If your kiddo has a dinosaur obsession, you should be thrilled. Science calls this an “intense interest” and says it will drive a child’s learning as well as help foster lifelong curiosity.
In fact, above-average intelligence is not unusual for kids who are enamored with dinosaurs, or any subject that generates a natural strong interest.
The same thing goes for a focus on cars, trucks, trains, dolls, drawing, etc. If a child shows an incredible fondness in something, it can be a very good thing.
In this post, I’m going to talk specifically talk about dinos because it’s such a popular interest among kids.
Why a Dinosaur Obsession Is So Great
“When we’re interested in what we’re learning, we pay closer attention; we process the information more efficiently; we employ more effective learning strategies…” – source
That’s precisely why boys and girls who are fascinated with dinosaurs can tell you the names of so many of them. They find them incredibly interesting which makes them want to seek out new information about the prehistoric creatures.
Dino fans want to know what a particular dinosaur ate, how it sounded, and how its looks differ from others.
Any parent who has called a dinosaur anything other than its proper scientific name knows how happy a 4-year-old will be to correct you.
“That’s not a Mosasaurus, Mom! That’s a Spinosaurus!”
PS: I can’t pronounce either of those things and I had to Google to be able to spell them. A 4-year-old would wipe the floor with me in a dinosaur recognition contest.
Researchers have found again and again that when a child is excited by something, like dinosaurs, their attention span is better, they learn better, and they often have above-average intelligence.
Fun Ways You Can Promote Curiosity About Dinosaurs
There is so much incredible content online that you can use to engage with the little dinosaur-lover in your life. I want to share some of the most interesting, fun things I’ve found, including these awesome Dinosaur finds.
Have a Daring Dino Dinner
Invite some other dino-obsessed kids over and throw a party they’ll never forget.
Here are some tips for a party featuring an easy dino-shaped cake. Add a DIY dinosaur excavation game and kids will love it.
Follow #Dinosaur on Instagram.
Open up your Instagram to get a TON of cool dinosaur info. Your kid will think you’re the most brilliant dino mom ever.
You’ll uncover interesting dino pictures from museums and exhibits across the world. You can tell your kiddo about new discoveries and show them how a newly uncovered bone looks, or what a real fossil looks like. (Moms can even find cute inspiration for dino birthday cakes and party inspiration.
YouTube
There are some virtual reality videos that are fascinating, even without VR products. This video is one of my favorites (too scary for very little ones though.)
Games
Jurassic World Alive is generating a lot of buzz. Dinosaurs are running free in the world and it’s up to game players to prevent another extinction. They’ll have the opportunity to learn a lot and to have a blast doing it.
PBS Kids has dino games that are perfect for small kiddos.
Teachers Pay Teachers has oodles of printable dinosaur games.
In closing, be glad your child is crazy for dinos.
So long as you don’t turn their dinosaur obsession into work, they’ll continue to learn without any help. If you can gently add to their love of the pre-historic creatures by showing interest yourself, that’s even better.
Does your kiddo soak up everything there is to know about dinosaurs? What kinds of things do you do to encourage it? Have you found books or toys that you’d recommend? Please share!
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68 comments on “You Should Definitely Encourage Your Child’s Dinosaur Obsession”
My 2 year old can name and recognize roughly 20 dinosaurs. ❤️
My daughter is 5 and she’s obsessed w dinosaurs for quite a long time. She sleeps with all her Dinos and her oldest sister was also the same with her toy dinosaurs! Not a Barbie in this house !!
My son likes when I help him make dinosaur eggs with his tactile sand. We shape the sand around some of his little dinos in the shape of an egg. As the sand settles it sort of cracks open or as we say “hatches”.
When my daughter was two she could tell you quite a bit about dinosaurs. Her third birthday had a dinosaur theme. As she got older she became excited about sharks. I would let her get every book she could, even not her level, on sharks. It gave her a life
long love of sharks which led to her getting scuba certified when she was just 16. She did this all on her own so she could swim with sharks. She’s 31 now and a doctor. She always enjoyed learning new stuff. I read to her and talked to her when she was a baby but still can’t figure if her intelligence was due to nature or nurture or both. But working with kids the biggest thing I see in bright kids is their ability to ask questions and show curiosity.
Im a kid and i love dinosaurs!!!
My 5 yr YEAR old granddaughter is obessed with dinosaurs, from books to movies to toys coloring and tv.She eats breathes dinosaurs, she knows all there names and what they eat ☺☺☺
So my son was such an avid dinosaur lover since first grade. 24 hours a day dinosaur on the brain never ended for five years five in the morning we would hear dinosaur stomping that’s what woke us up during the day we had to hear about every possible dinosaur where they lived the time. We had a quiz we had to be tested he colored them he made a book about them he would talk to paleontologist he watch dinosaur train it was craziness. I finally decided he needs a website so around eight or nine years old we started a Dinojosh.com website he also has some YouTube videos that he talks about dinosaurs and what they do and how they sound. For his 13th bar mitzvah we created our own 10 Centerpieces and spent hours on each one maybe six hours for each centerpiece gluing and figuring out the right time. And all the dinosaurs had to be accurate as he’s a perfectionist on the entrance of the dinosaur theme there were the sounds of the dinosaurs we had blasting of the footsteps and we had huge dinosaurs around you could take a photo with so please please visit Dinojosh.com and any questions your child has he would love to answer you back.
This article makes me so happy! My soon to be 3 year old knows so many different dinosaurs and can tell you what time period they are from , what they ate and what modern animal they are closely related too ( my husband and I are shocked by all this) he is constantly correcting us when it comes to pronouncing each dinosaur name, and the craziest part is he started naming them at 18 months! We go to the book store once a week and he sits through books like The Dino Encyclopedia and the smithsonian dinosaur facts book, he can sit for hours and be fascinated by everything i read in the book. We also do a lot of 3D dinosaur puzzles, he really loves those!
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The Creation Museum in Kentucky is on my list of where to go with my grandson!
Most definitely my son is. He’s been since before turning 2 now he just turned 4 at the beginning of this month. His brother had old toys and he grew a tight connection to them. I simply love it. You’re right about the correction. Lol
I have found Dino puppets in Walmart that we pickup every time we see a new one. Plus, they have these large soft plastic ones as well for like $10. I have found Dino Dominos and a Spinner style recognition game that translates to BINGO as well.
My 6 year old grandson, talks, walks and reads dinosaur stuff continually. He soaks up the facts like a sponge. He told me in one conversation that he doesn’t need a house when he’s an adult. As a palaeontologist he’ll be living in a tent…..
My almost 3 year old is nuts about dinosaurs and can name over 100 of them just by a picture! He sleeps with them, constantly talks about them, digs for fossils… it’s non-stop! Didn’t know it was a good thing!
My 6yo loves dinos! We’re getting ready to celebrate her 7th bday and we are doing a Jurassic Park theme! Decking out the front entrance of the house to make it look like our guests are entering Jurassic Park (on a budget cut). She also is going to be “Blue” for Halloween and my 3yo is going to be a Jurassic Park ranger. I can think of worse things for my kids to be obsessed with.
Just include girls.
We shouldn’t have to ask.
I only have sons, but look forward to my eventual dinosaur loving granddaughters!
Great post.
My son loved them growing up! He even got a dimosaur watch for a birthday present with instructions ,”for hours of fun!” ( a watch with a rubber removable dinosaur on top). Little did I know he would become a genius playing with all those dinosaurs! ! Great info!
Maybe it helps to have super-focused interests in _anything_ that can be formally studied (not necessarily dinosaurs). I have a 140 IQ and a college degree, am self-taught in three languages, and have composed original music and poetry. But dinosaurs were never a big deal to me as a girl.