kiddos love. And so, you can see that they have a lot of fossils and even a triceratops skeleton to explore!
Kids like to use real tools in their dramatic play. For this reason, bring in magnifying glasses, scales, paintbrushes, and natural elements to encourage role-play.
Preschool Dinosaur Dramatic Play Ideas-Props
For your preschool dinosaur dramatic play area, you can include the props mentioned above, and add even more exciting stuff! For instance, this poster of a life-sized T-Rex jawbone came in a book I found in a bargain bin. I laminated it, and it has become part of our dinosaur unit each year.
The big hit of our Natural History Museum is this amazing wooden Velociraptor skeleton. I have suspended it high above their reach to keep it safe. This skeleton was donated to our preschool a few years back and I am so grateful for it! I love the “ooohs” and “aaahs” when the kids walk in and see the set-up!
As you can see, we have a clipboard for notes, and a basket of bones and fossils to explore! Another great prop for this set-up is the real-life bug tray. I think we found this at Lakeshore Learning a few years back. Normally we use this for our bug unit, but we found it is a HIT in our Museum too. And such a curiosity!
Preschool Dinosaur Dramatic Play Ideas-Little Explorers
As mentioned above, the bugs are a highlight of the center! The kids feel like real scientists with our microscope, (also a donation) and magnifying glasses for examining the bugs! The kids are constantly coming to us with questions about the fossils, bugs, and skeletons…so we know they are learning so much each day!
Just look at what one of my PreK students did with the ‘Paleontologist Notes’ clipboard! Play-based learning is natural, fun, and by far the BEST way for young children to really learn!
In conclusion…if you like what you see here, you can find it in the Natural History Museum Dramatic Play Set in my TPT store!
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