How can you tell they’ve got it: Real Dinosaurs vs Fiction?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: State that pterosaurs could fly but were not dinosaurs; State that plesiosaurs lived in the sea but were not dinosaurs; Identify at least one way a movie or cartoon dinosaur differs from the real animal. Or just try it together: If your child sees a flying reptile in a dinosaur book, can they tell you it's actually not a dinosaur but a different kind of prehistoric animal?

Science Dinosaurs & Paleontology Ages 5–7

Real Dinosaurs vs Fiction

Your child knows not every ancient animal was a dinosaur. Flying reptiles and sea reptiles were not dinosaurs. Movie dinosaurs are not always right.

In curriculum terms

Distinguish real dinosaurs from fictional or commonly confused creatures — pterosaurs (flying reptiles) and plesiosaurs (marine reptiles) were not dinosaurs, and movie dinosaurs are not always accurate

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

State that pterosaurs could fly but were not dinosaurs
State that plesiosaurs lived in the sea but were not dinosaurs
Identify at least one way a movie or cartoon dinosaur differs from the real animal

🖨 Print this page to keep the checklist — it prints beautifully.

Try this together

If your child sees a flying reptile in a dinosaur book, can they tell you it's actually not a dinosaur but a different kind of prehistoric animal?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Famous Dinosaur Speciesages 5–7Must know some dinosaurs before distinguishing them from non-dinosaurs

Real Dinosaurs vs Fictionthis skill · ages 5–7

Unlocks

How Fossils Formages 7–9Understanding how fossils form (and that fossil evidence is the basis of dinosaur science) is enriched by the prior understanding that dinosaurs are real animals distinct from fictional or commonly-confused creatures — scientific reasoning starts from accurate categorisation

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

This skill sits outside the F–6 Australian Curriculum — no candidate code matched (v0.1). No NSW K–6 outcome code matched (v0.1). No Victorian Curriculum 2.0 code matched (v0.1).

Nearby on the map

Dinosaur Sizesages 5–7 Dinosaurs Were Realages 5–7 Famous Dinosaur Speciesages 5–7 Fossils & Palaeontologistsages 5–7

All Dinosaurs & Paleontology skills →