Fun Dinosaur Facts for Kids

Do you love dinosaurs? Do you want to learn more about them? Then you have come to the right place! In this blog post, we will share 20 fun dinosaur facts for kids about these prehistoric creatures. From their size and weight to their diet and habitat, we will cover it all! We also talk about dinosaur fossils. Do you know what a fossil is? A fossil is an old bone found years later. They can help us learn about many different creatures, including the dinosaurs. Without fossils, we would have little idea as to how massive these creatures actually were. Let’s get learning about the 20 fun dinosaur facts for kids and download your FREE dinosaur printable packet of activities from Growing Play.

When you are done reading these facts, check out this activity too – Dinosaur Maze Free Printables.

Dinosaur Facts for Kids About DIfferent Sizes

Dinosaurs were some of the largest creatures to ever exist on planet earth. Some weighed over 100 tons! That’s the weight of 25 tractor-trailers! Can you imagine that? What about the height of dinosaurs? Can you imagine a forty-foot creature standing next to you? Many dinosaurs would reach above the roof of your house. In fact, some dinosaurs were taller than a four-story building!

The tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest dinosaurs. The largest T. Rex was nicknamed Scotty and is believed to have been 43 feet tall based on fossil remains. Wow! While the T. Rex was very tall, they had some of the shortest arms. They were very unique-looking creatures.

The brachiosaurus was the tallest dinosaur with heights over 13 meters. One dinosaur fossil indicated a brachiosaurus 18.5 meters tall! Most of the height of a brachiosaurus came from their necks. They had to have long necks in order to reach the leaves on the tops of trees. This was an adaptation or change that the brachiosaurus had in order to help them survive. Without their long necks, they would struggle to get food and could starve.

The longest dinosaur was the Argentinosaurus, measuring over forty meters long. That’s the length of four fire trucks!

Despite their size and strength, most dinosaurs were actually quite fragile and could be killed easily if they were stepped on or attacked by predators including larger dinosaurs. Smaller dinosaurs were commonly killed by larger dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Diets

Most dinosaurs were herbivores, or plant-eaters. These herbivorous dinosaurs often had long necks to reach the tops of trees. Remember how tall a brachiosaurus’s neck could be? That’s because a brachiosaurus was a herbivore.

One type of dinosaur was the Ornithischia dinosaur. The Ornithischia dinosaur was considered a little bird-hipped plant-eater and could be found hopping around land hunting for food. These dinosaurs were some of the many often killed by larger dinosaurs, such as the T. Rex.

There were a few carnivorous dinosaurs, or meat-eaters. Carnivores hunted and ate other animals, including smaller dinosaurs. The T. Rex is one example of a carnivorous dinosaur. The Spinosaurus is another example of a carnivorous dinosaur and was actually the biggest carnivore if not the biggest dinosaur.

Dinosaur Facts for Kids – Fossils

The first fossils were discovered in 1819 by an Englishman named William Buckland. However, he didn’t know what he had discovered until 1824 after more discoveries were made.

The Nyasasaurus parringtoni is the oldest known dinosaur. Archaeologists discovered 243-million-year-old dinosaur remains of the first known dinosaurs in Tanzania. That’s really old!

Some dinosaur fossils are shaped with a head shield. These head shields were used to protect dinosaurs from predators and also helped them hunt for food. The triceratops was one dinosaur breed with a head shield.

Dinosaur skulls had large holes or windows that made their skulls lighter. Some of the largest skulls were as long as a car. Could you imagine walking around with a car on your head?

More Interesting Dinosaur Facts for Kids

Dinosaurs lived all over the world on every continent. Archeologists have discovered dinosaur remains in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and even Antarctica!

Some scientists believe that birds are actually descendants of dinosaurs. This means that we still have some living relatives of these ancient creatures! Can you see the resemblance?

The stegosaurus was one of the dumbest dinosaurs with a brain the size of a walnut. To compare that to the size of your brain, hold a walnut in your hand and clench your fist. Your brain is about the size of your fist, which I guarantee is bigger than a walnut. Keep in mind, the human brain grows over time as you grow and develop. The dinosaur brain would not.

One of the weirdest dinosaurs is the Suzhousaurus known for it’s furry body. Most dinosaurs had scales, so a dinosaur with fur was unique, to say the least.

Dinosaur eggs measured between a few inches to two feet in length. The smallest dinosaur egg on the fossil record measured 4.5 centimeters by 2 centimeters. The largest dinosaur eggs were two feet long and were discovered in China in the mid-1990s.

Did you know that National Draw a Dinosaur Day is celebrated every January 30th? Join in the fun of celebrating this wonderful creature!

The Age of Dinosaurs

The Age of Dinosaurs, also known as the Dinosaur Age, lasted over 165 million years, from the Triassic period to the Cretaceous period.

The word “dinosaur” was first coined in 1841 by Sir Richard Owen. It is a combination of the Greek words “deinos” meaning “terrible” and “sauros” meaning “lizard.” The word dinosaur literally meant “terrible lizard.” Do you think that name suits them? Or would you call them something else?

Some scientists believe that a large asteroid collision 65 million years ago caused a mass extinction event, killing all the last dinosaurs. Other scientists believe it was a combination of the asteroid and volcanic eruptions on Earth. There are many different theories for what happened to the dinosaurs, but no one knows for sure. What do you think happened?

Even though they are no longer around, dinosaurs continue to fascinate people of all ages. There is something about these prehistoric creatures that captures our imaginations and holds our attention. Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live on the Earth during the time of the dinosaurs? Do you think we would be able to live together? Even with their height and weight? What about their diets? We would be safe from herbivorous dinosaurs, but would we be able to outrun the carnivorous ones? What do you think?