Popsicle Stick Dinosaur Craft {with a Free Template}
Inside: This painted popsicle stick dinosaur craft is fun for kids of all ages to make. Use the free printable template to make it extra easy!

Dinosaur Craft
I’ve wanted to get a kids’ dinosaur craft up here for a long time, and today I have an adorable idea for you!
Well, actually, two!
The green one looks a bit like a stegosaurus, and the yellow and blue one is a triceratops. Neither is entirely accurate, but both are adorable and fun to make and play with.
We love making crafts with popsicle sticks here because you can do so many different things with them! This unicorn craft has been popular, for instance.
If you plan on making these dinosaurs in the classroom or other larger group of children, scroll most of the way to the end for some tips.
Materials

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For each dinosaur craft you’ll need the following:
- 7 regular size popsicle sticks
- 2 mini popsicle sticks (2.5 inches long)
- Paint (see discussion below)
- Paintbrushes
- Craft foam (like this – ad)
- Scissors
- 2 googly eyes
- Black marker (washable is fine)
- Glue – hot glue or school glue
Use your choice of paint here. Acrylic covers the best, but will stain clothing. Washable tempera is more transparent, but it’s easier to clean up.
Preparation
- If you’re working with young children or will be pressed for time and don’t want to mess with hot glue, you may want to pre-assemble the craft sticks (Steps 1 & 2 below).
- For preschoolers, you may also want to pre-cut the craft foam for them so that all they need to do is glue the pieces on.
- Otherwise, print a copy of the template for each child (step 5 below).
- Get out all supplies and cover the work area and clothing to prepare for painting.
- Practice your dinosaur ROAR!

Instructions
- Line up the seven regular size popsicle sticks in a neat, even row.

- Glue the mini popsicle sticks across the row of larger sticks. Place one near the top and the other near the bottom as shown here:

- When dry, flip over and cover the surface with an even layer of paint. Let dry.

- Next, glue the eyes near the top of the painted surface.

- Now, use the free template (see below) or work freehand to cut desired shapes from foam paper for the tail, spikes, horns, or head pieces for your dinosaur. Here is the free template:

- Glue the pieces onto the back of your painted surface.



- Use the black marker to draw on a mouth, and then glue on the teeth.
- Your dinosaurs are finished!
Here’s the stegosaurus…

…and here’s the triceratops:

I can’t decide which of these dinosaur crafts one I like better!
Tips for Making This Dinosaur Craft in the Classroom
If you’ll be working with a group of kids, you could take a few shortcuts to make management easier:
- Print the template directly onto colored tagboard or cardstock instead of using craft foam.
- Pre-assemble the craft sticks.
- Or, hand out masking tape to join the sticks together. Then, tape on a stabilizing mini popsicle stick as well.
- If you don’t want to mess with paint, children could color the dinosaur body with markers. Or, you could even provide colored craft sticks (ad) instead of natural wood ones.
Related: Dinosaur Emergent Readers
If you’re on a dino kick, you may also like my Dinosaur personalized emergent readers.

You type in student names, and they ‘magically’ autofill onto every page of the little booklet. Yes, little learners LOVE seeing their own name in print!

I hope you enjoy your cute dinosaur crafts.
