Description
Color it. Cut it. Build it. Then make it FLY!
Bring prehistoric learning to life with this fun and interactive Flying Pterodactyl Craft. Children use a printable paper template and a simple drinking straw to create a pterodactyl with wings that flap up and down when the straw is moved.
This is more than a dinosaur coloring activity. Children work through a multi-step construction process while practicing fine motor skills, cutting, folding, creativity, spatial awareness, following directions, problem-solving, observation, and basic cause-and-effect thinking.
What’s Included
This 5-page printable PDF includes:
- Flying Pterodactyl Craft cover
- Printing and preparation instructions
- Expand the Learning activity page
- Illustrated Make Your Pterodactyl Fly! directions
- Printable black-and-white pterodactyl template
- 2 pterodactyl pieces/templates on one printable page
- Solid cutting lines
- Dashed folding lines
- Step-by-step assembly guidance
- Science, research, comparison, creative-play, and learning-extension ideas
Color, Cut, Build & Fly!
Children follow a simple six-step process:
1. COLOR
Color the pterodactyl using crayons, colored pencils, markers, or other child-safe materials.
2. CUT
Cut out the pterodactyl pieces along the solid lines.
3. FOLD & GLUE
Follow the dashed fold lines and glue the pieces together as shown in the instructions.
4. FINISH COLORING
Add color to any areas that were hidden during assembly.
5. ATTACH THE STRAW
An adult prepares a small slit in the drinking straw and helps attach the pterodactyl securely.
6. MAKE IT FLY!
Move the straw gently up and down and watch the wings flap!
What You’ll Need
Simple materials are all you need:
- Printed pterodactyl template
- Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
- Scissors
- Glue or tape
- Drinking straw
Adult assistance is required for preparing the slit in the drinking straw.
Skills Children Can Practice
Fine Motor Skills
Coloring, cutting, folding, gluing, and assembling encourage controlled hand movements.
Scissor Skills
Cutting around the pterodactyl provides purposeful cutting practice.
Following Directions
Children follow a clear sequence:
COLOR → CUT → FOLD → GLUE → ATTACH → FLY
Spatial Awareness
Children learn how different pieces fit together and how sections fold into position.
Problem-Solving
Building the craft encourages children to observe, adjust, and figure out how the pieces work together.
Creativity
Children can design their pterodactyl using their own colors, patterns, and markings.
Cause & Effect
Children can observe a simple relationship:
Move the straw → the wings move.
Turn It Into a STEM Investigation
After building the pterodactyl, encourage children to investigate how it moves.
Ask:
- What happens when you move the straw slowly?
- What happens when you move it faster?
- Does a small movement create the same result as a larger movement?
- Which parts of the paper move?
- Where does the paper bend?
- Why do you think the wings flap?
Encourage children to:
MAKE → OBSERVE → ASK → TEST → COMPARE
Explore Prehistoric Flight
Use the finished craft as a starting point for conversations about prehistoric flying animals.
Discuss:
- Wings
- Body shape
- Size
- Movement
- Flight
- Pterosaurs
- Prehistoric environments
Children can compare their pterodactyl with familiar flying animals such as birds and bats.
Ask:
“What is similar?”
“What is different?”
This encourages observation and comparison while introducing children to prehistoric life.
Expand the Learning
The included learning-extension page provides additional ways to continue the activity.
Read & Discover
Explore age-appropriate books and educational resources about pterosaurs and prehistoric animals.
Learn Amazing Facts
Research where pterosaurs lived, what they ate, how large they could become, and how they differed from dinosaurs.
Explore & Compare
Compare the pterodactyl with prehistoric animals such as T. rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor.
Create & Craft
Use paper, cardboard, recycled materials, and art supplies to create additional prehistoric creatures or a dinosaur-themed mobile.
Play & Imagine
Create a prehistoric world with blocks, toys, drawings, or other crafts and let children use their pterodactyls for imaginative play.
Visit & Learn More
Continue learning through libraries, museums, books, and suitable educational resources.
Create a Prehistoric Habitat
After building the flying pterodactyl, challenge children to create a prehistoric environment.
They can draw or build:
- Mountains
- Cliffs
- Water
- Trees
- Ferns
- Rocks
- Volcanoes
- Other prehistoric creatures
Then use the finished pterodactyl as part of the habitat.
This combines art, science, storytelling, and imaginative play.
Turn It Into a Story
Ask:
“Where is your pterodactyl flying?”
Children can imagine that their pterodactyl is:
- Searching for food
- Flying over an ancient ocean
- Looking for its family
- Exploring a new habitat
- Learning to fly
- Flying through a prehistoric storm
Younger children can tell their stories aloud, while older learners can turn their ideas into sentences, paragraphs, or a complete prehistoric adventure.
Perfect For
- Preschool
- Pre-K
- Kindergarten
- Elementary classrooms
- Homeschool
- Dinosaur units
- Prehistoric life studies
- Pterosaur activities
- Flying reptile themes
- Paleontology units
- Dinosaur crafts
- STEM activities
- STEAM activities
- Science centers
- Art centers
- Fine motor practice
- Scissor skills
- Following-directions activities
- Early finishers
- Indoor learning
- Imaginative play
- Creative writing
- Hands-on science extensions
- Dinosaur-themed learning days
Printing & Preparation
Print the activity pages on A4 or Letter-size paper.
For everyday activities, regular printer paper can be used. For a sturdier finished craft, heavier paper may be suitable if your printer supports it.
Children can color, cut, fold, and assemble the template following the illustrated instructions.
Adult supervision is recommended during cutting and required for preparing the drinking straw.
Teacher Tip
Before introducing the activity, make one pterodactyl yourself as a classroom example.
Point out:
Solid lines = CUT
Dashed lines = FOLD
After the crafts are finished, give children time to investigate how their creations move.
Ask:
“What do you notice about the wings?”
This simple question can turn a fun craft into an opportunity for observation, discussion, experimentation, and early STEM thinking.
Why You’ll Love This Resource
- Interactive dinosaur craft
- 5-page printable PDF
- Printable pterodactyl template
- 2 pterodactyl pieces/templates on one page
- Illustrated assembly instructions
- Learning-extension activities included
- Coloring practice
- Cutting practice
- Folding and construction practice
- Fine motor development
- Creativity and problem-solving
- Following-directions practice
- Cause-and-effect exploration
- STEM/STEAM learning potential
- Encourages imaginative play
- Supports prehistoric research
- Encourages observation and comparison
- Can inspire storytelling and writing
- Uses simple craft materials
- Low-prep and easy to use
- Suitable for home or classroom learning
Small Straw. BIG Prehistoric Adventure!
Children don’t just color a dinosaur—they build one that moves!
With a simple printable template and everyday craft supplies, children can create their own flying prehistoric creature and explore crafting, science, movement, creativity, and imaginative play all in one activity.
COLOR → CUT → FOLD → BUILD → FLY!
Pair this activity with other Critter Corner dinosaur resources to create a fun and engaging prehistoric learning adventure.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.