Take your students on a prehistoric adventure with our Dinosaur Dig PLAY PACK – a hands-on role play resource that invites children to become palaeontologists for the day! This complete dramatic play pack is designed to spark imagination, build rich oral language and support early literacy, numeracy and science outcomes through purposeful play.

Whether you're setting up a full-scale excavation site or simply want to add a themed twist to your classroom play corner, this pack provides everything you need to transform your space into a bustling Dino Dig site. With a variety of printables and themed materials, students will love donning their safety vests, inspecting bones, filling out reports and discovering dinosaur facts.

The resource can be used as part of a play-based learning rotation, a class project on dinosaurs, or as a rich context for writing, measuring and reporting. It also encourages collaboration, role-playing, turn-taking and vocabulary development in a natural and engaging way.

Key Learning Outcomes

• ✅ Engage in imaginative and dramatic play to explore real-world roles
• ✅ Develop vocabulary related to palaeontology, fossils and scientific observation
• ✅ Practise speaking and listening skills through collaborative play
• ✅ Explore writing and data collection through themed report templates

What’s Included

• Posters to set the scene for a Dino Dig excavation site
• Bunting for creating an eye-catching display or dig site entrance
• Labels for materials, roles and equipment
• Word Wall Cards featuring key palaeontology and dinosaur terms
• Vocabulary Desk Mat for individual student reference
• Role Cards for assigning responsibilities such as Site Leader or Bone Specialist
• 'How To' Posters for setting expectations and modelling scientific procedures
• Dig Site Report templates for documenting finds
• Bone and Fossil Report sheets for observational drawing and writing

Materials Needed

• Printed and laminated pack materials
• Sand tray or sensory tub filled with sand, soil or shredded paper
• Plastic bones or fossil toys (or printed fossil images)
• Brushes, sifters, magnifying glasses and clipboards
• Crayons, pencils and student whiteboards for writing tasks

How to Use

1. Set up a designated Dino Dig area with the printed posters, bunting and labelled materials.
2. Assign roles using the role cards, and model expectations using the 'How To' posters.
3. Hide fossil or bone images in the sand tray or around the room for students to discover.
4. Encourage students to use the report templates to document their findings and observations.
5. Incorporate the vocabulary desk mats and word wall cards to support oral language and writing.
6. Rotate groups or roles to ensure all students experience different responsibilities within the dig site.

Ideas for Classroom Use

• 💡 Set up a Dino Dig dramatic play corner during a science or dinosaur unit
• 💡 Use during literacy rotations as a writing stimulus for procedural or report writing
• 💡 Integrate maths by measuring and comparing bone sizes or recording how many fossils are found
• 💡 Pair with fossil-themed read-alouds to build background knowledge and cross-curricular links
• 💡 Host a special Dino Dig day where students dress as palaeontologists and rotate through activities

Top Teacher Tips

• 💛 Print posters and word wall cards at A3 size to support visual learners
• 💛 Laminate materials and use whiteboard markers to make reports reusable
• 💛 Encourage students to use full sentences and descriptive language in their reports
• 💛 Assign rotating roles to build teamwork and ensure all students experience different parts of the dig site

Dinosaur Dig PLAY PACK is the perfect way to turn your classroom into an imaginative, educational excavation site – bringing together science, writing, vocabulary and fun in one unforgettable experience.