Painting Rocks: Fun Crafts for Kids

Are you looking for fun crafts for kids? Painting rocks is one of our favorite things to do! Not only does this give the kids creativity to find out their artistic love and needs but it also encourages them to create art as they want to as well.

Spring is here! Spring is definitely here in full swing and so are all the colors in the rainbow! Colors should come back and be amazingly bright and cleverly bold! So we brainstormed on frugal craft ideas and got creative. We decided on painting rocks. We went outside to hunt for some pretty fist-sized rocks that are smooth. Here are some wonderful and fun crafts for kids.

You can easily use rocks that you find in nature (just be certain that they’re actually rocks that you’re supposed to use and not take them from somewhere that you shouldn’t) or buy some online to paint as well. We have plenty of different rocks in our own yard so that is our go-to.

Be certain to check out our Penguin Rock Painting for Kids as well!

We decided on painting rocks. We went outside to hunt for some pretty fist-sized rocks that are smooth. Here are some wonderful and fun crafts for kids.

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Painting Rocks: Fun Crafts for Kids

The best part about painting rocks is that there is no right or wrong way to do it! This gives the kids creative freedom to mix and match colors as they see fit. This also means that they can choose different sizes of rocks as well as find and create different colors of rocks as well.

When it comes to painting rocks, the surface of rocks is really a blank slate for the kids to use. This opens up so many fun painting options!

Fun Crafts for Kids

For this craft, you will need:

how to paint rocks

Painting Rocks

There is only one rule for this craft: There are no rules! Let your child or children unleash creativity and let it run wild in any direction they desire. It worked best for us to give each child about 5 fist-sized rocks, so it gives them a chance to try different designs and patterns. Another thing was to let the children talk about what they are doing and what they are creating. It helped them solidify their plans for each rock.

rock painting for kids

For one, my son wanted to draw random shapes. For another, he wanted a bold red color. My daughter, on the other hand, wanted to make a rainbow on one and stripes on another. It was a lot of fun seeing the final product. Make sure that they dry completely in a place where dust or debris won’t stick to the paint as it dries.

rock painting activity for kids

Once the rocks were all completely dry, we walked outside and found a spot in our front yard to place them where they are visible. They are the perfect seasonal decoration, don’t you think?

Fun Ideas For Painted Rocks

There is a fun trend going on where people hide ricks around towns and in parks for others to find. This can be a super fun way to brighten someone’s day or to create a sort of treasure hunt for the kids.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that you’re not going to want to put the rocks in places that they shouldn’t go. Make certain that if you decide to hide rocks for others that it’s in a place that is okay for that to happen.

There are many towns that have programs in place where people hide rocks all about! This can create a fun atmosphere for people to get out and try and find painted rocks!

tips for painting rocks

Tips for Painting Rocks

Even though painting rocks isn’t a hard thing to do there are still a few tips to keep in mind.

Make certain that you’re using paint that is safe for the kids. You also are going to be looking for paint that will dry quickly, too. Once we paint our rocks, we tend to leave them out for a few hours and they’re good to go.

If you’re worried about making a mess with the paint, have the kids paint them outside and lay down a blanket or towel. This way, you don’t have to stress over the mess of the paint, etc.

Make certain to have plenty of paintbrushes and supplies on hand. I’ve found that I like to have a paintbrush for each color of the paint that we’re using so that it saves us time from having to wash out and clean the paintbrush between every color. We have also used Q-tips as a fun and simple way to paint rocks too and it’s actually really a great concept to use them if the rocks are smaller in size.

Find rocks or buy rocks that are big enough to paint. We’ve made the mistake of having rocks that are just too little to paint and it causes an even bigger mess! The kids also got frustrated because the rocks had a smaller surface to hold onto and paint. If you can use rocks that are a tad bit bigger in size this leaves the area open to more creativity and more artwork to happen.

Don’t forget to ask the kids what type of rock paintings that they have in mind. Some might just want to use fun colors while others may want more pictures for creativity. You can even spend some time searching up rock painting ideas online if the kids need a boost of creativity!

Thank you for visiting our Painting Rocks: Fun Crafts for Kids post!

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Fun Spring Crafts for Kids

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More Rock Painting Ideas

We love painting rocks so much that there are a few other ideas for painting rocks that are fun and easy to do! There are so many different ways that the kids can paint and make their rocks unique, fun, and beautiful!

2 Comments

  1. Hi Monique,

    What a cool idea, I love giving kids as many things to promote self expression as possible and this is a winner. I like the idea that you can take them out on a trip to hunt for them as well giving them some nice outdoor time into the bargain.

    The paint is a winner too with the bright colours as it really makes a few simple brush strokes on a rock transform into something cool!

    Great job, great post and great pics! Thanks.

  2. Oh! Rock painting is just the BEST. I love to join in as well. My kids are a big older now so not only painting but decorating them is part of the process. Since they’ve been doing it since they were quite little, it’s a lovely tradition and memory that they now have. I’m sharing this with my sister who has littler ones and will love something like this. Plus she’s got a similar background to yours. 🙂

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