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Why Do Kids Love Dinosaurs?

At some point in their childhoods, almost all children will develop a deep and intense fascination with dinosaurs. This fascination could last for just a few weeks or, for some children, develop into an intense passion that lasts a lifetime. But why do kids love dinosaurs? And what is the power of their universal appeal?

Why Do Kids Love Dinosaurs?

Dinosaurs Spark Curiosity

Dinosaurs capture the imaginations of children and for children that are endlessly curious and love to learn, they are the perfect learning tool. New dinosaurs, and aspects of dinosaur behavior are being discovered all the time so for the child who absorbs knowledge, this is very exciting: their ability to learn new things about the subject is never diminished.

It is amazing to see pre-schoolers that are able to say ‘triceratops’ and ‘T-rex’ before they can complete meaningful interactions with their peers because their passion for dinosaurs drives them to absorb knowledge and learn as much information as possible.

Dinosaurs can even allow children to add their own thoughts to the canon and use their imaginations: what color was their favorite dinosaur? How do they imagine their favorite dinosaur looked and acted? Because even the experts aren’t sure about these things, the child is in the perfect position to invent their own ideas.

Dinosaurs are Great for Role Play

Dinosaurs form a key component of most children’s fantasy worlds. Whether they’re using plastic dinosaurs to stomp through the prehistoric swamp, chase after their other toys, or even mounting a Godzilla-style attack on the modern world, dinosaurs are great for sparking kids’ imaginations. Dinosaurs encourage children to indulge in fantasy play. We tend to think of plastic dinosaur toys but soft toys can be particularly important. In addition to being part of the child’s adventure play, a dinosaur plush toy (https://www.gund.co.uk/) can be an important friend. It can help keep away the monsters under the bed while providing cuddly comfort to the child at night.

As well as being a lot of fun, this kind of imaginative role play is also great for child development, as it enhances social and interpersonal development, teaching children how to play creatively and form friendships with others.

Dinosaurs are Huge

When you’re tiny, something that largely is incredibly impressive and dinosaurs are huge! Big, fierce and ferocious, dinosaurs are among very few living things in a child’s world that are bigger than daddy and have the power to do whatever they want, whenever they want. This is a sentiment that often captures the imagination of children whose lives are so often dominated by routines and schedules that they didn’t actually choose themselves.

However, there is also a great security in worshipping at the altar of the dinosaur. Whilst they may be big and scary, they also became extinct 65 million years ago. You can’t be hurt or eaten by something that died out in a time frame so large it’s a struggle to comprehend it!

Dinosaurs effectively provide a safe medium to explore big ideas and interact with the world around them in an environment that is both safe and nurturing. Everyone loves dinosaurs (even most grown-ups!) so they are also a great educational toy that you can play with your children and enjoy together.

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