On this page
This dinosaur skeleton coloring page shows a full T rex standing on a platform in a grand museum hall. Every bone is its own closed shape: the back bones with their tall spines, the curved ribs, the wide hip, the long legs and the great skull with its open eye holes. Kids from about 7 to 14 will get the most out of it.
Three tall arched windows fill the wall behind the skeleton, with two stone columns between them. Metal rods hold up the mount, and a gold plaque names the star of the show. Rope barriers and shiny posts stand in front, just as they do in a real museum.
Dinosaur skeleton coloring page tips
Bones look best when they stand out from the wall. A light background and dark bones will do it, or you can go the other way, with a deep blue evening sky in the windows and pale bones in front. Choose one plan before you start.
- Color the windows first, in pale blue or a sunset orange.
- Do the wall and columns in soft cream or gray.
- Add the bones last, using two close shades so that some parts look nearer.
- Finish with gold on the plaque and the rope posts.
The ribs overlap the far leg. To keep them separate, make the bones on the far side a shade darker. It also gives the skeleton some depth.
What color is a fossil?
Most kids reach for white, and that looks clean. Real fossils are usually not white at all. Over a very long time, minerals took the place of the bone, so museum skeletons are often brown, gray or close to black. Try a warm brown if you want it to look like the real thing.
Try coloring just the openings in the skull a very dark shade. They will look deep, and the head will suddenly seem three dimensional. The teeth can stay cream.
This is a slower page than most, so sharp colored pencils are your friend. Take your time with the backbone. The small pieces sit close together, and a thick crayon will blur them. Allow forty five minutes or more, and enjoy the quiet.
Meet a famous T rex
The skeleton in this drawing is an invented one, but real mounts are just as grand. One of the best known is Sue, found by Sue Hendrickson on August 12, 1990, in the Hell Creek Formation. At about 85 percent complete, it was the most complete T rex skeleton known at the time. The Field Museum in Chicago bought it at auction for $7.6 million.
The largest T rex skulls measure up to 5 feet long. That is as long as many kids are tall. In the drawing you can also see how short the arm is, ending in only two clawed fingers. The Wikipedia article on Tyrannosaurus has lots of photos of real mounts.
Be a museum guide
When the coloring is done, have your child write labels on sticky notes: skull, ribs, spine, hip, leg, claw. Stick each one next to the right bone. Then ask them to give you a tour, as if you were a visitor. Children remember what they teach.
Teachers can run this as a gallery walk. Put the sheets around the room, then let students play guide in pairs. For older classes, add a chart comparing the T rex to a human skeleton. Which bones can they find in both?
Here is a quick idea for home. After dinner, clean a few chicken bones and lay them out on black paper. Compare them with the leg in the drawing. Birds are living dinosaurs, so the likeness is real.
For the living version of this animal, print the T rex coloring page. And if bones are your thing, the skeleton coloring page offers a funny human one for Halloween.
Questions
What color should bones be?
Real fossil bones are often brown, gray or nearly black, because minerals took their place. Cream looks clean, but a dark brown is more true to life.
Which dinosaur is this?
It is a T rex, based on the big deep skull, the short arms and the two fingers. The plaque on the platform gives it away too.
Can I use it in a science lesson?
Yes. Students can label the skull, ribs, spine, hip and leg bones, then compare them with a diagram of a human skeleton.
