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Stegosaurus Craft · Picture Book · Preschool Lesson Plan Printable Activities

This book Can I Have a Stegosaurus Mom? Can I? Please? (YouTube reading) written by Lois Grambling and illustrated by H. B. Lewis is a fun introduction to dinosaurs for preschoolers and early elementary grades.

Whenever I read this book it generates so much laughter and fun! The children share their own fantasies about what they would do if they had a pet dinosaur.

Dinosaurs are so fascinating to young children and the young at heart. Don't be surprised if the children want to listen to this story more than once!

View more dinosaur theme books to read online.

Fun Fact: It was a woman who discovered the first dinosaur. This is really a fun fact to share with both boys and girls. She gave this unusual fossil to her husband and they discovered what they thought was a giant lizard -- they named it Iguanodon because it appeared similar in structure to an iguana. It was a while before it was realized that it was not just a lizard but an animal that had lived on Earth millions and millions of years ago.

There is no doubt that learning letter D is a breeze with D is for Dinosaur or try S is for Stegosaurus!

Activity: Read the Story
1. Ask the children what they would do if they could have a pet Stegosaurus.
2. Discuss some simple Stegosaurus facts:
a. A stegosaurus was a plant eater. Most dinosaurs were meat eaters or plant eaters.
b. Scientists are not sure but they think that the ridge of plates running along its back might have cooled the dinosaur in hot weather and warmed it on cool days.
c. The stegosaurus may have used his spiked tail to defend itself from the meat eating dinosaurs.

Activity: Coloring and Mural Activities
1. There are a number of printable activities for different ages on the materials column.
a. Coloring pages - Ages 2 -6
Make your selection of dinosaur coloring pages from the links provided in the materials column.

Make sure to write the letter D (dinosaur) or first letter of the dinosaur name of the inside the dinosaur images, both in upper and lower case. Use different mediums, to color: paints, finger paints, sponge painting. Color or paint first and then add cut-up newspaper for a different effect, like mosaic and landscapes.

b. Dinosaur World Mural: Ages 2.5 to 6 This is a good week long project for one child or a group of children: Plan to make a dinosaur mural using the coloring page images. Tape several pieces of paper together to make a large mural size (about 6 or more pieces of paper works well). Draw a simple volcano and some palm trees, have the children paint the mural and glue real leaves, and other recyclables, and cotton for clouds. During the week color different dinosaur coloring book images (in the link provided) and cut around them. Then glue the images onto the mural. Try to encourage the children to tell a story on the mural.