It’s DINOvember and we are having all the fun with dinosaurs! Even my baby program had fun with some dinosaur songs and rhymes, though I felt I needed to adapt a couple traditional baby/toddler rhymes to involve them more. But just like a monster storytime, we did a lot of roaring and stomping and pretending.
You can find other versions of this theme from 2021 and 2024.
Early Literacy Tip: Everybody knows at least one child who can rattle off the names of dozens of dinosaurs. There’s a reason for that! Children’s brains are wired to learn as much vocabulary as possible. So, don’t underestimate them: give them all the words you can! Use the most specific terms possible and they will soak them up like a sponge.
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (BB) (TB) (FT)**
Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (BB) (TB) (FT)
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. This week was shoulders and noses.
Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (BB) (FT)
Intro: Today’s theme is all about dinosaurs! Even though they’re not around any longer, I love to imagine what these gigantic and amazing creatures might have been like. Some dinos were big, and some were little. Let’s do a rhyme.
Action Rhyme: Big Dino, Little Dino
Big Dino, Little Dino, turn around
Big Dino, Little Dino, touch the ground
Big Dino, Little Dino, reach up high
Big Dino, Little Dino, blink your eyes
Big Dino, Little Dino, touch your nose
Big Dino, Little Dino, touch your toes
Big Dino, Little Dino, slap your knees
Big Dino, Little Dino, sit down please
Source: Project I.Am.Abbey
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (BB) (TB) (FT)
I like the big flaps at the end of this board book, and all the cheerful, colorful dinosaurs in a prehistoric setting!
Read: Hello Dinosaurs! by Joan Holub & Chris Dickason (BB)
This one is so simple and perfect. The ending always makes the adults chuckle.
Read: We Love Dinosaurs by Lucy Volpin (TB) (FT)
It’s kind of amazing what even the two-year-olds already know about dinosaurs! I introduced each dinosaur with a very short description – “Triceratops had three horns and a big frill on its head – it was a plant-eater but used its horns to defend itself when needed.” The flannelboard dinosaurs can be used for both this song and “One Dinosaur Went Out to Play,” below, and the template is available at Mel’s Desk.
Action Song: All Through the Swamp
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The Tyrannosaurus Rex goes grr grr grr
Grr grr grr, Grr grr grr
The Tyrannosaurus Rex goes grr grr grr
All through the swamp
Additional verses:
The Triceratops’ horns go poke, poke, poke…
The Stegosaurus’ tail goes swish, swish, swish…
The Brachiosaurus’ mouth goes munch, munch, munch…
The Pteranodon’s wings go flap, flap, flap…
Credit: Mel’s Desk
This and Dino Thumbs are the rhymes I quickly came up with for the youngest group, though I did do “Where Is T Rex” at all my sessions.
Fingerplay: Where is T Rex? (BB) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Where is Thumbkin?)
Where is T Rex? Where is T Rex? (use thumbs)
HERE I AM! HERE I AM! (use T-Rex voice!)
HOW ARE YOU TODAY, FRIEND?
VERY WELL I THANK YOU!
ROAR AWAY! ROAR AWAY!
Where is Pteranodon? (thumb spread from fingers like wings)
… Fly away! Fly away!
Where is brachiosaurus? (use pointer finger)
…Munch, munch, munch! Munch, munch, munch! (don’t retreat)
Source: original, adapted from the traditional
I’ve seen this as “Tommy Thumbs” and also with “Egg Shakers.” My rhyme sheet had a picture of thumbs with dinosaur finger puppets on them!
Fingerplay: Dino Thumbs (BB)
Dino Thumbs are up
Dino Thumbs are down
Dino Thumbs are dancing
All around the town
Dance them on your shoulders
Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees
And tuck them into bed (fold arms)
Source: adapted from the traditional
Rhyme: Dinosaur Stretch (BB) (TB) (FT)
Spread your arms, way out wide
Fly like Pteranodon, soar and glide
Bend to the floor, head down low
Move like Stegosaurus, long ago
Reach up tall, try to be
As tall as Brachiosaurus eating on a tree
Using your claws, grumble and growl
Just like Tyrannosaurus Rex on the prowl
Source: Storytime Katie
This was on my plan, but I didn’t end up doing it at any of my sessions.
Action Rhyme: Five Little Dinosaurs
Five little dinosaurs sitting in a swamp.
The first one said, “Let’s stomp, stomp, stomp.”
The second one said, “Time for lunch!”
The third one said, “Let’s munch, munch, munch.”
The fourth one said, “Let’s stomp some more.”
The fifth one said, “Let’s all roar!” GRRRR!
Source: Everybody Loves Bubbles
Everyone enjoyed slapping their knees to make the sound of dinosaurs running!
Ukulele/Flannel Song: One Dinosaur Went Out to Play (TB) (FT)
(tune of Five Little Ducks)
One dinosaur went out to play
By a giant fern one day
She had such enormous fun
That she called for another dinosaur to come:
Oh, Diiiiiiiiiinosaur! (slap hands on thighs)
(count up to 5)
Last line:
…That they played until the day was done!
Source: Mel’s Desk
Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!
Action Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes* (BB)
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (BB) (TB) (FT)
Craft: Dinosaur Parade Headband
In an attempt to make life easy, and since my library has a great selection of die cuts, I provided two green strips (2.24×12″, four strips per sheet of construction paper), and the four dinosaurs that we had dies for – T-Rex, Pteranodon, stegosaurus, and brachiosaurus. Glue sticks and staplers (pro tip: put the “bumpy side” of the staples on the *outside* of the headband) and everyone had a dinosaur parade to wear on their heads!
Play Time
The babies have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
For my older kids, I made a new manipulative for playtime (which was my suggested craft for our Storytime Shorts video series this month): Clothespin Stegosauruses! This was inspired by a craft I originally saw on Storytime Katie’s blog, and found another version on Oh, Hey, Let’s Play. She said she didn’t know where she originally got her artwork, but I loved it, so drew my own version based on hers. (If anyone finds the original source, let me know!) We have a ton of yard signs that were purchased for summer 2020 that were not used, so they are a great backer for this. You can also use cardboard. I put two mirror image dinos on one sheet of paper and printed on colored paper to glue to the stiff yard sign outline that I cut using an Exacto knife. Four was enough for my sore fingers, but that’s perfect for a toy that we’ll use at playtime but not take home. Then I colored wooden clothespins to match the colored dinos. In addition to the different colors, each dino has a different number of spikes, and the clothespins are numbered, too. Depending on a child’s age and development, they can start by just focusing on pinching the clothespins (strengthening hand muscles), then move up to color matching and/or number matching. I was fascinated by this article about kids not having the requisite hand strength for kindergarten activities and highlighted that when talking with caregivers about this activity.
Download a template for the Clothespin Stegosaurus here!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (BB) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (BB) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones – Byron Barton
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! – Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen & Zachariah OHora
Dinosaur Vs. the Library (series) – Bob Shea
Dinosong – Tim McCanna & Richard Smythe
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night – Refe & Susan Tuma
One-osaurus, Two-osaurus – Kim Norman & Pierre Collet-Derby
Counting Dinos – Eric Pinder & Junissa Bianda
Old MacDino Had a Farm – Becky Davies & Ben Whitehouse
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs – Mo Willems
This storytime was presented in-person on 11/7, 11/8, & 11/9/22.
Storytime Handout:
*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.
**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(BB) Book Babies, ages 0-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5
Storytime with Ms. Emily Library 
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