Stone Crafts for Kids

Painted Rock Crafts

• Help your child make a pet rock by painting a stone to look like some sort of animal. Your child could create a ladybug using a smooth, large stone and red and black acrylic paint. Your child can animate the rock by adding items such as googly eyes and pipe cleaner antennas. You'll need strong craft glue to make items stick to the rock. Another idea is to have your child paint stones that he can decorate for a pathway, perhaps a path that leads to a garden in your backyard. Have your child paint the stones based on the color scheme in your garden. You could use two different colors and alternate them along the path, or pick one color, with the stones painted in different shades of that color.

Paperweights

• Your child can make a decorative stone paper weight, perhaps for Mom's or Dad's home office. One idea is to make a decoupage paper weight, by gluing strips of tissue paper all over the stone. To make decoupage glue, simply combine three parts school glue and one part water. Cover the stone in several layers of the tissue paper for the best effect. Let the glue dry completely before using. For another type of stone paper weight, help your child find small pebbles. Shape a craft dough into a circle, then have your kid press the pebbles into the dough to spell out a word or person's name. Bake the craft in the oven at about 250 degree's Fahrenheit until it's dry and hardened.

Rock Writing

• Find large flat stones on which your child can write special messages, to be given as gifts. After washing the stones, give your child fine-tipped permanent markers to write a special message on the stone. It could be something simple like, "You're a great friend," or she could write something more inspirational, such as "Dream Big." For another rock writing craft, have your child shape craft dough into smooth, round stones. Using stone stamps, which you can get at a craft store, press the stamp letters into the dough to spell out a word or someone's name. The stamps will leave an imprint in the dough. Bake the dough until hardened to create the stone message rocks.

Miscellaneous Stone Crafts

• Help your child make a picture frame out of small stones. You'll need a plain wooden picture frames with no raised edges. Have your child gather as many small, smooth pebbles as possible. Using an industrial strength bonding glue, paint the bottoms of the stones with glue, then paste on to the picture frame, eventually filling in the entire frame. For another craft, your child can create a picture using tiny and colorful glass stones. Your child can create any type of shapes with the rocks or even create a whole scene made from the tiny stones. Have your child create her stone picture by gluing the stones to a flat, thin square of wood, using the industrial bonding glue to make sure the stones stick.