5 Dino-Themed Ideas Before 'PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie' Hits Theatres

When kids are excited about a movie, waiting for opening day can feel almost as dramatic as the adventure itself. That is especially true when PAW Patrol is involved! 

If your kids haven't yet told you, Marshall, Chase, Skye, Rubble, and the rest of the pups are heading to Dinosaur Island for their biggest rescue yet in PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie.

This article is sponsored by PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

We asked publishers across the country how their families are getting ready for PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, and their ideas were too good not to share.

Some built volcanoes in the backyard. Others baked dinosaur cupcakes, made fossils, or turned a shoebox into Dinosaur Island. Most of the activities use inexpensive supplies families may already have at home, and each one adds a little extra fun to the countdown.

Planning your child's first theater experience? We also gathered practical tips from Macaroni KID parents who have been there, packed the emergency sweater, and survived the previews.

See it all below:

Watch the PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie Trailer

Get a first look at PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie before it hits theaters Aug. 14, 2026.

Tickets are on sale now! Get them here →

1. Train to Become an Official Dino Rescuer

Macaroni KID publisher Courtnie Deckwa turned her yard into a Dino Rescue Training Camp, where her kids completed missions, saved stranded dinosaurs, and earned official Dino Rescue certificates.

For children who already love pretending to be part of the PAW Patrol, the setup gives them a rescue mission of their own.

Set Up Your Rescue Camp

You'll need:

• Plastic dinosaur eggs
• Toy dinosaurs
• Dinosaur footprint cutouts
• Small baskets
• Red and orange tissue paper
• Rocks or paper for a pretend volcano
• Printable mission checklist and certificates

Hide dinosaur eggs around the yard, then create a trail of dinosaur footprints leading from one mission to the next. Build a pretend volcano with rocks and colorful tissue paper, and place a few toy dinosaurs nearby that need to be rescued before the “lava” reaches them.

Kids can check off each completed mission, collect badges, and finish their training with a Dino Rescue certificate.

Courtnie designed the activities so they could be adjusted for different ages. Younger kids can focus on finding eggs and following footprints, while older rescuers can complete clues or race against the volcano.

Courtnie's first-movie advice:
“One thing we've learned is that making movie day feel like an experience — not just watching a movie — can really help younger children feel more prepared and excited. Creating this Dino Rescue Training Camp helped make the movie feel like the exciting final mission. My daughter is completely invested in the adventure before ever stepping into the theater.” — Courtnie Deckwa | Macaroni KID Whidbey Island, WA

2. Make Your Own Dinosaur Fossils

Kelly Kerr's kitchen table became a miniature paleontology lab when she introduced her three children, ages 5, 7, and 10, to salt dough fossils.

The project gave everyone room to make something different while still working together, an especially useful quality when the kids at the table span several ages.

You'll Need

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup water, added gradually
• Toy dinosaurs, dinosaur bones, or shells
• Paint, optional

Make the Fossils

Mix the flour and salt together, then slowly add water until the dough reaches a firm, playdough-like consistency. Roll it out to about ½-inch thick, then let kids press toy dinosaurs, dinosaur bones, or shells into the dough to leave fossil imprints.

Air-dry the fossils for 24 to 48 hours, or bake them at 200°F for about two hours until hardened. Once they are dry, kids can paint them in earthy colors or give their prehistoric discoveries a much brighter makeover.

As they worked, Kelly's kids began talking about how real fossils form and comparing the different tracks, shapes, and textures left behind by their toys.

How excited are your kids for the new movie?
“My now 10-year-old fell in love with the characters when he was little, and now he can share that excitement with his little brother and sister.” — Kelly Kerr | Macaroni KID Owens Cross Roads, Scottsboro and Marshall, AL

3. Create a Dino Island Rescue Mission

Karyn Martin didn't buy a dino playset. She and her sons built one with a box, a blanket, a few plants, and toys they already owned.

Finding the supplies became part of the game. They walked through the house asking questions such as, “What could we use to make a jungle?” and “How can we build a volcano?”

You'll Need

• A shoebox or shallow cardboard box
• A blanket or tablecloth for the “ocean”
• Houseplants or artificial greenery
• A homemade or toy volcano
• Red and orange tissue paper, ribbons, or modeling clay for “lava”
• Plastic dinosaur eggs
• Toy dinosaurs
• PAW Patrol figures and a rescue vehicle if you have them!

Build the Island

Use the box as the island's base, then surround it with a blanket or tablecloth to create the ocean. Add greenery, position the volcano, and make a dinosaur nest with Easter grass or shredded paper.

Scatter dinosaurs and eggs around the island, add flowing “lava,” and call in the PAW Patrol pups to complete the rescue.

Karyn found that the original mission was only the beginning. Her kids continued inventing new problems for the pups to solve, moving the dinosaurs around, rebuilding the island, and changing the storyline as they played.

🍿 First Movie Tips From a Macaroni KID Mom

For Macaroni KID publisher Kelsey Beaver, PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie will be her son's first trip to a movie theater. She has been making the unfamiliar parts feel more predictable by practicing at home.

They have tried wearing noise-reducing headphones, shared popcorn, talked about what will happen when the lights go down, and even practiced handing over a pretend movie ticket.

Kelsey's biggest takeaway: “Instead of focusing on the unknown, we are building excitement through play.”

More Tips From our Macaroni KID Moms:

• Reserve seats ahead of time if your theater offers them.
• Visit the restroom before the previews begin.
• Bring a sweater. Theater air conditioning can be chilly.
• Choose an aisle seat in case your child needs a quick break.
• Consider noise-reducing headphones for sound-sensitive kids.
• Bring one small comfort item, such as a favorite stuffed animal.
• Don't worry about perfection. Family movies are full of excited kids, and a few whispers, giggles, and wiggles are part of the experience.

Before you go, find more activities and resources at PAWPatrol.movie/my-first-movie to make their first movie theatre experience an extra special event!

4. Bake Volcano Lava Cupcakes

When Audreanna Brown's kids saw the volcano in the movie trailer, they recreated it in cupcake form.

Their Lava Land Dino Cupcakes start with a boxed chocolate cake mix, which leaves more time for the part kids are usually waiting for: swirling on red and orange “lava” and choosing the perfect dinosaur for the top.

You'll Need

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 containers vanilla frosting
• Red and orange food coloring
• Small plastic dinosaurs
• Cupcake liners

Make the Cupcakes

1. Prepare the chocolate cake mix using the eggs, oil, and water, then divide the batter among lined cupcake tins.
2. Bake at 350°F for about 19 minutes, or according to the package directions.
3. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
4. Divide the vanilla frosting and tint it with red and orange food coloring.
5. Pipe or spread the colorful frosting onto each cupcake to create a lava effect.
6. Top each cupcake with a small plastic dinosaur.

Audreanna's kids handled much of the measuring, mixing, and decorating themselves—and were especially proud of the finished results.

“They have shown me that they are little bakers in the making,” she said.

5. Layer Up Volcano Lava Parfaits

Not every movie countdown treat has to involve frosting.

Kate Rushford and her daughter turned the colors of Dinosaur Island into a no-bake parfait made with yogurt, fruit, granola, and raspberry “lava.”

You'll Need

• 2 cups vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup strawberries, diced
• 1 cup cantaloupe, diced
• 1 cup granola
• ¼ cup raspberry sauce
• Clear cups

Build the Layers

1. Spoon about ¼ cup of vanilla yogurt into each clear cup.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of granola.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of diced strawberries.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of diced cantaloupe.
5. Repeat the layers until the cups are full.
6. Drizzle raspberry sauce over the top to create flowing “lava.”

The parfaits take about 20 minutes to assemble and can work as breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a pre-movie treat.

For a shortcut, warm ¼ cup of seedless raspberry jam with 1 tablespoon of water in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. Stir until smooth, then drizzle it over the parfaits.

After watching the trailer together, Kate and her daughter were drawn to the same theme that has kept many families watching the pups through one adventure after another.

You can always count on PAW Patrol:
“We watched the trailer showing the team saving dinosaurs together. It clicked with what we love most about this franchise: No matter the size of the adventure, the pups always figure it out as a team.” — Kate Rushford

Let the Countdown Begin

These families weren't trying to plan Pinterest-perfect afternoons. They were following their kids' excitement and seeing where it led.

Pick the idea that sounds fun to your kids, skip anything that sounds like too much work, and let them take the lead. The volcano may lean, the fossils may be neon, and the parfait layers almost certainly won't look even. That is part of the discovery and the fun, and it means by the time the lights dim on opening day in theatres Aug. 14, the movie won't be the only adventure your family remembers.