Dinosaur Poems for Kids: 30 Short Rhymes for Circle Time, Classrooms, Cards and Bedtime

You need something for circle time tomorrow morning, or a verse for a birthday card, or a rhyme to settle a four-year-old who has asked for "one more dinosaur" three times already. These dinosaur poems are written for exactly those moments. They're short, they rhyme, and most of them have actions, so small kids can join in the second time through.

Every poem on this page is ours, written for this list. Teachers, parents and librarians are welcome to copy them onto a chart, a card or a classroom wall. The fact poems are checked against what paleontologists actually know, so nobody learns anything they'll have to unlearn in second grade.

Quick picks: which dinosaur poem for which moment

Short dinosaur poems for preschool circle time

These are fingerplays: rhymes with movements built in. Say each one slowly the first time and do the actions big. By the third time, most three-year-olds will be saying the last word of each line with you.

Stomp, Stomp, Dinosaur

Stomp, stomp, dinosaur, stomping on the ground, (stomp feet)
Swish, swish, dinosaur, tail goes round and round. (swing arm behind you)
Stretch, stretch, dinosaur, reaching for a tree, (reach up high)
Munch, munch, dinosaur, leaves for you and me. (chomp hands like jaws)
Roar, roar, dinosaur, loud as you can be, (big roar)
Shh, shh, dinosaur… (whisper)
now sit down with me. (sit)

The last line is the useful one. It ends on sitting down, which is what you want after a rhyme that winds everybody up.

I'm a Little Dinosaur

(To the tune most kids already know from "I'm a Little Teapot.")

I'm a little dinosaur, green and tall, (stand on tiptoes)
Here are my claws, and here is my tail. (show hands, wiggle behind)
When I'm hungry, hear me call: (cup hands to mouth)
"ROAR!" — then I eat my lunch, leaves and all. (chomp)

It doesn't rhyme perfectly in the second line, and three-year-olds do not care.

Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Turn Around

Dinosaur, dinosaur, turn around. (turn)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, touch the ground. (touch floor)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, show your claws. (curl fingers)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, open your jaws. (open arms wide like a mouth)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, stamp your feet. (stamp)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, take your seat. (sit)

Hatching Egg

Curl up small inside your shell, (crouch into a ball)
Warm and quiet, safe and well.
Tap, tap, tap — a little crack! (tap the floor)
Push, push, push and stretch your back. (slowly unfold)
Out pops a head, out pops a tail, (pop up)
A brand-new dinosaur! Hear it wail: (arms out)
"Peep!" (tiny voice)

Ending on a tiny "peep" instead of a roar usually gets a laugh, and it's also true: baby dinosaurs were small. Even the giant long-necks hatched from eggs about the size of a grapefruit.

Counting rhymes

Five Little Dinosaurs

Hold up five fingers and fold one down each verse.

Five little dinosaurs stomping by the shore,
One went off to find a snack, and then there were four.

Four little dinosaurs munching on a tree,
One went off to take a nap, and then there were three.

Three little dinosaurs, nothing much to do,
One went off to splash around, and then there were two.

Two little dinosaurs basking in the sun,
One went off to dig a nest, and then there was one.

One little dinosaur, all on her own,
Went to find her friends again — and nobody's alone!

The last verse brings everyone back, which matters more than you'd think to a four-year-old who got attached to dinosaur number three.

Ten Big Footprints

One, two, footprints in the mud,
Three, four, landing with a thud,
Five, six, longer than my shoe,
Seven, eight, I wonder who?
Nine, ten, follow them and see…
A dinosaur is following ME!

Fossil footprints are real and you can still see them. Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas has tracks in the riverbed that kids can stand next to.

Dinosaur poems that teach a real fact

Good for a science unit, a museum trip, or the kid who corrects adults about dinosaurs. Each one is built on one fact you can check.

Tiny Arms (Tyrannosaurus rex)

T. rex had a giant head
And teeth as long as bananas, it's said.
But look at its arms! So little, so small —
Two fingers each, and that is all.

The banana line is fair: T. rex's biggest teeth, root included, were about 12 inches long. Its arms were about three feet long on an animal around 40 feet from nose to tail, and each hand had two working fingers.

Plates and Spikes (Stegosaurus)

Plates on my back go up, up, up,
Like a row of kites, or a stack of cups.
Spikes on my tail go swish and clack —
Better not sneak up behind my back!

Stegosaurus had two rows of bony plates along its back and four spikes at the end of its tail. Paleontologists jokingly call that spiked tail a "thagomizer," a name borrowed from a 1982 Far Side cartoon, and it stuck.

Three Horns (Triceratops)

One horn, two horns, three horns: count!
Plus a frill like a shield. That's the full amount.
I don't eat meat. I munch on ferns.
The name means "three-horned face." Now you've learned!

Long Neck (Brachiosaurus)

My front legs are long and my back legs are short,
So my neck tilts up like a giraffe's, of sorts.
I nibble the treetops nobody can reach,
Then sneeze on the dinosaurs down by the beach.

The leg fact is real: Brachiosaurus means "arm lizard" because its front legs were longer than its back legs. The sneeze is ours.

Not a Dinosaur (Pteranodon)

I glide through the sky on wings made of skin,
But I'm not a dinosaur, so don't count me in!
I'm a pterosaur, cousin to dinos, you see,
So please get it right when you're talking of me.

Pteranodon was a flying reptile, a close relative of dinosaurs but not one itself. Kids who know this love being asked "Is it a dinosaur?" and getting to say no.

Armor On (Ankylosaurus)

I'm wearing my armor from my head to my tail,
Covered in bony plates like a knight in chain mail.
And there at the end is a club, big and round —
Thump! goes the tail. Every hunter backs down.

The Biggest Surprise

Some dinosaurs stomped and some dinosaurs swam,
Some ate up the ferns, and some were quite calm.
And some of them never went quite away —
Look out the window: there's one on the tray!

Point at a bird feeder for this one. Birds are living dinosaurs, descended from small feathered dinosaurs. It's the fact that makes most kids stop and stare at a pigeon.

Under the Rock (fossils)

Under the rock and under the clay,
A bone has been sleeping for years and a day.
A digger comes by with a brush and a pick,
And brushes it gently. Not fast. Not quick.
Now there it is, shining, a bone made of stone,
And soon in a museum it won't be alone.

Fossil bones really are stone. Over millions of years, minerals replace the original bone, which is why fossils are so heavy.

Funny dinosaur poems

For ages six to nine, who like a poem best when something goes wrong in it.

The Dinosaur Who Ate the Homework

I had my homework finished, I had it in my hand,
And then a T. rex wandered in. You have to understand,
He gobbled up my spelling and he swallowed all my math.
He burped out my reading log and then he took a bath.
So, teacher, please don't blame me, it's not my fault at all —
The dinosaur is waiting just outside, down the hall.

Dinner Guest

We had a dinosaur for dinner.
No, not like that! He came to eat.
He ate the salad, ate the chicken,
Ate the table, ate my seat.

Too Big for the Bathtub

My dinosaur won't fit in the bath.
His tail is in the hall.
His head is in the kitchen sink.
He's not really clean at all.

Picky Eater

"Eat your vegetables," Mom said to Rex.
"I'm a meat-eater," he answered. "Next!"
"Eat your meat," Dad said to Trike.
"I'm a plant-eater. That's what I like!"

If these land, our dinosaur jokes page has a couple hundred more where they came from.

Bedtime dinosaur rhymes

Slower, softer, and no roaring in the last line.

Goodnight, Long Neck

Goodnight, Long Neck, up so high,
Your head is resting near the sky.
Goodnight, Three Horns, curled in the ferns.
Goodnight, Little Raptor, who twists and turns.
Goodnight, T. rex, you've stomped all day,
Now lay your giant head away.
The moon is up, the stars are bright,
Goodnight, dinosaurs. Goodnight.

Little Roar

Even the loudest dinosaur
Gets sleepy when the day is done.
He tucks his tail and shuts his eyes
And dreams of swamps and setting sun.
So roar your biggest roar right now…
Then softer… softer… one more… done.

The second poem pairs with our Little Roar toddler dinosaur hoodie, if you're looking for a matching gift.

Dinosaur birthday poems for cards

Short enough to write inside a card or on a cake board. Pick the one for their age.

For a two- or three-year-old's party, the verse can match the shirt: the Two Rex and Three Rex toddler birthday tees put the age right on the front. The rest of the planning (games, food, invitations) is in our dinosaur birthday party guide.

Dinosaur poems for the school year and holidays

First Day of School

Even a T. rex was new once, you know,
Small and unsure, with a long way to go.
So stomp through the door and say "hi" with a roar —
By lunchtime you'll know what the playground is for.

Valentine's Day

Roses are red, raptors are quick,
Out of all the dinosaurs, you are my pick.
Rawr means "I love you," it's true,
And this little rawr is just for you.

Christmas

Jingle bells, a dino smells
The cookies left for Santa.
He eats them all, then hides in the hall
Pretending to be a panda.

For the holiday version, the Jingle Bell Roar youth Christmas sweatshirt is basically this poem with sleeves, and the rest is in the dinosaur Christmas collection.

End of the Year

We dug up some facts and we counted some bones,
We learned that a fossil is mostly stones.
We're one year bigger and one year more wise.
See you next fall, my small dinosaurs. Bye!

How to write a dinosaur poem with kids

Kids remember the poems they write far better than the ones they hear. Two templates work from about age five.

1. Dinosaur acrostic. Write a name down the side and start each line with that letter. Shorter names are kinder to young writers:

Runs on two big legs
Eats meat
eXtinct, but still my favorite

Good names for acrostics: REX, TRIKE, RAPTOR, DINO, FOSSIL. Save PACHYCEPHALOSAURUS for the kid who asks for a challenge.

2. "I am a…" poem. Pick one dinosaur and fill in five lines:

I am a ______ (name).
I have ______ (one body part).
I eat ______.
I live ______ (where, or when).
I am ______ (one feeling word).

For example: "I am a Stegosaurus. I have spikes on my tail. I eat plants. I live a long, long time ago. I am brave."

If you need the facts to fill the blanks, a wall chart helps. Our printable Dinosaur Size Chart poster lines dinosaurs up by size, and the ABC Dinos alphabet printable gives a dinosaur for every letter, which doubles as an acrostic prompt list.

Putting them up in the classroom or at home

A poem on a wall gets read far more than a poem in a book. A few things that work:

• Poem of the week. Write one poem on chart paper on Monday. Read it together every morning. By Friday, pre-readers can "read" it back from memory, which builds confidence even if they're not decoding yet.
• Pair it with a picture. Put a fact poem next to an image of the animal it describes. The dinosaur printables collection has wall art, coloring pages and the alphabet chart as instant downloads, and the dinosaur posters collection has printed versions if you'd rather not run the classroom printer.
• Let kids illustrate their own. A five-line "I am a…" poem and a crayon drawing fit on one sheet of paper.

FAQ

What is a good short dinosaur poem for preschool?

"Stomp, Stomp, Dinosaur" above is seven lines with an action for each, and it ends with everyone sitting down. For the youngest kids (2–3), "Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Turn Around" is easier because every line starts the same way.

Are there dinosaur fingerplays for toddlers?

Yes: "Hatching Egg," "Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Turn Around" and "Five Little Dinosaurs" all work for toddlers. Keep the actions large and simple (stomp, reach, chomp, sit), and do the rhyme more than once. Repetition is the point at that age.

Can I use these dinosaur poems in my classroom?

Yes. Every poem on this page was written by us, and you're welcome to copy them onto charts, worksheets, cards and newsletters for your class or family. A link back is appreciated, never required.

What are some well-known books of dinosaur poems?

Jack Prelutsky's Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast is a long-running favorite for elementary ages, and Dizzy Dinosaurs: Silly Dino Poems, compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins, is an I Can Read collection for early readers. Your library will likely have both.

What rhymes with dinosaur?

Roar, more, floor, door, four, snore, explore, before, store and shore. "Rex" rhymes with next, specs and checks. "Egg" gives you leg, peg and beg. That's enough to write a whole poem.

How do I make a fact poem accurate?

Start from one fact you can check, like the number of fingers on a T. rex hand (two) or what a name means (Triceratops means "three-horned face"), and build the poem around it. Save the silly parts for lines that are clearly jokes, like the Brachiosaurus sneeze, so kids can tell which is which.

One more for the road

If you only use one poem from this page, make it "Five Little Dinosaurs." It counts, it moves, and it ends with everybody together. And if your small dinosaur wants to wear the theme as well as recite it, start with the toddler dinosaur apparel collection (or kids' dinosaur apparel for bigger kids).