How to Encourage Learning with a Preschool Dinosaur Game
This preschool dinosaur game will get your preschooler excited about learning. Kids will practice finding similar details and work on left-to-right progression, which is essential for reading and writing. It’s perfect for a preschool dinosaur theme.
I was 21 when Max entered my Kindergarten classroom.
He was the brightest 5 year-year-old I had ever met and his big brown eyes captivated any room. It was as if he glowed information and innocence.
“Miss S, I know which dinosaurs were the carnivores. Not all dinosaurs ate meat, you know.”
Max knew dinosaurs.
He knew that one of the many plant-eating dinosaurs is a Brachiosaurus. Another is the Stegosaurus.
Max knew “stuff” that my 21-year-old brain has never even thought of.
You see, Max had an obsession with dinosaurs and that is an incredible gift. He had an intense interest and “…almost a third of all children have one at some point, typically between the ages of 2 and 6 (though for some the interest lasts further into childhood)”.
This intense interest was incredible to watch unfold.
Preschool Dinosaur Game for Early Learning Fun
Perhaps you have a Max just waiting to discover the history of dinosaurs?
Perhaps you have a wide-eyed preschooler just waiting to find that next passion?
This Dino Match-Up game is the perfect age-appropriate way to start. The preschool dinosaur game shares a visual representation of what dinosaurs looked like to spark curiosity and higher level questioning.
Materials
- Dinosaur Magnets
- Magnetic Board or Magnetic Cookie Sheet
- Masking Tape
The Set-Up
To set up Dino Match-Up Maze, begin by finding your workstation. This could be as large as a magnetic wall, or as small as a cookie sheet. Fun fact: Did you know that most cookie sheets are magnetic? Or, another idea, use a large oil pan from the auto parts store.
Begin to tear off large strips of masking tape and place one maze line at a time. Blue painter’s tape could also work well.
Place matching dinosaurs on either end of the tape you just placed. Remember, you want to remind your preschooler to begin with the dinosaur on the left. If necessary, add a little dot sticker to mark where to begin.
Continue to do this step until you have about 4 or 5 lines.
Develop Literacy Skills with Dino Match-Up Maze
“WOW! This looks fun.” I overhear my preschooler discover our Dino Match-Up Maze on his own. “Wait! Don’t play until mom grabs her camera!” (Blogger mom problems.)
But it was too late. He loved this activity so much that my rule follower, the eldest child, just could not wait for mom to grab her camera. #activitywin which means I will catch some pictures on round two…or maybe three and four.
The activity itself seems pretty simple. But don’t let that fool you. Here’s what is really happening:
Follow the dinosaur from left to right. This builds the foundation for reading and writing left to right. It is very important to make sure your preschooler begins with the dinosaur on the left.
How to modify the preschool dinosaur game for a range of learners
Younger Preschoolers
- Help the baby dinosaur find their mom!
- Can you find the exact match?
- How can you tell that these two dinosaurs are the same?
Older Preschoolers: Dig a little deeper
- Find the match.
- Which dinosaur looks similar?
- How do these two different dinosaurs contrast?
- Why do these two dinosaurs a match? What do they both have in common?
Dino Match-Up Maze is so valuable for your preschooler!
There are a lot of things happening when your child works on a maze like this one. Here are some things.
- problem-solving
- fine motor skills
- visual motor control (the eyes scans ahead for possible solutions)
- development of spacial skills (early geometry)
- increased memory skills
- spacial scaling (the ability to approximate and classify size)
- Prewriting practice with movement
Here, your preschooler is practicing letter formations and the first stage of writing.
Remember you are beginning to practice matching alike items, writing, and left to right progression. Your preschooler will thank you (and so will their Kindergarten teacher)!

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