Have you heard about The Kindness Rocks Project (learn more about it here)? It’s a wonderful movement that encourages people to decorate rocks with inspirational messages and leave them in random public places for people to find. What a lovely idea, right? We had a great time getting a few kids together a couple weeks ago to make our own rocks and distributed them at a nearby local park. The kids had a blast painting the rocks, all while learning an important lesson in random acts of kindness. Follow these easy directions to make your own Kindness Rocks!
Supplies needed to make your own Kindness Rocks:
- Small Smooth Rocks
- Variety of Spray Paint Colors
- Paint Pens
- UV Resistant Clear Acrylic Spray
Step 1. First things first, you’re going to have to gather the necessary supplies. For the rocks, you want them to be not too big or heavy but not so small that they’re hard to decorate. We found that about 3″ across were the easiest to work with but there were also some bigger ones and smaller ones that worked great too. Another important factor with rock selection is to make sure at least one side is pretty smooth. It’ll help immensely when it comes time to decorate with the paint pens! As for the spray paint and paint pens, you can decide to have as few or as many color selections as you want. If multiple families are meeting up, have each one bring a few supplies to add to the variety.
Step 2. I highly suggest spray painting one side of the rocks before your guests arrive to make their Kindness Rocks. It’s a stinky job and nobody likes to wait for paint to dry! We split up all our rocks in three groups and painted each one either white, blue, or yellow. Again, you’re more than welcome to have more colors!
Step 3. Now the fun part…decorating! Depending on the size of your group, you can either lay out a blanket in the grass (like we did!) or set up some temporary tables for your guests to sit at. Place the thoroughly dried stones and paint pens in the center of either your blanket or table. If time permits, you could also print out a few sheets of inspirational messages to help stuck guests. The Kindness Rocks Project website has tons of suggestions as well. Younger kids may need some help but can totally participate in decorating once an adult assists with the words. Don’t forget to add the hashtag #TheKindnessRocksProject to the back of the stone!
Step 4. Once all the stones have been decorated and the paint is completely dry, protect the rocks with a couple layers of UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating.
Step 5. Now you’re ready to share your new art with the world! After completing our rocks, we walked to a nearby park and had fun hiding the rocks behind trees and in the playground. This might have been the kids favorite part!
I hope this tutorial convinces you to participate in The Kindness Rocks Project.
The making process is really easy and fun for the whole family. In fact, I’m not sure who benefits more, the people making the rocks or the ones who find them. Either way, we’ll definitely be doing this again!
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Vanessa is a self proclaimed sleep deprived mother of two adorable boys and when she has a little time to spare, she makes things and posts about them on her craft blog, Tried & True. If she’s not cooking, sewing, gluing or making, she would probably go crazy. Join her on her crafty adventure at Tried & True.
Nikki,
You can use Sharpies BUT. before you spray on sealer, apply a thin coat of Elmers glue over the sharpie writting. Let it dry, then you can seal. This should keep it from bleeding
On finding smooth rocks to paint. Go to a nursery or a place that sells bagged products. Most places have bulk rocks to choose from. They usually sell them by the .lb. Ask if you can purchase a few. We have a rock yard in Georgia and have sold a lot of rocks to paint. Well for the kids we just give them to them. HAPPY hunting.
Can you use Sharpie Markers instead of paint pens? Looking for inexpensive way to do this with about 125 fourth graders.
Where do you find your thin flat rocks? I am wondering if you ordered them from spmwhere or do you have any suggestion of where to get them? Love this idea and would love to it with kids too.
Hi Lisa, you can find smooth rocks here: https://www.consumercrafts.com/store/browse/catalog/floral-stones
How about tips for seniors. We like some crafts with variety as well. Something that does not require being especially artistic. Love the rock painting. Thanks.
Hello…i am amazed of this activity im sure our young girls will love it…
You should change the rocks to all i statements
It will force people to think positively
Ex.
I am beautiful
When you just read that you read it as you yourself are beautiful, so someone who doesn’t feel they’re beautiful just said to them selves I am beautiful . Where if it says you are beautiful and the person doesn’t think they’re beautiful all they have to say is no I’m not
I think the intention is that someone is randomly giving the kindness rock to someone else as a gift. So, someone you have never met is saying to you that you are beautiful, as a gesture of encouragement. When the kindness rock is randomly found, the recipient can still choose to disagree with the statement, but that sentiment coming from someone else is there as well.
Unfortunately, I am not seeing a supply list. What formulation spray paint are you using for rocks?? I love this idea. THNX
Hi Jeanette, the supply list is located right under the main top image. Vanessa used paint pens.
This is a fantastic project. I must admit I had not heard of it. I know I will be collected some rocks and pebbles on our next trip to the seaside.