Friendship rocks are a fun craft for all ages and the perfect project for Valentine's Day. These conversation heart painted rocks are a fun take on the classic candy. Make these kindness stones with your kids and have fun sharing them with friends or hiding them at the park.
Have you ever found a friendship rock at the park? Kindness rocks are a viral trend where people, paint rocks or stones with inspirational messages or sayings. Then they leave them in public places for people to find. The intention is to spread kindness and love to people around the world.
With Valentine's Day coming up this is the perfect time to help spread some kindness and positivity and to be honest, I have never met a kid who doesn't love painting rocks!
Head out into the yard to collect a few stones and grab some paint and let's start making some cute conversation heart rocks.
Supplies for friendship rocks:
- Rocks
- Pencil with eraser
- Primer- This brand is good
- Pens
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Sealant- I like this one
- Glue
- Any fun decor that you want to glue onto the rock like rhinestones
Directions to make friendship rocks
- Make sure your rocks are clean and free of debris.
- You may choose to prime your rocks with a paint primer. I used white. Make sure the stone is completely dry before you prime it. Let it dry completely before you continue.
- With a pencil, trace out the shapes of the hearts on the rocks. You can add more than one if your rock is large enough.
- Color the hearts in light, bright colors. The lighter colors should be the “main” color of the hearts. The darker colors will be used to highlight. You can mix the colors with white if you don't have a lighter and darker version of each paint color.
- Use complementing darker colors to outline the hearts. For example, if you colored a heart in light blue, use dark blue to outline the heart. Make one side a little thicker so it looks more three-dimensional.
- With the same darker color, write a phrase in the middle of the heart.
- Spray with sealant to complete the rocks. Let dry 24 hours before you hide them.
What is the best kind of paint to use on rocks?
The best paint to use on rocks is acrylic paint. Martha Stewart Acrylic paint is by far my favorite acrylic paint to use on rocks. I've found that this brand is not only bright but the paints are thicker so they are easier to apply and require less coats.
How do you seal kindness rocks?
Seal the rock with clear acrylic spray sealer, and let it dry. Take the rock outside or into a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Set it down on a sheet of paper with the painted side facing up. Apply a light, even coat of clear acrylic spray sealer. Let dry for 24 hours. Always follow the direction on the can of sealant.
What do you do when you find a kindness stone?
If you find a rock, you can either re-hide it or keep it. Lots of people choose to keep their first rock and then re-hide the rest. You can do whatever you like and even start a collection of found rocks.
Where do you hide friendship rocks?
Some common places to hide kindness stones are:
- at the park
- at the library (outdoors)
- along a nature trail
- at the beach
- any public space where it is not illegal or dangerous to place stones