Dinosaur

Roar-some Dinosaur Colouring Pages for Young Paleontologists

Welcome to our prehistoric collection of dinosaur colouring pages! We've assembled over 20 free dinosaur designs featuring everyone's favourite ancient creatures, from the mighty T-Rex to the gentle Brachiosaurus. These printable pages offer a range of complexity levels, with simple, bold outlines for younger children and detailed scenes complete with prehistoric landscapes for older kids and dinosaur enthusiasts.

Our dinosaur colouring pages transport children back millions of years, combining education with creativity. Each page has been designed to capture the wonder of these incredible creatures while remaining age-appropriate and fun to colour for children aged 3 and up.

What Makes Dinosaur Colouring Special

Learning Through Prehistoric Art

Dinosaur colouring pages offer unique educational opportunities that go beyond typical colouring activities. As children colour different species, they naturally absorb information about dinosaur characteristics, habitats, and the prehistoric world. This hands-on learning approach makes complex scientific concepts accessible and memorable.

Parents and educators can use these pages to introduce paleontology concepts, discuss extinction and evolution, and explore Earth's history. Each colouring session becomes a mini science lesson, with children learning to identify different dinosaur species by their distinctive features – the three horns of a Triceratops, the plates of a Stegosaurus, or the long neck of a Diplodocus.

Fostering Scientific Curiosity

Working with dinosaur colouring pages naturally sparks questions about the prehistoric world. Children wonder about dinosaur colours (which scientists still debate), their behaviours, and what caused their extinction. This curiosity-driven learning is fundamental to developing scientific thinking skills.

The combination of creativity and factual learning helps children understand that science involves both discovery and interpretation. Since nobody knows exactly what colours dinosaurs were, children have creative freedom while learning about scientific evidence and theories.

Dinosaur Facts to Share While Colouring

Amazing Dinosaur Discoveries

Did you know that new dinosaur species are still being discovered today? Scientists find about 50 new species each year! The smallest dinosaur ever found was only about the size of a hummingbird, while the largest, Argentinosaurus, could weigh as much as 12 elephants.

Not all dinosaurs were giants – many were the size of chickens or dogs. And contrary to popular belief, many dinosaurs likely had feathers! Scientists now believe that T-Rex babies might have been covered in fuzzy down feathers, losing them as they grew older.

Some dinosaurs were incredibly fast. Ornithomimus could run up to 40 miles per hour, faster than any human! Others, like Stegosaurus, had brains the size of walnuts despite bodies the size of buses.

Dinosaur Periods and Habitats

Dinosaurs didn't all live at the same time. They existed across three major periods:

Triassic Period (252-201 million years ago): The first dinosaurs appeared, mostly small and walking on two legs.

Jurassic Period (201-145 million years ago): The age of giants began, with long-necked sauropods dominating the landscape.

Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago): The most diverse dinosaur era, ending with the mass extinction event.

Understanding these periods helps children grasp the vast timescales involved and why certain dinosaurs never actually met despite appearing together in movies.

Colouring Techniques for Dinosaur Pages

Choosing Realistic vs Creative Colours

While scientists can't be certain about dinosaur colours, they make educated guesses based on modern animals. Here are some approaches to consider:

Scientific Approach: Use colours from modern reptiles and birds – greens, browns, greys, and muted tones. Add patterns like stripes or spots for camouflage, similar to modern predators and prey.

Creative Freedom: Since nobody knows for sure, encourage wild imagination! Purple T-Rexes, rainbow Stegosauruses, and glittery Pterodactyls are all valid choices. This approach is especially fun for younger children.

Habitat-Based Colours: Consider where dinosaurs lived. Forest dwellers might be green and brown for camouflage, while desert dinosaurs could be sandy yellows and reds.

Adding Prehistoric Environments

Enhance your dinosaur pages by adding background elements:

Volcanoes with orange and red lava flows
Prehistoric plants like ferns and cycads in various greens
Other dinosaurs in the distance using lighter colours for depth
Meteors or asteroids in the sky for dramatic effect

Using different pressure with pencils or crayons can create texture on dinosaur skin, suggesting scales, feathers, or leathery hide. Encourage children to experiment with these techniques to bring their dinosaurs to life.

Creative Dinosaur Activities

Build a Dinosaur Timeline

Create a visual timeline using completed colouring pages. Arrange dinosaurs by their geological periods, helping children understand that dinosaurs evolved and changed over millions of years. This activity combines art with chronological thinking and scientific classification.

Add facts beneath each dinosaur: when it lived, what it ate, and how big it was. This creates a personalised reference guide that children will be proud to display and share.

Dinosaur Diorama Projects

Transform coloured dinosaur pages into 3D scenes. Cut out completed dinosaurs and stand them up using folded paper bases. Create prehistoric landscapes using boxes, construction paper, and natural materials like sand and rocks. These dioramas make excellent school projects or bedroom decorations.

Fossil Art Activities

After colouring, try creating "fossil" impressions. Place completed dinosaur pictures under paper and rub with the side of a crayon to create fossil-like prints. This activity introduces the concept of how fossils form and how paleontologists study them.

Educational Extensions

Dinosaur Size Comparisons

Use completed colouring pages to create size comparison charts. Research actual dinosaur sizes and create scaled representations. This mathematical exercise helps children understand proportion and measurement while reinforcing dinosaur knowledge.

Compare dinosaurs to familiar objects: "A T-Rex was as long as a school bus" or "A Compsognathus was the size of a chicken." These comparisons make abstract prehistoric concepts more concrete and understandable.

Carnivore vs Herbivore Study

Sort coloured dinosaur pages into meat-eaters and plant-eaters. Discuss how teeth shape, claw structure, and body design helped dinosaurs eat different foods. Sharp teeth and claws indicated carnivores, while flat teeth and longer necks often meant herbivores.

This classification activity develops critical thinking and observational skills while teaching about food chains and ecosystems in the prehistoric world.

How to Print and Use These Dinosaur Pages

Getting your dinosaur colouring adventure started is easy. Click on any dinosaur design to view the full-size version, then print directly from your browser or save to your device for later. For the best results, use standard white printer paper, though cardstock provides a sturdier surface for display pieces.

Consider printing size based on the child's age and skill level. Younger children benefit from larger prints that are easier to colour within the lines. For detailed scenes, ensure your printer settings are on high quality to capture all the intricate prehistoric elements.

Create a dinosaur colouring book by printing multiple pages and binding them together. Add blank pages between designs for children to draw their own dinosaur discoveries or write stories about their prehistoric adventures. Store completed masterpieces in sheet protectors to preserve them for years of enjoyment.