Halloween Rock Painting | Kids Art Project

Let’s start this blog off with a fun fact: I have painted thousands of rocks with kids throughout San Diego! It’s one of my go-to art activities because kids love painting rocks. Easy to set up, and leads to really diverse artworks. Now that Fall and Halloween season is upon us Halloween rock painting is a perfect activity. In this blog I want to share my fast quick best tips for setting up this activity. And you will have the least amount of mess and stress while preparing for halloween rock painting with Montessori kids.

Halloween rock painting kids art project ideas for fall

Setting up for painting

When you’re setting up you really only need three things: rocks for painting, kid-safe painting supplies, and a painting space. There are a few materials you will need which I share below in detail. But set up can be easy.

Collecting Rocks

Kids love collecting rocks outside! You can find rocks everywhere, they’re a free resource that helps make this project really affordable. However, if your class is unable to go out and collect rocks, you can always find bags of rocks in the garden stores. If you are using collected rocks, make sure you clean and dry them before painting.

Natural rocks come in different sizes and shapes. Have your students imagine what they would like to paint, then look for rocks similar in shape. The best rocks for this project will have a nice, flat surface to paint.

girl painting rocks, fall halloween

Preparing The Painting Space

Set up the painting area where kids can make a mess. Use a drop cloth to protect the floor. Make sure students wear clothes that can get dirty, as some paints don’t wash out easily. Keep materials at eye level on a flat, sturdy surface like a table. You can also cover the table with a drop cloth or old newspaper.

Rock Painting Materials

Here’s what you need for this fun Halloween rock painting project:

  • Acrylic Paint: Use safe, non-toxic acrylic or thick craft paint.
  • Paintbrushes: Have very small brushes for details and medium brushes for painting the whole rock surface.
  • Water Jar: For rinsing paint off brushes between colors.
  • Napkins: To wipe water and paint off brushes.
  • Palette: Use small palettes, or substitute with paper plates or recycled egg cartons for holding paint.
  • Newspaper: To cover the work area and catch any paint spills.
  • Smock, Apron, or Old Clothes: To keep children’s clothes safe from paint.
Halloween paint colors for rockss

Halloween Colors

Acrylic paint is the best choice for painting natural rocks because it sticks well and lasts a long time. Be sure to use kid-safe, non-toxic acrylic paint, especially for children under 12 years old.

You can create fun Halloween designs on rocks with just a few paint colors. These designs are simple enough for kids to copy.

  • White: ghosts, mummies, skulls, eyeballs, spider webs
  • Black: jack-o’-lanterns, black cats, bats
  • Orange: pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns
  • Red: eyeballs, drops of blood
  • Green: witches, monsters, Frankenstein
  • Purple: monsters, spiders, witches’ hats
  • Yellow: candy corn, scary eyes

Remember, the final artwork will depend on your students’ ages and how much painting experience they have had before this activity.

For another spooky fun Halloween art project, check out my post on painting pumpkins!

Where to Start: Follow My Halloween Rock Painting Tips

This Montessori Halloween rock painting activity is quite simple. Just show how to use the materials—paintbrushes, water jar, napkins—and then let kids create their artworks on their own. Here are three quick tips to make the project smoother.

Tip 1: Rocks are not like paper; they don’t absorb paint as easily.

When kids clean their paintbrushes between colors, ensure they wipe all the water off the brush before dipping it back into the paint. You want to avoid runny paint on rocks, as it makes controlling the paint harder and the image less clear.

Halloween rock painting ideas

Tip 2: Paint the background color first and let it dry completely before adding more paint.

If you want the rock to have a solid background color, paint that part first. Allow the paint to dry before adding more details. This helps the image look clear and prevents colors from mixing.

Example: For a ghost rock, paint it white first, let it dry, then add black eyes and a mouth once the white is dry.

Tip 3: If possible, paint rocks in direct sunlight.

Acrylic paint dries faster under a heat source. Rocks take longer to dry in cool temperatures. Once your students finish painting, place the rocks in direct sunlight to dry.

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Halloween Rock Painting | Kids Art Project, check list

If you’d like a free downloadable version of the materials list above (plus a few extras), grab my Kids Painting Materials Checklist now.

One Step Further: Download My FREE Kids Painting Materials Checklist

Students can explore rock painting in countless ways and themes! The basic idea and materials remain the same; only the images and paint colors might change. With any painting project, as long as kids have the right materials, they’ll learn and have fun!

Halloween Rock Painting | Kids Art Project, curriculum

A Short Cut Just for You

Painting—whether it’s rocks or on paper—is always such a fun activity for kids. I encourage you to set up painting projects and lessons for your class on a regular basis. My Kids Painting Practice & Process Curriculum has 57 master lessons that take kids from setting up a paint station and holding a brush all the way to creating beautiful nature landscapes and painting different types of animals! Each lesson is featured as part of a sequence and includes all the information—materials, demonstration technique, and direct and indirect aims—so you can simply follow the instructions and easily present the activity to your students.

Kids Painting Practice & Process Curriculum sets the foundation for their art education and will help them transform into little artists! To purchase the curriculum, click here.

Pumpkin Painting | Kids Art Project

It’s finally autumn! Hopefully where you are the leaves are turning beautiful hues and you’re enjoying the season! To me, nothing says autumn more than being surrounded by pumpkins! And, based on experience, I think a lot of Montessori students would agree! This pumpkin painting Montessori art project is a favorite among children (and teachers) every year!

giant pumpkin with art teacher Spramani Elaun

Pumpkins add a festive touch during the fall holiday season, and this art activity gives you the chance to talk about plant life cycle or a number of other Montessori topics!

What I love most about this pumpkin painting Montessori art activity for kids is how easy it is! It’s a great alternative to carving pumpkins, which can be difficult or even dangerous to do with Early Childhood and Lower Elementary students. This project is very safe and lots of fun children of all ages.

picture of pumpkins and green paint

Pumpkin Painting in the Classroom or Home

When you’re setting up this pumpkin painting project, you really only need three things: a pumpkin, painting supplies, and a painting space.

white pumpkin with paint palette

Picking a Pumpkin

First, your pumpkin. Any size pumpkin will work but try to choose one that has little to no blemishes—this will make painting easier and actually make the pumpkin last longer. Once your child picks the pumpkin they want, clean its surface gently with soap and water or a wipe. Then allow the pumpkin to air-dry or dry it with a cloth before painting.

Setting Up a Painting Space

The space you set up should be in an area where children can get messy. If you want to protect your floor, use a drop cloth. Make sure your students are also prepared for a little mess; they should be dressed in clothes that can get messy, some paints do not easily wash off clothes.

It’s much easier for kids to paint if the pumpkins are at eye level and on a flat and sturdy surface (like a table). You may want to put a drop cloth or old newspaper on top of that too.

painted pumpkin by elementary student

Pumpkin Painting Art Supplies

Here’s everything you need for this art project:

  • Clothes to get messy in; artist smocks and aprons work too
  • Paint brushes – small ones for little pumpkins and large ones for bigger pumpkins (kids can paint with sponges and their fingers too!)
  • Water jar – for washing brushes between paint colors
  • Napkins – for paintbrushes and paint spills
  • Baby wipes (optional) – I love having these around for quick clean-ups, they get all types of paint off kids’ skin, even acrylic
  • Palette – to hold paints (paper plates and egg cartons work too)

Remember, this is a seasonal project and will only last the life of the pumpkin. So safe, non-toxic paints will work perfectly. I recommended using water-based paints like mineral paint, milk paint, acrylic paint or tempera when working with young kids.

popular halloween paint colors

You can choose whatever paint colors you have in your classroom, but I suggest using a mix of fall colors like green, white, red, orange, yellow, brown, and purple, which all stand out on a pumpkin.

Note: I recommend leaving black paint out of young children’s paint palettes. The smallest amount of black will turn all colors gray. Your child’s pumpkins will still look wonderful without black paint.

How To Present Pumpkin Painting Lessons

The best part about this project is that it’s so simple! Kids can have fun and their pumpkins will look fantastic no matter what! There aren’t any complicated instructions, just three steps.

  1. Squeeze out just a quarter-size dollop of paint, you can add more as you go along
  2. Demonstrate how to do simple strokes so children have an understanding of how to use the paintbrushes and other materials (like the water jars and napkins for cleaning their brushes)
  3. Leave the rest to them!
jack o lantern painted

Where to Start: Pumpkin Painting

It’s important to let your kids explore and work independently with this project. Process-based learning is especially important for Early Childhood and Lower Elementary students.

three pumpkins painted scary

However, it is okay to give them inspiration. Here are a few ideas:

  • Purple paint for Dracula, monsters, or bats
  • Green paint for witches, goblins, or aliens
  • White paint for ghosts and spider webs 
  • With older children, you can include black paint for spiders and bats

While this is a painting project, you can also put out other art materials for students to use, such as googly eyes, recycled scraps, and raw or dried veggies to make funny faces.

https://spramani.lpages.co/painting-materials-checklistOne Step Further: Download My FREE Kids Painting Materials Checklist

I see so many teachers overcomplicate painting lessons. It really is simple though! As long as children have the right painting materials, they will learn! If you want a free downloadable version of the paint materials listed above (plus a few more), get my Kids Painting Materials Checklist now by clicking here.

painting lessons for children, cover of curriculum

Order painting curriculum, 57 brushstroke lessons

Once you see how much your students love this project, you’re going to want to include even more painting activities in your classroom! Students should be given ample time to just discover and experiment, but structured lessons can help them really improve their skills and become better artists! My Kids Painting Practice & Process Curriculum has 57 master lessons that take kids from setting up a paint station and holding a brush all the way to creating beautiful nature landscapes and painting different types of animals! Each lesson is featured as part of a sequence and includes all the information—materials, demonstration technique, and direct and indirect aims—so you can simply follow the instructions and easily present the activity to your students.

Kids Painting Practice & Process Curriculum sets the foundation for their art education and will help them transform into little artists! To purchase the curriculum, click here.

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