Your kids will love this fun rock activity for kids where kids will color on hot rocks to make fun colors and patterns. This summer activity for kids is perfect for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade and up. Plus, I bet you didn’t realize rock painting for kids could be educational too! This can be used as a Such a fun STEAM project for kids.
Rock activity for kids
I absolutely love when science meets art like in this STEAM project for kids! In this steam project, children will use science to create beautiful painted rocks project. I am a creative person by nature and thankfully my daughter has learned that as well. She also loves science, though too. It is so much fun to combine two loves into one fantastic activity. Our latest STEAM Activity is Coloring Hot Rocks. This rock activity for kids was way to fun and perfect for preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, and grade 4 students! We created decorations that can be used in the garden or in a dish on a book shelf. This is not just fun but it creates art masterpieces! You can also create these masterpieces by Coloring On Hot Rocks.
Rock painting for kids
This might sound crazy but let me tell you it is crazy cool! The heat that gets trapped inside the rock and transfers to the crayon when the crayon is touched to the hot rock. In turn the crayon melts. This means that you can create a beautiful designs on the rocks. As the rocks cool so does the crayon wax and it dries onto the rocks.
Please keep in mind that the rocks are HOT. We used tongs and towels and oven mits to make sure that we didn’t actually touch the rocks. My daughter understood this and didn’t touch the rocks but was still able to create beautiful artwork on them.
Easy rock painting for kids
All you need are a few simple materials to try these rock activities for preschoolers:
Materials Needed
- Rocks (We used ones with a smooth surface)
- Crayons, wrappers taken off
- Pot for boiling water
- Water
- Tongs
- Oven Mits/Hot Pad
- Tray
STEAM Project for Kids
We started by putting water on the stove to boil. Once it was boiling we added a few rocks at a time. Since there was two of us, I did 4 rocks at a time in the water. We kept them in the water for about 4 minutes at a time.
While the water was boiling, we set up our working area. We used cookie sheets for working on so that the hot wax didn’t drip on the table.
Using tongs I placed two rocks in front of her and two in front of me. Next is when the creativity begins. Again, please remember these are hot. At this point I added a new set of rocks in the pan.
All you have to do is press the crayon onto the hot rock and it instantly melts the crayon wax, transferring it to the rock. We created heart ones for Valentine’s day, spring themed ones, and ones that were just abstract.
STEAM Activity
After a few minutes the rocks would cool down so they were not as hot to the touch and the wax would start drying. After an hour or so the wax would be completely dry and the rocks could be played with or displayed.
We had so much fun doing this project. They all turned out so pretty and so decorated. I love the themes that my daughter chose as well as how mine turned out.
Summer Activity for Kids
I don’t want to scare you into thinking kids can’t do this project. It is hot, but use your judgement. I explained that rocks were hot and could burn her really bad. She had absolutely no problems not touching the rocks with her hands. Please use your best judgement.
Summer Fun
Looking for more outdoor activities for kids and things to do in the summer? Your toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, and elementary age kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:
- Marshmallow Shooters – go over 30 feet!
- 2 ingredient Easy Slime Recipe
- Super Simple Sand Slime
- How to Make a Lava Lamp – it’s super EASY!
- Kids will no nuts over this simple Pop Rock Experiment
- Easy Button Crafts for Kids
- Handprint Strawberry Craft for Summer
- Grow Your Own Crystals
- Water Balloon Experiment – exploring densit with an EPIC summer activity for kids
- Amazing Bubble Painting
- Mind Blowing Color Changing Playdough
Summer Activities for Kids
- Egg Shell DIY Chia Pet Craft – Silly Spring / Summer Activities for Kids
- Grass Head Craft for Kids
- EASY Stained Glass Pasta Art for Kids
- Simple Flower Mason Jar Lid Crafts
- Free Beach Worksheets for Kids
- Chromatography Butterflies – EASY Butterfly Craft for Kids
- Silly Bandaid Art Craft for kids
- Blow GIANT bubbles with this Homemade Bubble Solution
- Outrageously FUN Bubble Painting
- Bleeding Tissue Paper Fireworks Craft
- Beautiful Flower Suncatcher Craft
- 30 Fun June Crafts for Kids
- Must try Lego Zipline
- Exploding Watermelon Science Experiment
- Homemade Chalk Recipe
- 75+ FUN Scavenger Hunts for Kids
- Find activities by month with our June Crafts for kids or our June Activities for Kids!
- 20+ Printable Roadtrip Games
Fun Summer Activities for Kids
- Ice Cream Edible Playdough
- Whip up a batch of Kool Aid Playdough – it smells amazing!
- EASY, Vibrant Sidewalk Chalk Paint for Kids
- I Spy DIY Bottles are quick, easy and FUN!
- Amazing Tin Foil Art Project for Kids of all Ages
- Vinegar and Baking Soda Rocket Science Experiment for Kids
- Summer Bucket List Printable with Ice Cream Theme
- How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag
- Ice Cream Playdough Patterns
- Head to the zoo with this FREE Zoo Scavenger Hunt – lots of choices for all ages!
- Make your favorite animal with one of these 100 animal crafts
- Try one of these fun Animal I Spy Printables
- Epic Squirt Gun Painting
- 10+ Pasta Flower Crafts for Kids
- Play with your food using this goldfish counting activity
- After seeing the frogs at the pond, grab this free life cycle of a frog worksheet
- Avoid the summer learning loss by practicing math with these crack the code worksheets
- First Day of Summer Craft
- Create this gorgeous stained glass art for kids
- 107 Epic Summer Activities for Kids
Balloon Craft Ideas
Looking for more fun ways to play with balloons this summer?
- 25+ Water Balloon Games for Kids
- Drop & Paint – Water Balloon Painting Activity
- Roll & Paint – Outrageously FUN Balloon Painting Activity for Kids
- Balloon Paint Art Project for Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Learning the Notes on a Staff with a FUN Music Activity for Kids
- Epic Ideas for Water Balloon Painting
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