Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Language Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now 

Dinosaurs are such a fun, high-interest topic that I just had to take a break from all the holiday activities to focus on dinosaurs. I'm sharing ideas for free dinosaur printables and Montessori-inspired dinosaur language activities. 

I've had posts here before with other dinosaur activities. But these are new, different, and focusing on hands-on dinosaur language activities. My post at Living Montessori Now has a long list of free dinosaur printables. 

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. 

At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. 

Letter D Object Basket and Writing Tray

Free Printables: Dinosaur Letters for Letter D Object Basket and Writing Tray (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) 

For the letter d basket, I used a basket with small objects beginning with the /d/ sound. I like introducing the cursive letter along with the manuscript one, so I included the cursive d card. I used a variety of objects starting with /d/. You could just say the phonetic sound as you or your child removes an item from the basket: for example, "/d/ dog, /d/ doll..." Some of the objects are ones I had at home (such as Safari Ltd. TOOB objects and a miniature wooden doll I had), although many are from Montessori Services (they have individual phonetic objects or a whole set available). 

For the letter d sand tray, I used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though. For the sand, I sterilized sand from outdoors by baking it for 30 minutes at 200F. You can also buy sand on Amazon. 

Dinosaur Letter Tile Cards (Beginning Sounds) 

 

Free Printable: Dinosaur Letter Tile Cards (Beginning Sounds) by Karen Cox from PreKinders at TeachersPayTeachers. There are 3 levels to this printable, so it's very versatile. I'm showing the middle version with the missing initial sound.  
Free Printable: Montessori Movable Alphabet (1 Inch Letter Tiles). You could purchase letter tiles if you prefer rather than printing them out. For this activity, I used a Multicraft tray and small Bambu condiment cup to hold the letters.
    

For our floor work, we always use a Montessori Services hemmed work rug.

Dinosaur Syllables 

 

Free Printable: Dinos TOOB Key by Safari Ltd., hosted at Living Montessori Now. I just printed it out and cut it apart, using the 8 dinosaurs that were in both the Dinos TOOB and dinosaur syllable cards.  

Free Printable: Dinosaur Syllables from Dinosaur Unit Language Printable Pack 1 by Renae at Every Star Is Different 

For this activity, I used a Multicraft tray, Safari Ltd. Dinos TOOB (the ones that matched the printable cards), Montessori Services basket to hold the dinosaurs, dinosaur syllable cards, Bambu large condiment cup, small Bambu condiment cup, and miniature clothespins. You could use glass gems like Renae did at Every Star Is Different. I just used the miniature clothespins because my almost-3-year-old granddaughter has been especially excited about them lately.

You could place a small control dot on the back of the card where the clothespin should go for a control of error (instant self-check).



Dinosaur Sight Words (Puzzle Words) with Clothespin Letters

 

Free Printable: Sight Word Dinosaurs from Classy Kinders by Jamie Aguilar at Teachers Pay Teachers 

For this activity, I used a Multicraft tray containing a Montessori Services basket with clothespins with the letters for the puzzle words written on them with a permanent marker.   
      

When I first teach puzzle words, such as "the," I say something like: "/t/, /h/, and /ĕ/ together say the word 'the.'  You can't sound out 'the.' You just have to remember it." 

Dinosaur CVC Word Families 

 

Free Printable: Dinosaur CVC Word Mats from Royal Baloo 

This activity was super simple to prepare. It just used a small Montessori Services basket and Multicraft tray to hold everything.



There are a number of word families in the printable pack. I would generally put out one word family (such as the "at" family), letting the child make and read each of the words before putting out another word family. 

Dinosaur Bones Punctuation Game 

Free Printable: Dinosaur Bones Punctuation Game from 123 Homeschool 4 Me 

For this activity, I used a Multicraft tray and small Bambu condiment cup to hold the markers (for up to 4 players). 

think this would make a nice cooperative game if everyone took turns moving the same piece. Of course, it works well as a traditional game, too. This is a fun way to reinforce punctuation skills. 

More Free Dinosaur Printables 

Go to my post at Living Montessori Now for links to free dinosaur printables from around the blogosphere: Free Dinosaur Printables and Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Language Activities. And be sure to subscribe to my email list if you'd like to get an exclusive free printable each month (plus two more awesome freebies right away): Free Printables. 

More Dinosaur Posts and Resources: 

Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Unit, Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Fun with Printables, Water Beads, and Glass Gems, Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Activities Using Dinosaur Replicas, Make Fossils from Montessori at Home!, Free Dinosaur Printables and Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Math Activities, Literature-Based Dinosaur Activities for Preschoolers, Dinosaur Ice Melt Science Experiment for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Dinosaur Unit Study Pinterest Board

Helpful Post with Animal Classification 

Montessori Animal Classification

If you'd like to focus on manners with children, please check out my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy! It's written for anyone who'd like to feel comfortable teaching manners to children ages 2-12. I'm also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!

I hope you found some ideas for your classroom or home. :)

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 41 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and toddler granddaughter live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.