Dinosaur Classification

Submitted by KidsSoup member Beth Steward

Grade, Age Range or Specialized Learner: Preschool

Target Learning Skill(s): Classifying/Sorting

Dinosaurs are often fascinating to children. There is a certain amount of mystery that surrounds them. A Dinosaur classroom theme provides countless opportunities for learning and discovery. One of my class’s favorite activities was sorting and classifying dinosaurs according to different attributes.

Preschool Activities:

Media Root

We began our classifying activity by reading the printable book Some Dinosaurs Were… from the KidsSoup.com member site. After reading the book as a whole class, we broke into small groups for center time. In one center, I placed a smaller version of the Some Dinosaurs Were… book. The children were able to hear the book again and color their own versions.

As the children were coloring, the adult working at their table helped create conversation about the dinosaurs, making sure to point out specific characteristics (long necks, claws, walks on 4 legs, etc).

Preschool Activities:

Media Root

Preschool Activities:

Media Root

Later in the day, we brought the children back together in a big group and gave them each a dinosaur toy. If you don’t have enough toys, you can print the Dinosaur word wall cards from the KidsSoup.com member site and give one to each child. We placed 2 hula hoops in the center of our big circle to form a Venn diagram. We labeled each hoop with a dinosaur characteristic (long neck/ short neck, meat eater/plant eater, etc.).

To extend the children’s learning, you can play the same Venn diagram game in preparation for constructing a class book called Some Children... Use masking tape to create bigger circles on the ground, and choose characteristics of the children in your classroom. This will start a conversation about similarities and differences among people. The children can use digital cameras to take pictures of each other for the book or illustrate it. For closure, make copies of the book for each child to take home and save one for your classroom’s library.