Printable Cardboard Dinosaur Costume Templates Made for Pretend Play

Do your kids love dinosaurs and nursery rhymes? With COVID-19 self-isolation, I have had to learn to live with the fact that my children will watch TV sometime. These cardboard dinosaur costume templates came from my desire to not only entertain my children but also keep them protected during this unusual time.

Stegosaurus Cardboard Dinosaur Costume Template

Difficulty: Easy

Sizes Available: One-size-fits-most

The Stegosaurus template is one-size-fits most. It can be worn by a person with a head circumference of up to 28inches. The template allows you to customize how large or small you want the dinosaur head to be by adjusting the head strap on the inside of the head. 

All sales are final. Refunds are not given. Please ensure you have the right dinosaur before checking out! When you purchase the dinosaur templates the link will be sent to your promotions folder. The link will only be active for 48hours. Please download your dinosaur promptly. 

When you purchase the printable cardboard dinosaur costume templates you will receive a confirmation email which contains your downloads. This will be in your promotions folder. 

Parasaurus Cardboard Dinosaur Costume Template

Difficulty: Moderate

Sizes Available: One-size-fits-most

The Parasaur template is one-size-fits most. It can be worn by a person with a head circumference of up to 28inches. The template allows you to customize how large or small you want the dinosaur head to be by adjusting the gluing lines on the back of the head. 

When you purchase the printable cardboard dinosaur costume templates you will receive a confirmation email which contains your downloads. This will be in your promotions folder.   The link will only be active for 48hours. Please download your dinosaur promptly. 

All sales are final. Refunds are not given. Please ensure you have the right dinosaur before checking out!

Triceratops Cardboard Dinosaur Costume Templates

Difficulty: Easy

This template has large pieces that are easily folded and assembled. The hardest part is cutting them out and making sure the right pieces are placed together onto the cardboard.

Sizes Available: Adult Size and Child Size

The Adult Size is designed for adults with heads above 21inches in circumference (crown measurement). It can be worn by an adult with a head circumference up to 28inches.

The Child Size is designed for toddlers and children with head sizes up to 21inches.

When you purchase the printable cardboard dinosaur costume templates you will receive a confirmation email which contains your downloads. This will be in your promotions folder.  The link will only be active for 48hours. Please download your dinosaur promptly. 

All sales are final. Refunds are not given. Please ensure you have the right dinosaur before checking out!

I am a big fan of finding and reading scientific studies about child health and wellbeing.  And the studies always say that screen time is bad. I was worried my children’s brains would melt with any screen time. My husband is pretty convinced it’s my brain that melts every time the TV gets turned on.

Now, after months of being trapped inside, I don’t mind working in a little screen time.  I cannot believe how much the toddler shows have helped the girls learn to love singing. Their language skills are exploding because they are obsessed with bursting into song… everywhere and ALL THE TIME. 

Use The Costumes to Encourage the Kids to Be Active

However, I still hate having the kids sit idle in front of the TV. I first came up with the idea of these dinosaur heads to get them to interact with their favorite shows. And guess what, it worked!

My two toddler girls love to put on their dinosaur heads and run around growling at each other and singing their favorite dinosaur songs from the shows. I’m pretty sure they invented half of the songs 🙂

It turns out, them pretending to be dinosaurs is actually an important skill! Pretend play is critical for language skills, problem-solving, creativity, responsibility,  brain development, and much more!

Read this post for more on pretend play and other skills.

When making these dinosaurs I realized the kids in cartoons have unusually large and round heads (duh). The first time I put one of these heads on the kids I was like, oh, well that doesn’t fit well. So, I enlisted the help of my dad, who is a mechanical engineer. He then helped me understand how to realistically shape cardboard (yes, that’s how hard I found it at first.)

Now, the project has evolved into multiple sizes and dinosaurs. These are no longer just for the toddlers, but for the entire family.

Dinosaur Heads for Birthday Party Props or Halloween Costumes

These templates build cardboard dinosaur costumes are a great addition to any party. For instance, kids can play dress-up or use them as props at a photo booth.

Need an inexpensive but durable Halloween costume? These will fit the bill!

 The best part: you can ADD A FACE SHIELD into the dinosaur head or match it to your child’s face mask to protect them when they’re around all those other kids!

Does your child refuse to wear any protective face gear? Maybe if it looks like a dinosaur, they’ll be the ones asking to put it on.

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These Cardboard Dinosaur Costume Templates Include:

• A printable template for 8.5″ x 11″ paper. This template has each piece you will need to construct the head of your dinosaur and fit it to the wearer’s head.
• Detailed step-by-step instructions with demonstration pictures.
• Construction Support – Upon purchase you will receive an email receipt from Growing Up Goddesses. You can reply at any time if you need and I will try to get back to you within 48hours.

Coming soon: a YouTube video to walk you through the instructions. If you have any questions prior to purchase, reach out to me on the Contact Us page.

Supplies You’ll Need for the Construction of Your Cardboard Dinosaur Costume Templates

You’ll want to have the following supplies before starting this project.

• Scissors
  If you have them, cardboard scissors make this project much easier! Regular scissors work too.Cutting out the paper template is a great time to get the kids involved if they are learning or have scissor skills.

   

• Corrugated Cardboard
  Packing boxes, shipping boxes, project boards…any corrugated cardboard works! I used project boards for mine. The thinner cardboard is much easier to cut and fold.

   

• White Glue
  This type of glue is great for getting the paper template to stick to the cardboard, it also makes it easier to remove when you’re ready for the exciting part: decorating.

   

• Hot glue gun and glue
  Hot glue sets fast and makes the dinosaur heads strong. It’s a great way to bind the cardboard together!

   

• Ruler or Straight Edge
  A straight edge will make sure your folding lines are crisp.

   

• Paint, Markers, Feathers, or Construction Paper
  Once you’re ready to decorate, get the kids involved. The sky is the limit! Add feathers, use vibrant acrylic paints….whatever you want! These are fully customizable costumes!

  Optional Supplies

• Want something that will last a little longer and be more adaptable to multiple users? You can order helmet padding to make sure the helmet stays in place and allows multiple users in the same size.

   

• These Dinosaur Heads have room for a face shield if you want to add some protection to your costume. These have the added benefit of ensuring the dinosaur head doesn’t wiggle when you move your head back and forth. The template does include a way to build your own head strap to keep the head in place.

Decorating Tips

There are endless ways to decorate these guys. Here are a few ways to jazz your dinosaur up.

• Acrylic paint on cardboard allows for vibrant colors and easy touch ups. If you have young painters in the house this stuff is perfect! You can get non-toxic acrylic paint that is easy to wash off. You also can paint over it as many times as you want and each new color will still be bright and expressive.

   

• The template includes eyes for each of the dinosaur, but these are just suggestions. There are all kinds of expressions you can make your dinosaur have, just by changing the shape and placement of the eyes.You can also try out these large googly eyes. They’ll give your dinosaur lots of character!

   

• Does your child have a favorite dinosaur from a cartoon? Try to make the dinosaurs look like their favorite and they’ll love it!

   

• Feathers can easily be added to these designs. Imagine some great plumage sticking out the top of the triceratops frill or along the crest of the parasaur!