Why Do Children Love Dinosaurs? 

The children’s love (and sometimes, obsession) for dinosaurs actually tells something about early childhood development. At ages 2 to 4, children become unusually interested and fixated on dinosaurs, fairies, unicorns and other creatures that don’t exist now. At around ages 4 to 6, children will naturally lose interest in those and perhaps put their attention on what’s real already. 

Children and dinosaurs 

If you’re not fond of dinosaurs as a child, most likely you knew other children who were obsessed with those unbelievably huge creatures. You or the others had that extremely intense interest in dinosaurs and perhaps, you memorised those complicated dinosaur names such as Tyrannosaurus rex, stegosaurus, pterodactyl and brachiosaurus. 

It’s a wonder how young children are able to memorise and recall those complicated names with ease. They can also quickly recognise a certain dinosaur, call out its name, point out its key differences with other large reptiles and even tell you which era that dinosaur is from (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous). Many times, adults are impressed how children are able to do that. 

Those abilities of children are actually signs of their rapid brain development. Even at 2 or 3 years old, you can see that they can already process information and attach names to several objects and creatures. They’re also able to collect several facts and speak a variety of words, even complicated scientific ones. In addition, they’re now able to focus and hold their attention for a time. This skill is essential for learning more advanced concepts in the near future. 

It could be a positive consequence of being fixated on dinosaurs, where children have to focus on those creatures. It’s a way for them to practice holding their attention to a particular object. Furthermore, it’s also a way for them to use their imagination as well as visualise and verbalise what’s possible. For example, a child might make dinosaurs “talk” with one another. A child might also make them go into adventures and tell exciting stories. 

In other words, getting fixated on dinosaurs actually shows signs of a child’s healthy brain development. Dinosaurs are just a way for them to practice their growing cognitive, language and creative abilities. And naturally, children naturally become interested or obsessed about certain creatures and objects as they develop their ability to focus and make sense of the world around them.