At what age are children interested in dinosaurs?

Most often between four and six: dinosaurs are among the most common intense interests at that age. Lift-the-flap books exist from two. When school starts, the intensity drops for most children.

Are old dinosaur books still accurate?

Often not quite. Since the 1990s, finds in China have shown that many dinosaurs had feathers, while older books show scaly lizards. More recent finds suggest the large tyrannosaurs had partly lost those feathers. For a toddler, it doesn't matter; for a fact-hungry five- or six-year-old, it does.

Non-fiction or a story: which should I choose?

It depends on the child. Some want names, sizes and numbers and are delighted with a non-fiction book. Others love the theme but are bored by facts and need a story.

Do dinosaur books make children cleverer?

It can't be put that way. Research on intense interests describes a link between a strong interest and persistence. That's different from a measured effect of any particular book, so we don't claim it.

Theme · Dinosaurs

Dinosaur books for children: where the passion comes from, and what to check

3 sources

One day, somewhere between three and six, many children start, and every other word becomes brachiosaurus. Here's what research knows about these intense interests, and a point almost no product description mentions: many dinosaur books are scientifically out of date, and in two directions.

Why dinosaurs

Dinosaurs are among the most common “intense interests” in children aged four to six. A study by Alexander, Johnson, Leibham and Kelley describes how these interests arise and what comes with them: children with a strong interest show more persistence when working on a subject. Boys develop them more often than girls, and the intensity usually drops when school starts.¹

What that means in practice: the phase has an end, and it's more than a whim. A child who can tell twenty dinosaurs apart is practising something that goes beyond dinosaurs: telling apart, sorting, naming.

What we don't claim: that dinosaur books make children cleverer. The study describes a link between a strong interest and persistence, not the effect of any particular book.

The point almost no product description mentions

Many dinosaur books are out of date, and in two directions.

Since the 1990s, fossils found in China have established that many dinosaurs had feathers rather than scales. Older books often still show the scaly lizard.²

Then the picture changed again. More recent finds suggest that the large tyrannosaurs partly lost their feathers over the course of evolution and had scales on the hips and tail, probably to shed heat.³

What that changes when you buy. A book from ten or fifteen years ago may be out of date either way. For a four-year-old, it doesn't matter. For a child who wants to know everything about T. rex, it does, because sooner or later they'll come across the contradiction. Check the publication date before buying, and if the book is old, make something of it: that science corrects itself is one of the best things a child can learn from this subject.

Non-fiction or story? It depends on the child more than the age. Some want names, sizes and numbers; others love the theme but are bored by facts and need a story. From two, a lift-the-flap book works: opening the flaps is the activity itself.

Or a story of their own

If your child should be the hero

Your child finds a bone at the bottom of the garden and digs it out with a palaeontologist who turns out to be the neighbour.
A young dinosaur has ended up in the wrong age and is waiting outside school one morning. Your child has to get it home.
Your child travels to the Cretaceous and finds the animals look nothing like the ones in their book: they have feathers.

Create a book about dinosaurs

Frequently asked questions

At what age are children interested in dinosaurs?: Most often between four and six: dinosaurs are among the most common intense interests at that age. Lift-the-flap books exist from two. When school starts, the intensity drops for most children.
Are old dinosaur books still accurate?: Often not quite. Since the 1990s, finds in China have shown that many dinosaurs had feathers, while older books show scaly lizards. More recent finds suggest the large tyrannosaurs had partly lost those feathers. For a toddler, it doesn't matter; for a fact-hungry five- or six-year-old, it does.
Non-fiction or a story: which should I choose?: It depends on the child. Some want names, sizes and numbers and are delighted with a non-fiction book. Others love the theme but are bored by facts and need a story.
Do dinosaur books make children cleverer?: It can't be put that way. Research on intense interests describes a link between a strong interest and persistence. That's different from a measured effect of any particular book, so we don't claim it.

Sources

1.Alexander, J. M., Johnson, K. E., Leibham, M. E. and Kelley, K. (2008): The development of conceptual interests in young children. Cognitive Development 23(3), 324-334.What it confirms: Dinosaurs among the most common intense interests in 4- to 6-year-olds; the link with persistence; more common in boys; the drop when school starts.
2.natur.de, 22 May 2007: Dinosaurier, gefiederte Siegertypen. (in German)What it confirms: Since the 1990s, fossils found in China have established that many dinosaurs had feathers rather than scales.
3.scinexx, 7 June 2017: Hatte Tyrannosaurus doch keine Federn? (in German)What it confirms: More recent fossils suggest the large tyrannosaurs had partly lost their feathers and had scales on the hips and tail.

Other themes: Animals, Autumn, Rabbits, Moles, Elephants, Witches, Unicorns and Fire engines. Or children's books by age, growing up, topic by topic and all the illustration styles.