Rock Painting with Kids: A Colorful Summer Activity

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Discover the joy of rock painting with kids this summer! This simple, creative, and budget-friendly activity encourages imagination, outdoor fun, and lasting memories. Learn how to gather supplies, set up a painting space, and inspire little artists with colorful rock designs perfect for the garden, gifts, or keepsakes.

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When summer rolls around, I’m always on the lookout for simple, creative activities that keep my kids engaged without costing a fortune. One of our favorite go-to projects is rock painting. It’s amazing how something as ordinary as a rock can be transformed into a tiny piece of art with just a little paint and imagination. Whether we’re decorating the garden, making homemade gifts, or just enjoying a sunny afternoon together, rock painting has become a tradition in our home. It’s messy, colorful, and always full of laughter—the best kind of summer fun.

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Image illustrates a Pinterest pin of rock painting with kids. — *My niece and her friend enjoyed an afternoon of rock painting on this lazy summer day with my kids.*

Hunting and Gathering River Rocks for Rock Painting with Kids

Image illustrates a kid looking for rocks for rock painting with kids. — One of my sons is in the moment of playing and hunting for the perfect river rocks!

One fun summer morning, my mom had the idea to paint rocks with some of her grandkids. For this project at the time, she had my two sons, who were preteens, one of her older granddaughters, and her granddaughter’s best friend, who were all looking for something fun to do on a summer day.

It was early one summer morning when she decided to gather all of us, including me, to head to the river to gather some rocks for a fun rock painting activity later that afternoon. I, myself, along with everyone else around that morning, thought that this was a brilliant and fun idea!

We headed to the nearest river in town with some grocery sacks to gather some river rocks. We hunted for rocks that were smooth, flat, and interestingly shaped. Each of us had so much fun gathering river rocks that we thought it would be fun to paint. One of us found an Ohio-shaped rock and thought it would be so much fun to paint the words “Ohio” on it. You can find that project in the gallery area of this post! We are from Ohio, but live in Utah, though we did this project in Ohio. We also found rocks that looked like Utah mountains and painted them as such to bring them back to Utah with us!

The Best Paint and Tools for Rock Painting

Image illustrates rock painting with kids.

You will need to use acrylic paint to paint your rocks, especially if you plan to keep them outdoors in the garden. Acrylic paint is the best weather-prone paint to use for rocks, along with a great sealant, like Mod Podge.

One of my sons painted a truck on a very cool flat rock he envisioned as a truck the moment he saw it lying on the riverbed that morning. I think he did a wonderful job! Leave a comment if you think he did great, too!

One of my other sons found a very cool heart-shaped rock and painted it to his desire with fun colors, and his grandma (my mom) added this piece of art to her garden!

Setting Up a Rock Painting Station

Once you have all of your materials, you can set up a fun rock painting station easily in an area where the kids will be comfortable painting in. You can cover your tables with a large piece of plywood or newspaper for protection while the kids explore the different colors of paint.

In this photo, the boys have set up their rock painting station in the basement of my parents’ old 1900s farmhouse. They were comfortable enough here to allow their creativity to run wild as they painted many rocks. You can see they were setting up some already-painted rocks to dry on the old stand behind them.

This setup was so much fun that I joined in on painting some rocks too! We had so much space and different colors of paint and so many different shapes of rocks that made this summer afternoon project so much fun. The girls upstairs and outside were also having so much fun together too!

Here, the teenage girls set up their own rock painting station outside on the deck under the umbrella. They were also able to use plywood for protection to allow their creativity to expand. They enjoyed each other’s company and had so much fun creating beautiful rocks on this fun summer afternoon.

It was a joy to watch them have fun, spending time together, talking, and creating lasting memories. These two girls are best friends and were such a delight to spend time with on this gorgeous summer day!

Rock Painting Gallery

One of the best parts about this activity is that it allows your kids the opportunity to visualize the rocks at the river as something special that they can paint! We have found fun shapes of rocks that look like the shape of Ohio, Utah mountains, hearts, trucks, animals, flags, and so much more! These kids’ imaginations on this special day ran wild!

We found FREE river rocks in so many fun shapes that caught our imaginations! We found rocks in the shapes of states that we lived in, animals like frogs and cats, houses, mountains, flags, and emojis! These kids did a fantastic job creating beautiful and fun memorial rocks for my mother’s garden this summer!

Take a look at the fun and creative rocks they painted this fun summer afternoon for inspiration!

Ideas of Fun-Shaped Rocks!

State-shaped rocks.
Animal-shaped rocks.
House-shaped rocks.
Vehicle-shaped rocks.
Mountain-shaped rocks.
Emoji-shaped rocks.
Flag-shaped rocks.

Conclusion

Rock painting is one of those simple joys that reminds us we don’t need much to have fun—just a handful of stones, some paint, and a little imagination. It’s a creative outlet for kids (and us grown-ups too) that brings color into everyday life and sparks conversations around the table or in the garden. The best part? Every rock tells a story, and those stories become little treasures we can keep or share. So next time the summer sun is shining, grab a paintbrush and a few rocks—you’ll be surprised at how much fun and connection you’ll create together.

Resources: Here are some helpful resources for further information.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What kind of paint works best for rock painting?

Acrylic paint is the most popular choice because it dries quickly and lasts well outdoors. You can also use paint pens for adding fine details.

2. Do I need to seal the rocks after painting?

Yes! Sealing protects the paint from chipping and fading, especially if the rocks will be kept outside. A clear spray sealer or brush-on sealer works well.

3. Where can I find rocks to paint?

You can gather smooth, flat rocks from your yard, riverbeds, or hiking trails (always check local rules before collecting). Craft stores and garden centers often sell bags of rocks perfect for painting.