Our storybook dinosaur hunt was our main activity for our dinosaur tea party birthday and everyone had a blast. But you could easily do this on a smaller scale with your kids for some summer dino fun too.
A storybook dino hunt is just what it sounds like—half storytime, half dinosaur scavenger hunt. Does it get any better than books AND dino bones? 🦖🦴📖💚
Here’s how we did it:
First, we checked out all the dinosaur picture books from our library and found our four favorites. Next, we hid a clue in each book.
Then, come party time, we read the first book, found the puzzle-shaped clue at the end, and did the activity written on the clue. After the fun activity, we came back for our next book to find the next clue.
After all of the clues were found, we put the puzzle pieces together and went on the epic hunt for the candy dinosaur. (Which was not your normal piñata😉).
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Book #1: If I Had a Dinosaur
The artwork in this is adorable and it really gets the kids thinking about what it would be like to have a dinosaur as a pet.
Clue #1: Dinosaur Stomp
1, 2, 3, start the dino hunt with me.
Find the missing tracks
And stomp as loud as you can be.
Tip: I wrote the clues to match the rhythm of our favorite dino book. This video read by the author was helpful to get the rhythm down.
Hiding under our hallway rug were dino footprints oriented in different directions. The kids had to find the hidden footprints, and then all jump on them in the correct pattern down the hall.
Tip: double-sided tape makes this easy to secure them.
Here’s another example of what a dino stomp/dinosaur hopscotch could look like:
Book #2: Tea Rex
This book was PERFECT for our dinosaur tea party. Molly Idle’s illustrations are lovely and full of personality.
Clue #2: Dig for Dino Bones
1, 2, 3, find some ancient bones buried.
Head out to the dig site
And build four skeletons with me.
We inherited a broken hot tub when we bought our house, so… we turned it into a pebble pit for digging! It’s probably the most redneck project I’ve ever done. But my kids love it. Which has been great for everyday play, as well as our buried treasure dig for our mermaid & pirate party. But you can also set up a kiddie pool, a large plastic tote, or buy a fossil kit for easy set up.
Find these free printables in our subscriber library. Just sign up for emails and the password will come through in 24 ish hours.
We found some small dino bones from China at a possibly questionable site 😅 but here are some similar dino bones on Amazon.
Or this large t-rex skeleton set would be SO cool!
The kids had a blast digging for dino bones and other prehistoric treasures.
Book #3: Crunch the Shy Dinosaur
A cute, silly interactive dinosaur book that makes my girls giggle.
Clue #3: Baby Dino Rescue
1, 2, 3, EEEEK the cage is empty.
Find the baby dinos
Roaming wild and so free.
We hid mini dinos outside in the front yard and the kids got to go rescue them.
Book #4: 1 2 3 Do the Dinosaur
Our FAVORITE dinosaur book. It’s even more fun when you learn the song that goes with it (video here).
Clue #4: Candy Dinosaur Hunt (aka human dinosaur pinata)
1, 2, 3, hunt the candy dinosaur with me.
You can find him downstairs
Lurking oh so quietly.
Have you ever heard of human pinatas? (Where someone runs around with candy taped to their shirt).
This is like that, except you tape candy/prizes to an inflatable dinosaur costume. Yep, you heard me. The kids got to chase down a dinosaur.
The inflatable dinosaur costume surprised everyone, and the kids were hugging the candy dinosaur by the end. It was hilarious.
Tip: Test your tape beforehand. The costume has a slick material. I recommend nano tape for sticking the treats onto the dino. My husband tried all of our other tape (except the nano) and ended up using both painters tape and duct tape haha.
Overall this storybook dinosaur hunt was such a fun party activity and moms complimented how engaging and kid-friendly it was. But you can totally make these fun memories with your kids any day of the year.
Happy storybook dinosaur hunt!
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know below.
And if you’re looking for the rest of the dinosaur tea party details, you can find them HERE.
