5 X Tinkering With Painted Stones
Are you looking for crafts to bring the collected stones and minerals to life? Then painted stones are the ideal option for you. The little ones are especially drawn to see what lies beneath the earth, hoping to find the most forgotten treasures or rescue a lost dinosaur.
So encourage them to make these crafts to develop their creativity with these formidable finds. Take step-by-step notes and get started!
5 x crafts with painted stones
As a study at the José Carlos Mariátegui University (Peru) (Spanish link) points out, crafting with painted stones has several benefits for children:
- It reinforces values such as respect, honesty and ethics
- Crafting with painted stones increases concentration
- It also lowers stress levels
- Crafting with painted bricks promotes leadership
- And finally, tinkering optimizes learning processes
So, if your kids like to collect rocks from the park or the beach and you don’t know what to do with them, read the ideas we suggest below.
1. Butter and eggs to play with the family
Do you remember those times when you went to the park to play tic-tac-toe with your friends? If you want this heritage to stay with your kids, go ahead and play this game in a homemade way with painted bricks.
materials
- 6 stones
- Tempera or acrylic paint and brushes
- Wooden sticks
The steps to follow
- First, draw three crosses on three different stones and three circles on three others.
- Place two sticks vertically and two horizontally so that there are six empty spaces on which to place the painted stones.
Get ready for battle! May the best player win.
2. Dominoes with painted stones
In line with the above, we suggest that you also make a homemade domino game. Of course, make sure that the bricks are as flat as possible so that they resemble the original tiles.
To do this, first of all just paint a line in the middle of each copy, separating the numbers that go on the ends. Then you just have to merge the tiles of the same number until you run out of tiles. Kids will have fun creating as well as playing this game in their spare time!
3. A farm with animals
If the little one in your house is passionate about animals, this option is ideal for him or her.
materials
- Different stones of different sizes
- Acrylic paint or tempera paint of different colors
- Brushes
- Glue
The steps to follow
- Divide the bricks by size to create the different farm animals. We recommend that you start from the simplest to the most complex: First the cows (with large stones), then pigs (medium stones), then dogs (small stones).
- Once you have divided the species, paint each animal with the colors you want. You don’t necessarily have to give them their usual shade. Rather, you can let your imagination run wild.
- Let the paint dry on newspaper and after a while glue the stone or cardboard parts of each animal.
When you’re done with the animals, paint a farm on the largest stone you have. Enjoy it!
4. Numbers with painted stones
Whether as reinforcement during the summer or to repeat what is learned in the classroom, this activity can be useful to teach children numbers in a fun and original way. According to the experts of the Universitat Jaume I (Spanish link), this method helps children to acquire and remember knowledge.
You just need to paint numbers on the bricks and decorate them as you like. The key is to let your imagination run wild and adapt to every need.
If the child is older, this activity can be used to repeat multiplication at home with family support.
5. Planting Painted Stones
Of course , this activity uses natural resources to teach children to appreciate nature. What is certain is that the bond they create with it will accompany them for the rest of their lives.
To make this painted stone craft, we suggest you make cactus plants, which are the easiest. Remember, though, that fantasy is in charge and you just have to let it be your guide. Think of the flower or plant you like best and just create it!
materials
- A flower pot
- One stone (or several)
- Highlighters
- Green and white tempera paint
- Brushes
- Newsprint
The steps to follow
- Lay newspaper over the work area and draw small circles around the stones with a marker.
- Then paint them white with a fine brush to mimic the leaves of the plant.
- Once you’ve done this, paint the rest of the stone green with a wider brush.
- When you’re done, let the bricks air dry and wait until there’s no trace of wet paint left (about an hour and a half).
- Meanwhile, fill a pot with soil or pebbles and place each of the painted stones on top so that they are vertically up to appear more natural.
Guests will be impressed when they see this original decoration!
Crafting with painted stones, the small steps of an artist
Children’s souls are full of curiosity and fantasy. Therefore, there is no better way to develop that creativity than by doing crafts as a family.
The ideas we just suggested are designed to instill values in your children for the rest of their lives. Accompany them naturally when carrying out these creations, because look at some get materials that can be dangerous.
What do you think? Are you ready to put them into practice? Don’t wait any longer to jump into the incredible world of art.
