Painted Rocks are as much fun to find as they are to make! Learn how to paint rocks and explore the best rock painting ideas for kids and adults below.
Working on rock painting projects and making crafts with painted rocks is a great way to get creative and is a wonderful meditative art activity for both children and adults. This guide shares recommended rock painting supplies and an awesome collection of rock painting ideas for kids (and adults, too!) to help you get started!
My daughter and I LOVE painting rocks and coming up with new ideas for rock art and craft projects. Scroll down to learn how to paint rocks, find the best rock painting supplies, and explore fun rock painting ideas for kids, and adults, too!
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Rock Painting with Kids
Rock painting is one of our favorite activities. First, invite your children outside to hunt for rocks and stones that make a great canvas to paint. Next, have them try some of these rock painting ideas for a rock activity that kids are sure to love.
If you don’t have any areas that you can go to collect rocks, you may have to go collect your rocks at a home improvement or a landscaping store that carries smooth round unfinished river stones in bulk. You can also find stones for rock painting for sale HERE.
The photos below were taken the first time my daughter and I painted rocks together when she was 2 1/2 years old. It was her first-time rock painting and my first time in years. I had not done any rock painting since I was a kid. It was so much fun; I wondered why I hadn’t painted rocks in so long!
We spent time painting rocks over several days. And we continued to find more rocks to paint on our daily walks and adventures and come home to paint them. It was wonderful to bond with my daughter, painting rocks on her DIY art table outside in the warm sunshine. Since that time, we have painted lots and lots of rocks using the fun rock painting ideas below!
Related: Sorting and Classifying Rocks: Geology for Kids
Best Rock Painting Supplies
Our favorite rock painting supplies for painting rocks are listed below.
- Rocks – smooth rocks are best for most rock painting projects
- Rock paint (recommended rock paint supply options are listed below)
- Water-based acrylic sealer with a foam brush, outdoor acrylic sealer, or acrylic spray varnish (optional)
Recommended Rock Paint Supply Options
- Patio paint or acrylic paint & paintbrush set and/or fine detail paintbrushes
- Posca extra fine tip paint pens, or Artistro extra fine tip paint pens
- Extra fine tip paint pens in pastel colors
- Micron black outline & fine detail pens
- Fine to medium Black and white paint pen set
- Medium to broad black and white paint pen set (this paint pen set makes it easy to paint an acrylic base layer)
- Metallic brush paint pens
Have a look at our favorite rock painting supplies in our Amazon Store for even more ideas!
Related: How to Skip Rocks: The Art and Science of Skipping Stones
How to Paint Rocks
- Collect, or purchase, smooth rocks or stones to paint.
- Wash rocks and allow them to dry in the sun.
- Set up an area to paint rocks. Put down a piece of newspaper or a white poster board to protect the surface that you will be working on.
- Paint a single-color acrylic base layer on each rock that you want to paint and allow the paint to dry before moving on to the next step. This optional step is recommended for most painted rocks and rock painting designs.
- Next, paint the rocks in any way that you like, or use any of the ideas found in “Rock Painting Tips,” and “Rock Painting Ideas,” and “Painted Rock Crafts” in the sections that follow.
- Allow the paint on the painted rocks time to dry. Overnight is best.
- Use a foam brush to paint a layer of acrylic sealant, outdoor acrylic sealant, or an acrylic spray varnish to help protect the paint. (optional)
Once finished, painted rocks can be displayed on your nature table, in flower beds, in the garden, or wherever else suits your fancy. Rock painting is an activity fun for children of all ages!
Painted Rocks for Kids and Adults
My daughter and I used acrylic paint and paintbrushes to make the painted rocks pictured above. You can see the difference between painted rocks with sealer and painted rocks without a sealer in the photo above. The rocks on the top left have no sealer, while the painted rocks below and right have had a topcoat sealer applied.
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Rock Painting Tips
- A fun way to paint rocks is to think of them like clouds in the sky. What do you see? Paint the rock to match.
- Two-color patterns using a complementary or contrasting color always look nice.
- Hearts, rainbows, mandalas, and words of inspiration are always fun to paint on rocks.
- If you place painted rocks outside, they will weather in the sun and may still get damaged even when you apply a sealer or varnish. If you want to keep your painted rocks looking their best, keep them inside.
We have added many links to some beautiful, creative, and fun rock painting ideas that we have discovered and tried since the first time my daughter and I painted rocks together for further inspiration. Many of these awesome rock art ideas come from painted rocks that we found on our daily walks and hikes. Just look at all these fun rock painting ideas for kids and adults!
Related: Hand Painted Candle Holders Kids Make
The Best Rock Painting Ideas for Kids
- Paint one rock with each letter of the alphabet. Learn more about this rock painting idea over on Teach Beside Me.
- Make some food for your mud kitchen with these super fun painted rocks from Munchkins and Moms.
- Paint rocks to look like ladybugs in a rainbow of colors. Pop over to Crafts by Amanda for the directions.
- Learn a simple hack to paint dots on rocks and other simple designs and pictures. Learn how over on Twitchetts.
- Try Kandinsky-inspired painted rock art like the fun collection of painted rocks found over on Arty Crafty Kids.
- Paint garden rocks and make a little drawstring bag for them like the beautiful ones Kate made over on The Craft Train.
- Try rock painting using puffy paint like Sam over at Color Made Happy.
- Or, try painting a mermaid on a rock like the one my daughter found below! We also found a diamondback rattlesnake painted a rock that we thought was pretty cool. You can see a photo of it in the photo collage of the best rocks that we have found.
Related: Glittering Mermaid Tail Sensory Bottle
More Painted Rocks for Kids and Adults
- Shark-painted rocks by Sustain my Craft Habit look super cool sticking out of the sand. Find the tutorial HERE.
- Paint river rock garden markers like the beautiful collection found over on West Valley Moms Blog.
- Silhouette painted rocks by Adventure in a Box are fun to draw over a starry twilight sky.
- Paint mandala stones like the amazing stones painted by Elspeth McLean. While your there, have a look at all of her rock painting ideas to gather even more inspiration to create painted rocks.
- This fun collection of pumpkin-painted rocks are made with jack-o-lantern faces. Head over to Adventure in a box to learn more about this fun rock painting project for the fall.
- Emoji-painted rocks are a fun rock painting idea for kids and adults. I will never forget the day our dog found a poop emoji at our local park. My daughter and I laughed so hard when our dog sniffed it that we almost peed our pants! Thanks, Chico Rocks!!
Related: Nature Crafts and Art Projects
Painted Rock Crafts for Kids
- Make a rock snake like the one made by Rachel over on I Heart Crafty Things. A rock snake is a fun rock painting idea and a fun homemade toy for the kids to play with.
- When I saw this painted rock garden caterpillar over on Nellie Bellie (one of my nicknames!) I wanted to put our funny little yellow slug alongside it. So cute!
- If you have ever made a pet rock, you will love these pet cactus-painted rocks over at The Best Ideas for Kids. Find the directions for this super cute rock craft here.
- Make a fish pond like this painted rock craft by Make it Your Own. Or try this cute pebble fish painted rocks craft by Hello, Wonderful.
- Paint rocks to create mix and match flowers like this cute idea from Typically Simple.
- Turn any garden or unused yard space into a fairy garden with the super cute painted rock fairy houses pictured below!
Related: Fingerprint Art Magnets
Leaving and Finding Painted Rocks In Nature
Many people collect and paint rocks and then leave them somewhere for others to find. Others frown on this practice, believing that nature should remain as undisturbed as possible. While I understand and agree with the “take only pictures and leave only footprints” ideal, we can’t help ourselves!
My daughter and I have come to enjoy putting out a few painted rocks now and again. It all started the first day we actually found one. Finding a hidden, painted rock is a delight not to be missed. It filled my heart and made me want to run home and paint rocks to hide for others to find.
We have found several more since that first painted rock, and they have all been found in different locations, sometimes hundreds of miles away! A few of our favorites are pictured below. But, again, we think moderation is key. Don’t take all the rocks and stones you find, and don’t leave a mess of painted rocks everywhere–sound good?
Related: How to Teach Children to be Kind to Nature
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Painted Rock Ideas for Kids and Adults
Get outside with the kids to collect and paint rocks. Don’t forget to look for hidden, painted rocks while you are at it. They are out there hiding, waiting for you to find them!
Have a look at our summer bucket list, and, this list of outdoor activities for kids for more fun ideas!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE.
More Rock Activities for Kids
- Sorting and Classifying Rocks
- Rock Balancing Stone Stacking Art
- How to Skip a Rock: The Art & Science of Skipping Stones
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I had totally forgotten about rock painting. Next time we go to the beach (beaches are usually rocky here in NZ) we’ll do some rock treasure hunting and then paint them when we get home. And yes, I do prefer them with the sealer!
I forgot about it too until we collected a bunch on a walk by a river. They were so smooth and nice I suddenly remembered that I used to paint them as a kid. I’m looking forward to getting some fancy rock painting pens and going all out next time.
These are beautiful, I love painted rocks! We have a whole bunch in our garden and paint them sometimes as little gifts for grandparents or friends:)
Thanks, we love them too! I can’t wait to make some more!
What a lovely post! You’ve inspired me to encourage my almost three-year-old daughter to be on the look out for rocks on our walks! She’s going to love painting them, and she’ll be so proud when we display them in our garden!
Aww, gee thanks Katie! Glad I could offer the inspiration. I hope you enjoy painting them as much as we do!
Those look vibrant and gorgeous – great tip about the sealant!
Thanks Jennifer!
What a lovely activity! My daughter is the same age as your and I know she would really enjoy doing this! You have inspired me to do this the next chance we have to get outside! She will love decorating them! Great post and beautiful photos!
I love every one of your get outside & connect tips! This is one we’ve actually done — it’s good for all ages!
~Lee
Thanks Lee! Thanks for letting me know… warms my heart and makes me feel like it’s all worth the while 🙂
Great activity 🙂
Thanks!
What a fun craft, I like the idea of displaying the colourful.rocks in the garden. We’ll have to keep an eye out for some to paint. Yours look really pretty 🙂 #outdoorplayparty
We had a lot of fun with it and love seeing them all around our yard and garden. Enjoy!
This is so funny – I actually have a post I am doing on painting rocks too – we have been having so much fun with it. I am just surprised at how few rocks there are in nature! Where did all the pretty rocks go?!?!? 🙂
I know they can be hard to find if your not lucky enough to live near rocky shores. They can also be purchased from garden supply stores… but that kinda defeats the getting outside and collecting idea doesn’t it 🙁
These are lovely, they would make great story stones too 🙂 Thanks for linking up to the Outdoor Play Party. Hope to see you again on Friday 🙂
They would make great story stones — great idea!
Thanks for including us! Such a great activity for summer!
You’re welcome Bonnie! We LOVE your rock fish pond craft… so cute!
Amazing post and very interesting as well. This one of the best way to make the kids more creative in their summer vacation. I would like to share this with my niece too. Keep sharing such great ideas.
Thank you, Yashraj! I’m so glad that you found this guide to painted rocks interesting. I agree it is a really fun way for kids to get creative over the summer break. 🙂
I have read your article and found that it is very good with lots of helpful advice. Before I read your article I had no idea how to paint a rock, or what rock painting supplies to use, or even what to paint. Now, I have had all of these questions answered! I can’t wait to make my own painted rocks 🙂 thank you!
Hello, Miraz!
I’m so glad that this rock painting article helped answer all of your questions about painted rocks.
Thank you for making my day! 🙂
Nell
This is a very nice article. Painting is my favorite hobby. When I was little, I painted a rock every day. When I saw all of these Rock painting ideas and all of the fun painted rocks, I want to go back to a previous life!
Wonderful ideas, Thanks!
That’s wonderful, Candice! I’m so glad that you have found the inspiration to paint rocks again with all of these fun rock painting ideas. 🙂