If you’ve got a budding palaeontologist or dinosaur fan in the house, this dinosaur dig challenge is sure to be a big hit! It’s a great dinosaur activity for preschool or early years settings or for any age child learning about dinosaurs!
We made the bones with air-drying clay, but salt dough would also work well. We already had the sand and tray so this cost me less than £5 to put together and has been used almost daily all summer.
DIY Dinosaur Dig Excavation
You’ll need
A large container
Play sand
Air drying clay
Old toothbrush or paintbrush.
How to set up a dinosaur dig activity
First, you need to make the bones. Choose a dinosaur and find a picture of the skeleton.
Use the air-drying clay to make bone shapes and leave them to dry for about 24 hours.
Fill a tray with sand, place the clay dinosaur skeleton on top of it, and cover the bones with a thin layer of sand.
Children can use a toothbrush or small paintbrush to gently brush the sand off the bones.
Once the bones have been uncovered, you can set them up again and start over.
Another idea is to mix up the bones and ask children to put them back together again, using a skeleton image as a guide.
More dinosaur activity ideas for kids
Learn about waterproof materials with a simple Save the Dinosaur activity.
Find out about different types of rocks with my rock lab challenges!
Learn about one of the most famous paleontologists in the world, Mary Anning!
Little Bins for Little Hands has a great fizzy dino egg activity.
Find out what dinosaurs ate with a hilarious dinosaur poop activity.
Learn about fossils, how they form and make your own!
Last Updated on March 17, 2025 by Emma Vanstone
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