Dinosaur Washing Fine Motor Activity
Get set for an exciting adventure with your little ones as we explore a unique dinosaur activity for toddlers. This isn’t your everyday playtime; it’s a chance to introduce your child to the fascinating world of dinosaurs while simultaneously honing their fine motor skills.
Imagine the thrill your toddler will experience as they scrub and clean miniature dinosaurs, all the while enhancing their hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
This dinosaur washing activity is more than just fun; it’s an educational experience. It allows your toddlers to familiarize themselves with different types of dinosaurs and encourages them to use descriptive language as they talk about their activities. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to ignite their imagination as they pretend to be paleontologists caring for their prehistoric creatures.
As one of the simplest yet most engaging dinosaur sensory activities, this dinosaur washing activity is perfect for toddlers. It requires minimal materials and preparation but brings maximum enjoyment and learning.
And let’s not forget that this activity works everyday life skills and really challenges those fine motor skills in a super fun way!
Toddler Fine Motor Activities
Dinosaur Fine Motor Activities
This dinosaur washing activity is an excellent tool for enhancing fine motor skills in toddlers.
As they begin the activity by covering the miniature dinosaurs with washable paint, their little hands get a workout. They’ll need to grip the paintbrush, control its movements, and carefully apply the paint to the dinosaur models. This part of the process alone encourages the development of hand-eye coordination and precision.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Once the dinosaurs are colorfully messy, it’s time for the cleaning stage. Here, toddlers switch their tools to toothbrushes, a shift that requires them to adapt their grip and manipulation. As they scrub and rinse the dinosaurs, they’re not only having a blast but also working on their dexterity and fine motor control.
This activity cleverly combines playtime with skill development, making it an engaging and beneficial exercise for toddlers.
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Dinosaur Printable Pack$5.00
Dinosaur Activity for Toddlers
Get ready for some cleaning fun with this dinosaur activity for toddlers. Help them build fine motor skills, develop language, and engage in some imaginative play! It’s also one of the easiest dinosaur sensory activities for toddlers.
Materials
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- plastic toy dinosaurs
- washable tempura paint
- paint tray or plate
- paintbrush
- toothbrush
- small bin
- soap
- construction paper or cardstock (optional)
- Affordability: Small dinosaur models are typically very affordable, making them a great option for…
- Portability: Small dinosaur models are small enough to be easily transported, making them a great…
- Durability: Small dinosaur models are typically made of durable materials that can withstand rough…
- 【Packaging】–4Pcs paint tray palettes has been contained. Molded plastic paint pallet is high…
- 【Multiple Uses】–Painting palette widely used in party, school, workshop, school project, art…
- 【Perfect Experience】 — Paint trays for kids is small and lightweight enough for painters to…
- Our washable tempera paint washes from most surfaces, so kids can create to their heart’s content….
- Our versatile 6-count, 8oz craft paint set can be applied to non-greasy, absorbent surfaces…
- A World of Creative Possibilities: We formulated our washable paint for kids to create a rich,…
- Prevent spills and messes with these dual-lid multi-colored No Spill Paint Cups
- Pour paint in and snap on the outer air tight lid to keep paint fresh in between art sessions
- Brightly color coordinated colored lids allow you to easily identify the color of the paint inside
The Set Up
One of the best parts about this dinosaur fine motor activity for toddlers is that there is very minimal prep work involved. Just prepare the paint on a tray, grab a paintbrush, and set up a washing station for later in the activity.
This activity is play-based, easy to set up, and uses materials that you likely have already. So it’s a win-win-win! This article explains how play impacts brain development in children.
Washing Dinosaur Fine Motor Activity
Invite the toddlers to paint a plastic toy dinosaur with washable tempura paint.
Encourage them to paint all the little nooks and cracks to change the color of the dinosaur. Feel free to offer other painting options as well, including cotton swabs/q-tips, foam brushes, or even paint with fingers!
If your toddler isn’t a dino fan, feel free to use any plastic toys that you have available.
This may seem like an easy task but painting with brushes or fingers builds fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and helps young children focus on the task at hand. Plus, it’s fun to play and interact with paint, especially when they get to wash it off!
Not to mention, using paint, brushes, soap, and bubbles is a great way to explore through your senses. Sensory play, like this dino themed water sensory bin, is SO beneficial for early childhood and such a blast for little ones.
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Dinosaur Printable Pack$5.00
Before sending your dinosaurs off for a wash, feel free to invite your children to stamp the dinosaur feet on paper to make animal tracks. If you have different dinosaurs, it’s fun to see how the different feet are shaped and how the tracks appear different. It makes a great dinosaur craft, too!
Once your dinosaur(s) are painted, work quickly to get them into the tub before the paint dries! It’s time to clean those messy dinos and scrub off all that colorful paint.
Invite your toddler to scrub, roar, and scrub some more!
This part of the activity is all about attention to detail and imaginative conversation. Talk with your toddler and use this time to build oral language and vocabulary while having fun.
My son and I love to be silly! So while scrubbing his dinosaur, I began a conversation pretending to be the dinosaur. “Oh this paint is so itchy! Get this blue paint off of me! I don’t like going underwater so can you scrub me above the bubbles? Oh, pleh, why did you put me under? Agh! Not again!”
We were laughing and carrying on while my son started to mimic my dialogue and came up with his own adorable dinosaur antics. Playful learning is the best learning!
Dinosaur Books for Toddlers
I own more dinosaur picture books than I care to admit – and we love them all! They are especially important to help your kids visualize dinosaurs, since they’ll never see one with their own eyes. Here are some of my favorites!
- Litton, Jonathan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 12 Pages – 09/22/2020 (Publication Date) – Tiger Tales (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Hughes, Catherine D. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- DK (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 12 Pages – 06/05/2018 (Publication Date) – DK Children (Publisher)
- Content: Polyurethane foam.
- Tiger Tales (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Priddy, Roger (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages – 06/15/2021 (Publication Date) – Priddy Books US (Publisher)
- Boynton, Sandra (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 16 Pages – 08/30/2016 (Publication Date) – Boynton Bookworks (Publisher)
Dinosaur Activities for Toddlers
The world of dinosaur activities for toddlers is vast and varied, offering endless opportunities for fun and learning. From sensory play experiences to creative crafts, these activities are designed to spark curiosity, enhance motor skills, and introduce preschoolers to the fascinating realm of dinosaurs.
- Stamped Dinosaur Art
- Dino Gross Motor Games
- 10 Little Dinosaur Circle Time Song
- Dinosaur Sensory Bottle
- Dino Matching Game for Toddlers
- Dinosaur Footprint Cookies
- Dino Handprint Art
- Dinosaur Ice Sensory Play
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Dinosaur Printable Pack$5.00
Dinosaur Washing Fine Motor Activity
Grab some paint and plastic dinosaurs for this fine motor activity. Simply paint the dinosaur and then scrub off the paint to make them brand new again!
Materials
- plastic toy dinosaurs
- washable tempura paint
- paint tray or plate
- paintbrush
- toothbrush
- small bin
- soap
- construction paper (optional)
Instructions
- Set up paint and invite children to paint a plastic toy dinosaur with washable tempura paint.
- Provide a small wash bin with water, soap, and a toothbrush and invite the children to scrub and wash the dinosaurs. Encourage them to scrub off all the paint and get them all cleaned up!
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
