Dinosaur hand puppets: The 5 best of 2022

Hand puppets are fantastic. They’re a fun way of stimulating your child, fostering their imagination, and making both playtime and learning more entertaining. Children of all ages love puppets. They’re available in all sorts of styles and themes, from dinosaur hand puppets and other animals to puppets of their favorite characters from tv or movies.

One of the healthiest bonding and playtime activities you and your child can enjoy together is playing make-believe with hand puppets. They’re great for storytelling, making the story time much more appealing and engaging to young children. They can also be therapeutic, being useful tool in dealing with complicated emotions.

We’ve outlined below our picks for the best dinosaur hand puppets available online. This is along with our buying guide, which includes the numerous factors and considerations you should consider before purchasing.

Best dinosaur hand puppet sets: our picks

1. Schylling Dino Hand Puppets (Set of 3)

First on our list is this collection of 3 realistic, 6-inch dinosaur hand puppets from Schylling. These puppets are fantastic as a teaching aid, for storytelling, or just regular play. They’re safe, kid-friendly, and made from non-toxic materials that are both soft and durable.

Sized large enough for adults, yet snug enough for most children, these hand puppets are great fitting and snug. If you’ve got huge hands, these might be a bit of a squeeze, but generally, they should fit most people without much difficulty.

This set is excellent value for money, offered for just $20 – that’s less than $7 a puppet. They’re also highly rated, scoring an average of 4.5 stars across some 250+ verified customer reviews. Overall, this set is a great buy.

Buy it: From $20, Amazon.com

2. Geyiie Dinosaur Hand Puppets (Set of 3)

Next up are these super realistic puppets from Geyiie, which feature textured skin, life-like eyes, and sharp-looking, although soft, pointed teeth. This set is three pieces and includes T-Rex, Dilophosaurus, and Triceratops puppets.

These puppets are made from soft, safety-certified rubber and are precision cut. This ensure they are comfortable, and have a non-sticky feel when worn. Hands-down, the best thing about these hand puppets is their realism. This makes them great for older kids, but be wary of picking these up for young toddlers, as they’re likely to scare them.

We’re big fans of this set. The only reason we didn’t rank these first is that they’re likely to scare some younger children. However, for kids that are a little older, these are the best of the bunch. They’re also highly rated, with a 4.5-star average rating from 380+ reviews, and inexpensive, retailing for just $27, which makes them a bargain.

Buy it: From $27, Amazon.com

3. Melissa & Doug Dinosaur Friends Hand Puppets (Set of 4)

We’re big fans of products from Melissa & Doug, they’re usually excellent, and these dinosaur friends hand puppets are no different. The set is perfect for younger children and includes Ankylosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and T-rex puppets.

Recommended for kids aged 2-6, these hand puppets offer a great way to engage with young children, building confidence, communication, hand-eye coordination, and motor skills. It’s also worth looking at the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Puppet Theatre, bought separately.

Overall, this is an excellent product from the popular children’s brand. The set has four puppets – the most of any on this list – and one of the cheapest, selling for just $19. This product also comes highly-rated, with five stars from 130+ reviews.

Buy it: From $19, Amazon.com

4. Geyiie Soft Rubber Realistic Tyrannosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Rajasaurus and Carnosaur Dinosaur Hand Puppets (Set of 4)

Buy it: From $30, Amazon.com

5. Geyiie Latex Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Mosasaur, and Carnotaurus Dinosaur Hand Puppets (Set of 4)

Buy it: From $28, Amazon.com

6. KIDAMI Dinosaur Puppets Hand Puppet (Set of 3)

If you’re looking for hyper-realistic dinosaur hand puppets with a little more color, then this 3-piece set from KIDAMI is it. Beautifully painted, using an artificial hand-painting technology, and featuring sharp-looking, soft teeth, and realistic eyes – these puppets are incredibly life-life.

The set, made from soft, safety-certified silicone, includes are a Velociraptor, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a double-crown Dragon. They’re also designed to be comfortable and fit most sized hands comfortably, without leaving a sticky feeling.

These dino hand puppets are fantastic. They’ll easily capture your little one’s imagination, helping to make a story or play time more fun and engaging. The beautifully painted, colorful like-like puppets will set you back just $24 for the set, and they come well-rated, with 4.5 stars from 60+ verified customer reviews.

Buy it: From $24, Amazon.com

7. Aurora 10″ Dinosaur Hand Puppet Bundle (Set of 3)

Last but certainly not least is this 3-piece hand puppet set from the Aurora store. Unlike some of the more realistic puppets on this list, this set is ideal for younger kids, as they’re cute, adorable, and soft.

The set includes a Velociraptor, Pteranodon, and of course, a T-Rex, giving you plenty of options for dinosaur storytelling. The puppet collection also ships with a bonus animal fun facts book in addition to the puppets, adding more value to what is already a pretty good deal.

Overall, this set is cheap – retailing at around $24 – and offers a lot of value, consisting of 3 well-made, quality hand puppets, along with a bonus book. The set is also well-rated, having an average of 4.5 star-rating from 54+ verified customer reviews.

Buy it: From $24, Amazon.com

Buying guide for dinosaur hand puppets

Recommended ages

When selecting a hand puppet, it’s essential to consider the age group you’re buying it for. There are puppets out there for every age group, from babies and toddlers to older children. However, when choosing puppets for younger children, it’s crucial to check their recommended ages.

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, in case there are small parts or other potential choke hazards. And secondly, to avoid scaring younger children, as hand puppets – especially more realistic dinosaur hand puppets – could scare them.

Checking a puppet’s recommended age is easy, as manufacturers state this in product descriptions. Remember that puppets can be fun for all age groups, provided you select suitable ones.

Puppet style

There are various types, and styles of puppets. The most common are hand puppets, finger puppets, mitt puppets, and bath puppets. All of these styles can be great for storytelling, play, and in the case of bath puppets, bath time.

In this guide, we’re focused on hand puppets, which traditionally feature a sock-like body in their design that fits over your hand. There are often arms and even sometimes legs that can be wiggled using your fingers. This means that you should look for universal fit puppets, which can be used by both adults and children alike.

Material

Hand puppets are typically made from soft materials. These can include cotton, polyester, velour, and plush. For animal puppets, such as dinosaur hand puppets, these are usually made from cotton or plush material.

When it comes to materials, the primary considerations are durability and allergies. You don’t want to buy a new hand puppet just for it to survive a few days. This makes it important to choose puppets made from strong, sturdy materials. To confirm this, simply check customer reviews, giving you a good idea of how durable a particular puppet is.

It’s best for kids with sensitive skin or allergies to choose ones made from cotton, as this material is hypoallergenic. If your children are particularly sensitive, it’s also good to avoid puppets with clothing and other accessories. These tend to be made from synthetic materials like polyester, which can irritate the skin.

Themes

Hand puppets come in all shapes, sizes, and themes. From tv and movie characters to animals and dinosaur hand puppets, people, and everything in between. This makes the possibilities for storytelling and playtime with puppets near-endless.

If you’re on a budget, try to avoid character puppets from popular tv shows or movies. These officially licensed products tend to be considerably more expensive than other hand puppets.

Machine washable

We all know that kids can be messy. They attract all kinds of grime, dirt, and stains, which will inevitably find their way onto their hand puppet. For this reason, do yourself a favor and select puppets that are machine washable.

While you’ll find that most puppets are machine washable, it’s always a good idea to check the manufacturer’s specifications before making a purchase to be sure. If, however, there’s a puppet you absolutely must have that isn’t, be sure to wash it by hand, using a non-toxic detergent.

Another point to note is that it’s best to hang dry hand puppets to prevent any damage in a dryer. 

Safety 

When it comes to our kids, safety is paramount. This makes checking that a hand puppet is suitable for children with sensitive skin or allergies and safe and free from hazardous chemicals and toxins.

For sensitive skin, cotton or plush puppets are best. These materials are soft and hypoallergenic, making them ideal. When it comes to potentially hazardous chemicals, the focus is on any plastics that they may contain. Always check the manufacturer description to ensure products have been tested and are confirmed as safe.  

Durability

Children love hand puppets and will play with them frequently. They can also be pretty rough, which will lead to lower quality puppets falling apart. For this reason, the strength of the material a hand puppet is made from is a crucial consideration.

The best puppets are those made to last. This means being made from sturdy, durable materials that will stand up to child play’s rough and tumble. Choosing hand puppets that meet these criteria will result in more value for money in the long run.

Final thoughts

Hand puppets are great fun for adults and kids alike – but they’re not just fun, puppets also offer a range of child development benefits. They come in all sorts of shapes, themes, colors, and sizes. This make them a great addition to storytelling or playtime, helping to feed your child’s imagination.

In the digital world in which we now live, they can also be a great way of distracting your child from all the electronic devices they sit in front of every day. Of course, this is incredibly helpful, both for health and development, to promote and develop better coordination, communication, and motor skills.  

While it’s important to go for affordable puppets within your budget, it’s also key to select those that are quality. This will not only ensure that they are well-fitting, but also that they’re durable and safe.