Beijing, Birds, & Dinos: Learn All About It for Draw a Dino Day

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Draw a Dinosaur Day started nine years ago as a fun way to share all the different ways that kids – and let’s face it, their grownups – can draw a dino. Even though it was on Jan 30, there’s no end to the fun of these giant creatures. Dinosaurs are one of the earliest obsessions with most kids, and it’s always the cutest day when they first learn how to sound out the word “eks-teek-int”.

A fascinating tie between Beijing and dinosaurs is that local fossils “opened a window on the moment when birds broke away from other dinosaurs and evolved new forms of flight and ways of feeding. They reveal details about most of the digestive, respiratory, skeletal and plumage adaptations that transformed the creatures from big, scary meat-eating dinosaurs to something like a modern pigeon or hummingbird,” according to a May 2018 Smithsonian Magazine article (read all about it via QR code below). Well, you learn something new every day, and now your whole family can learn and draw together.

Maybe the best way to draw a dino is to take a little field trip to the Beijing Museum of Natural History and sketch what you see, but if you’re huddled at home, here are cool tutorials you can use for family drawing time! And don’t forget to throw some bird drawings in there, too, to learn a little history while you sketch!

Step by Step Online Drawing Lessons

I found this one, along with a number of other tutorials, on a simple website called Online Drawing lessons. I find these step-by-steps easy to follow and a great way to show kids how to make larger or bigger shapes depending on the body part. It’s also a cool way to illustrate the parts of one’s body in relation to a dino’s!

Easy Drawing Guides

These shapes are a little more complex, but the finished product has a cartoon feel all little ones are sure to enjoy. Either download each lesson one by one or use their downloadable book of drawing lessons.

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Art For Kids Hub

The YouTube channel Art for Kids Hub is super fun, with a dad and son teaming up for their drawing adventures. They use black markers at first and allow a lot of space for creative expression within a structured format. Their Pinterest page also outlines each drawing tutorial for you in very simple and magical ways!

Hello Kids

I found this site while looking specifically for how to draw a triceratops. These are easy to draw and look like they’re made with a crayon, which broadens the appeal for younger kids who might feel intimidated using markers. Plus, they have all of the dinosaurs!

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Drawing is a really lovely way to both connect with your children and see how they express themselves. No matter your talent level, simply taking a blank piece of paper and following these steps to create a dino can be quite the relaxing bonding experience after stressful days of e-learning!

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Photos: Beijing Museum of Natural History, courtesy of websites

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