Dinosaur Arts and Crafts Supplies

I actually really enjoyed making these little dinosaur cardboard cutouts for our little guy’s second birthday party!

I’ll walk you through the steps and list of supplies if you’re wanting to DIY your own party decorations, or just give your toddler something to color in or paint!

So, the first thing you’ll want to do is start stocking up on some big cardboard boxes—for different options of various shaped dinosaurs. You might think initially you just want to do one big cutout, but it’s nice to have options in case you want to do several smaller ones or one that requires a different shape—like a brontosaurus or something.

I found that just thinner cardboard pieces looked better—the thicker cardboard I used for the volcano and palm tree turned out much harder to cut through so some of the edges looked a little frayed.

Then, you’ll want a non-toxic paint. I used tempera paint—not sure if this is the best recommendation though, since it took quite a few layers to not have the cardboard show through. Also, don’t use the printed side of any cardboard! Plain sides with nothing written on it have the least likelihood to show through the paint!

I just used cheap dollar store paintbrushes too, but I found out on the volcano and palm trees that a foam brush actually works great for a more even paint layer and is easier to spread around on the cardboard!

You’ll need a pencil to make the outline of whatever you’re coloring and cutting out, and then a good box cutter knife/heavy duty scissors.

Grab inspiration for your dinosaur online and make the outline in pencil on your cardboard. Then, just paint it in with your colors and wait for it to dry before cutting it out.

For more fun, let your toddler be the one to color in or paint the dinosaur before cutting it out—always making sure they’re not anywhere near any knives, scissors, or sharp objects of course!

Have fun with it and let them glue on different textures like fake gems/jewels, googly eyes, Pom poms, pipe cleaners, feathers, etc!

Take a pic with them and their creation and make sure they know how unique and artistic it is by displaying it somewhere special, or using it in their party decorations!

Have any other fun ideas to make this the ultimate dinosaur craft? Let me know in the comments and be sure to tag me @honeyboothecavapoo on IG!