Rock Painting Activity For Kids

This rock painting activity for kids is a favorite in our home. Like a lot of homes with little kids, we are always collecting rocks in our house. This is the perfect activity to do with all of those special rocks you collect. You can also download my FREE scavenger hunt cards with clues and riddles on where you can hide your rocks.

Our family has been consistently enjoying this activity for years now. We do it as a family, amongst our friends and in our community. I’ll let you know how to get your community involved too!

Is Rock Painting a Good Activity For Kids?

Absolutely! This activity will get them to be creative with art as well as active outside! If your family enjoys collecting rocks or you are looking for a fun outdoor activity, then I’m sure you will love this rock painting activity for kids.

This activity has been time tested in our home and I don’t see the trend dying anytime soon. I like that it is a painting activity, but we don’t end up with piles of paper everywhere and you actually get to do something with their art.

Like I’m always saying: My favorite places for my kids to be is outside learning or in the kitchen learning. You can read more about getting kids to help in the kitchen here.

What To Do Before Rock Painting?

Depending on the rocks you plan on using, it might be a good idea to wash them and let them dry before starting. Most of the time we just wipe off any excess dirt and get to painting. Of course, if you are buying them at the store, they are probably already prepped.

Supplies Needed

1. Rocks – We often collect cool rocks in our yard, on our walks or at the lake or park. You want to find rocks that have at least one flat side. However, painting a colorful rock that isn’t smooth is still an option! You can also buy river or garden rocks. I have done this when we are doing a special project or rock painting party. River Rocks
2. Paint – I recommend acrylic paints for advanced painters. This is what I personally use for nice vibrant colors. I do use washable paints for my kids when we are doing a lot of rocks and I’m wanting an easy clean up. Acrylic Paints – Washable Paints
3. Paint Brushes – We use a variety depending on the age of our painter. For littles, I like to use sponge brushes or I also have these which are what me and the older kids use.
4. Paint trays – You can use these paint trays but you could also use a paper plate for easy clean up.
5. Water cups – for cleaning off your paint brushes.
6. Sealer – We use a mod podge spray sealer to protect our rocks from the elements.

Where to Hide Painted Rocks

Now that you have painted some rocks, now it’s time to hide them!. Our favorite place to hide painted rocks is at local parks. But you could also hide them where people can easily find them at random places throughout their day as well. Such as:

1. The park
2. The grocery store
3. The bank
4. The post office
5. Church
6. At your home

Tips for hiding Painted Rocks

There are a couple of things to consider when hiding rocks:

1. Make sure if you’re hiding them outdoors or at the park, that you don’t hide them in the middle of a yard or on the grass. You don’t want them in the way of landscapers or mowers. Instead, hide them at the base of a tree or on a low hanging branch. On a bench or sign or other areas out of the way.
   
2. Don’t hide them inside a store. Small businesses might be okay with this but I know of big box stores who have not appreciated it and have had their employees throw them away when they find them. I don’t want your hard work to just get thrown away!
3. Add the name of your town to the back of the rock so that the rock can be tracked. If someone finds it they may take it and hide it in another town. We love to find rocks that have traveled!

What Do You When Youd Find a Painted Rock?

There are certainly no hard and fast rules when it comes to what you should do with the painted rocks you happen to find. However, my family has a few rules that we personally follow that keep the fun going!

1. If you find a painted rock, you can pick it up and then hide it in a different place.
2. If you or your kids really like the rock you can keep it and take it home, but you have to replace it with another rock. Or hide a new painted rock nearby.
3. Take a picture with it and leave it for the next person to find. Honestly, we always opt to re-hide it if we aren’t going to keep it. Sometimes we aren’t interested in a rock but we know someone else with be (like a sports team rock or something like that). So, we will just admire it and then probably hide it again somewhere nearby. If you were to leave it where it was you could take a picture and then share it with others as a clue as to where they could find it.
4. If you have a local rock hunting group, you might check to see if any local businesses have hidden some “coupon” rocks to turn in. I know in our community a couple of years ago this was popular. You could take in these special rocks and exchange them for a free drink or something like that. An excellent way to get involved in the community!

Can You Keep Painted Rocks?

I have seen some people who just go out and hunt for rocks to keep and they never personally put any back out. This of course is an option, but we like to keep the game going. The more rocks that are hidden, the more rocks there are to be found, the more people who want to play!

Have You Tried Painting Rocks?

Let me know if you’ve ever painted rocks before or what your favorite outdoor activity to do with your kids are. We are always looking for new fun things to do outside!

Don’t forget to get your FREE scavenger hunt cards to help hide your rocks with some clever clues! You can click the link below to get them sent straight to your inbox!