3D T-Rex

This dinosaur craft is a simple way for kids to color, cut, and build a 3D dinosaur they can actually hold and display. Pick your favorite colors, put all the pieces together, and watch your dinosaur come to life!

Get the template here

We already know that T-Rex had a very powerful bite, a great sense of smell, and some pretty impressive hunting skills. But here’s something funny about them that you might not know: T-Rex probably didn’t roar like they do in the movies!

Think about all those dinosaur movies. The T-Rex walks toward you with those big, heavy footsteps, the ground is shaking, and then there’s nothing else but “ROOOAAARRR!” We’ve seen this scene so many times that a T-Rex almost doesn’t feel complete without that giant roar

But in real life, scientists haven’t found evidence that T-Rex could make that kind of giant roar. We don’t actually know exactly what they sounded like, but they may have made much deeper and quieter sounds instead.

Now imagine that scene one more time. The T-Rex is walking toward you with all those powerful steps, the ground is shaking, everything feels intense… and then, instead of a huge “ROOOAAARRR!”, you just hear a deep “boom boom.” A little funny, right? It definitely makes the whole dramatic scene feel a lot less terrifying.

So, what do you think could be even scarier than a T-Rex?

Four T-Rexes! 🦖🦖🦖🦖

And four isn’t just a random number. That’s actually how many T-Rexes the kids in my family have made so far! But there’s really no reason to stop at four. You can make as many as you like by trying different color combinations and adding your own fun patterns and details to each one.

Let your imagination run wild and keep creating until you have a whole forest full of T-Rexes. The more dinosaurs, the more fun!

Learning Through Crafting This 3D T-Rex

Making this 3D T-Rex helps kids practice several hands-on skills while working with paper. Cutting along the lines, folding the pieces, and putting everything together give them practice with fine motor skills, hand control, and coordination.

The project also encourages kids to slow down and pay attention to the details. Following the instructions in the right order helps them practice patience, concentration, and staying with a project from beginning to end.

There is also room for creativity along the way. Kids can choose their own colors and add patterns or other details to give their T-Rex a look of their own.

Ideas for the Classroom and Homeschool

This printable can be used alongside a dinosaur or prehistoric life lesson in the classroom or at home. After learning about different dinosaurs, kids can make the T-Rex as a hands-on project connected to what they have been learning.

It can also be paired with lessons about fossils, extinction, or how scientists learn about animals that lived millions of years ago. For younger children, you could keep it simple by comparing the T-Rex with other dinosaurs and talking about things like their size, food, and physical features.

It would also make a nice activity for a dinosaur-themed week, a school break, or a rainy day when you want to add something hands-on to the day.

3D T-Rex Step By Step Guide

Supplies Needed

• Cardstock
• Colored pencils, crayons, markers or watercolor.
• Scissors
• Glue
• The 3D T-Rex Template

3D T-Rex Instructions

Step 1: Print out the 3D T-Rex Template on cardstock.

Step 2: Color the dinosaur parts using colored pencils, crayons, markers or watercolor.

Step 3: Carefully cut out all the pieces, then fold along the dotted and dashed lines.

Step 4: Apply glue to the gray tabs and join the pieces together to form the dinosaur’s jaw.

Gently curve the tongue using a round pencil.

Repeat the same process for the front head.

Then, glue both sides of the jaw to the inside of the front head.

Step 5: Glue the two rear leg pieces together, leaving the curved outer edge unglued. Fold the tabs along the dotted line outward.

Glue the bottom of the rear leg to the foot at the dotted circle.

Step 6: Glue the gray tabs of the four pieces—body left, body top, body front, and body right—together to form the dinosaur’s body.

Step 7: Glue the two eyes onto the head, then attach the two arms and two legs to the body. Finally, glue the head onto the body.

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