Dinovember 2026: 7 Nights of Dinosaur Scenes for Your Kids (+ 30 Ideas & Free Printable)
Dinovember is when toy dinosaurs come alive at night. A 7-night family plan with easy setups, 30 dinosaur scene ideas, a 1-minute minimum for tired parents, and a free printable.
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Quick answer: Dinovember is a family tradition where toy dinosaurs "come alive" at night in November. After the kids go to bed, a parent sets up a funny scene with plastic dinosaurs (raiding the cereal, taking a bubble bath, escaping on toilet paper), and the kids discover it in the morning. It was started in 2012 by Refe and Susan Tuma. This guide gives you a 7-night plan with 10-minute setups, 30 more ideas, and a free printable.
Your kids wake up. The cereal box is on its side. Three plastic dinosaurs are inside it, and there are crumbs everywhere. Nobody heard a thing.
That's Dinovember: a month (or a week) when the toy dinosaurs come to life while everyone's asleep. It's silly, it's cheap, it takes about 10 minutes, and kids remember it for years.
If a whole month sounds like a lot, start with 7 nights. Below: the plan, how long each setup takes, 30 extra scene ideas, safety tips, and a free printable Dinovember plan with a story log for the kids' reactions. No signup.
What is Dinovember?
Dinovember (dinosaur + November) started in 2012, when parents Refe and Susan Tuma wanted to give their kids a bit of magic and get them away from screens. Every night in November, they arranged their children's plastic dinosaurs into a new scene of mischief and told the kids the dinosaurs had come alive while they slept.
The photos went viral, the idea spread to families around the world, and the Tumas later wrote the picture-book series What the Dinosaurs Did.
The rules are simple:
1. The dinosaurs only move at night, while everyone's asleep.
2. Parents set the scene, and the kids discover it in the morning.
3. Take a photo of every scene. By the end you have a story.
Is it like Elf on the Shelf? A bit, but there's no "watching" or "reporting to Santa". The dinosaurs are just chaotic and funny. Many families do Dinovember in November and something else in December.
Why kids love it (and why it's worth 10 minutes)
It turns an ordinary morning into a surprise. Kids race downstairs to see what happened.
It's free. You need the toy dinosaurs you already own and things from the kitchen.
It sparks storytelling. Ask "What do you think they did?" and you'll get a 5-minute story.
It's play. The American Academy of Pediatrics says play, including pretend play, helps children build language, problem-solving and social skills, and that playing with parents strengthens the relationship (Yogman et al., 2018).
It's a memory. The photos become a little book of your family's November.
How to do Dinovember in 7 nights (Nov 1–8, 2026)
Set up each scene after bedtime. The kids find it the next morning.
Two levels: full scene or minimum
| Level | What you do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Full scene | Set up the scene from the plan below | About 10 minutes |
| Minimum | One dinosaur somewhere silly (in the fruit bowl, in a shoe, on the toothbrush) | 1 minute |
Both count. On the printable, the "Full scene" and "Minimum" circles are the same size. Exhausted on a Wednesday? One dinosaur peeking out of a slipper is still Dinovember.
The 7-night plan
| Night | Kids find it | Scene | Setup | You need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon morning, Nov 2 | The Cereal Raid | Tip the cereal box over. Dinosaurs climb in and out, crumbs everywhere. | Cereal, a bowl, 3+ dinosaurs |
| 2 | Tue morning, Nov 3 | The Great Escape | Dinosaurs abseil down from a shelf on a strip of toilet paper. | Toilet paper, a shelf, tape |
| 3 | Wed morning, Nov 4 | Spa Night | Dinosaurs relax in a sink of bubbles with cucumber slices on their eyes. | Bubbles, cucumber, a towel |
| 4 | Thu morning, Nov 5 | The Art Attack | Dinosaurs have drawn a picture. Crayons everywhere, one dino holding a marker. | Paper, washable crayons |
| 5 | Fri morning, Nov 6 | Movie Night | Dinosaurs gathered round a tablet with popcorn and a blanket. | A tablet or book, popcorn |
| 6 | Sat morning, Nov 7 | Ice Age | One dinosaur frozen in a block of ice in a bowl. The others try to rescue it. | A bowl, water, the freezer |
| 7 | Sun morning, Nov 8 | The Goodbye | Dinosaurs pack a shoebox "suitcase" and leave a note: "See you next November!" | A shoebox, paper, a pen |
Tip for Night 6: freeze the dinosaur in a bowl of water the day before (it takes several hours). In the morning, give the kids warm water and spoons to "rescue" it. It's the scene kids remember most.
Want to keep going? Skip "The Goodbye" and use the 30 ideas below for the rest of the month.
30 more Dinovember ideas
Sorted roughly from easiest to messiest.
| # | Scene | What the dinosaurs did |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shoe hideout | Each dino hides in a different shoe by the door |
| 2 | Fruit bowl jungle | Dinosaurs "hunting" among the bananas and apples |
| 3 | Toothbrush squad | Dinos brushing their teeth on the bathroom sink |
| 4 | Reading club | Dinosaurs sitting around an open picture book |
| 5 | Board game night | Dinosaurs playing a board game, one "cheating" |
| 6 | Sock drawer raid | Socks pulled out, dinos wearing them as sleeping bags |
| 7 | Plant safari | Dinosaurs hiding among the houseplants |
| 8 | Coffee break | Dinos "reading the news" next to your mug |
| 9 | Laundry day | Dinosaurs hanging tiny clothes on a string |
| 10 | Construction site | Dinos building a tower with blocks or bricks |
| 11 | Sticky note party | Sticky notes everywhere with dino "messages" |
| 12 | Car wash | Toy cars in the sink, dinos with sponges |
| 13 | Camping trip | A tissue-box tent and a torch "campfire" |
| 14 | Rock band | Pots, pans and spoons arranged like drums |
| 15 | Gym session | Dinos "lifting" spoons and doing push-ups on a book |
| 16 | Hairdresser | Dinos styling a doll's or teddy's hair |
| 17 | Dentist | One dino with its mouth open, another with a toothbrush |
| 18 | Nest builders | Dinos building a nest from a scarf, with an egg in it |
| 19 | Window art | Dinosaurs "drew" on a steamy window (or with window markers) |
| 20 | Bedtime story | Dinosaurs tucking a teddy into bed |
| 21 | Fridge door | Dinos climbing the fridge magnets |
| 22 | Breakfast chefs | Dinos "making breakfast" with a pan and a fake egg |
| 23 | Rescue mission | A teddy tied up (gently), dinos on a rescue mission |
| 24 | Snowball fight | Cotton wool "snowballs" all over the floor |
| 25 | Bathtub voyage | Dinos sailing in a plastic boat in the bath |
| 26 | Dino zoo | Dinosaurs locked in a "cage" made of a laundry basket |
| 27 | Pillow fort | Dinos built a fort from cushions |
| 28 | Toilet roll army | Toilet paper rolls stacked into a castle |
| 29 | Flour footprints | Dino footprints in a thin layer of flour on a tray |
| 30 | Party time | Balloons, streamers and a tiny "cake" for a dino birthday |
Tips for tired parents
1. Set it up before you go to bed, not at midnight. 10 minutes after the kids are asleep is plenty.
2. Keep a "dino kit" in a box: the dinosaurs, tape, string, a few props. No searching every night.
3. Use the minimum without guilt. One dinosaur in the fruit bowl counts.
4. Mess you can clean in 2 minutes. Washable crayons, dry cereal, toilet paper. Save flour for the weekend.
5. Take the photo before the kids wake up, and another of their faces when they find it.
6. Ask "What happened?" and write their answer in the story log. Those quotes are the best part.
Safety
Small parts and kids under 3: keep tiny props (beads, buttons, magnets, cotton wool) away from young children.
Nothing hot, sharp or breakable in a scene the kids will touch.
Food: don't leave scenes with food (like milk or meat) out overnight if the kids might eat it.
Your free printable Dinovember plan
Two pages, in two designs (the purple HARDER design and a warm neutral edition), A4 and US Letter.
Page 1: Dinovember: 7 nights. All 7 scenes with the morning the kids find them, how to set them up, what you need, and two equal circles: full scene and minimum.
Page 2: What the dinosaurs did. A story log with a frame for each night: stick a photo or draw the scene, then write what the dinosaurs did and what the kids said when they found it.
Downloads (no signup):
More family challenges for November and December
Halloween movies for kids: 31 nights (for next October)
Huevember: a 30-day colour challenge (kids love the photo version)
30 Days of Gratitude, from Thanksgiving to Christmas
The Advent Challenge: 24 days, one small thing a day
12 Days of Fitness: a Christmas workout ladder
Do Dinovember with proof on Harder
Every Dinovember scene ends with a photo anyway. On Harder, Dinovember is a ready-made 7-day family challenge: tonight's scene is already waiting, you post the morning photo as proof, and you can see what the dinosaurs got up to in other families' kitchens. Miss a night and the comeback mechanic gets you back in.
Dinovember FAQ
What is Dinovember? A November family tradition where parents secretly arrange toy dinosaurs into funny scenes at night, so the kids find them in the morning as if the dinosaurs came alive. It was started in 2012 by Refe and Susan Tuma.
When does Dinovember start? On November 1. This plan starts on the night of Sunday, November 1, 2026, so the kids find the first scene on Monday morning, November 2, and the last on Sunday, November 8.
Do I have to do it every night of November? No. Many families do a week, weekends only, or a few nights a week. The 7-night plan here is a good start, and there are 30 extra ideas if you want to continue.
What do I need for Dinovember? A few plastic toy dinosaurs (any size) and everyday things from home: cereal, toilet paper, crayons, a shoebox. Tape and string help for climbing scenes.
What age is Dinovember for? Most families do it with kids aged about 2 to 10. For children under 3, keep small props away and choose simple scenes.
Is Dinovember like Elf on the Shelf? Both are "toys come alive at night" traditions, but Dinovember is in November, uses toy dinosaurs, and is just about funny mischief. There's no rule about the toys reporting to anyone.
What if I forget a night? Do the minimum: one dinosaur somewhere silly, like in the fruit bowl or a shoe. It takes a minute and still counts. If you miss a night completely, just set up tonight's scene and keep going.
What are easy Dinovember ideas for busy parents? Dinosaurs hiding in shoes, a dino in the fruit bowl, dinos brushing their teeth at the sink, or dinos reading a book. Each takes 1–2 minutes and makes almost no mess.
Key takeaways
Dinovember = toy dinosaurs "come alive" at night in November, and kids discover the scenes in the morning.
Started in 2012 by Refe and Susan Tuma.
7 nights is enough to make it a tradition. Each setup takes about 10 minutes, the minimum about 1.
Take a photo every morning and write down what the kids said. That's your family's Dinovember story.
Sources
Hachette Book Group. Refe Tuma, contributor page (Dinovember origin, 2012; What the Dinosaurs Did series).
Yogman, M., Garner, A., Hutchinson, J., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2018). The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children. Pediatrics, 142(3), e20182058.
