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You are here: Home / Themes / Rocks / 40 Playful Ways to Teach Young Kids About Rocks

40 Playful Ways to Teach Young Kids About Rocks

By Shaunna Evans 41 Comments · This content may contain affiliate links.

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We had so much fun with our R is for Rocks theme! You can see how we combined our activities into a full week of learning in our rock theme lesson plan set to provide a fun and engaging way to teach young kids about rocks. I love when themes take something that kids see in their everyday lives and allow them to explore the material in different ways, and kids love rocks so it’s a win-win!

This collection includes some of our favorite playful ways to teach young kids about rocks. These are some of the rock activities available around the web, and they are mainly focused on teaching kids ages 2-6 about rocks in a hands-on way.

Sensory and Fine Motor Rock Activities for Kids

Have your kids go Hunting for Diamonds in a Rock Sensory Bin! This is a fun sensory activity and is super cheap to set up.

Add some noise to your rock fun and Make a “Rock” Band! This is a great idea to help explore the sense of hearing.

This awesome Buildable Rock Slime activity will allow your kids to play with slime and stack rocks!

“What’s inside them?” is a common question about rocks. What better way to find out than to see for yourself in this Rock Demo Science Investigation!

Learning About Types of Rocks

With just some crayons and aluminum foil, you can create your own Crayon Rocks! Perfect to teach about the different types of rock formation.

A Rock Collection is a great way to show kids a huge variety of rocks! They’ll love picking them up anywhere they go.

Learn how about rocks on other planets with this Fizzing Moon Rocks Activity.

Explore rocks with your kids by following this Kindergarten Science Unit on Rocks.

This easy Sorting and Classifying Rocks science activity is the perfect way to dive into geology for kids.

Collect some rocks and make your own Rock Exploration Center that your kids will love!

Playful Learning Rock Activities

These Letter Stones are a great way to merge learning about rocks with learning your ABCs!

Create Alpha Rocks Using Rub-On Letters, and practice spelling!

With just some rocks and an old egg carton, you can make a unique sorting game in this ABC Rock Fun craft.

Practice fine motor skills and writing with this Free Printable Pet Rock Writing activity!

Make Story Stones with your kids, and create a story using rocks!

Did you know you can make new rocks at home? This Make a Rock Science Experiment is a fun way to explore rock formation!

This Arctic Art from the Inuit art project is the perfect way to learn about rocks in the arctic!

This fun Number Rocks Math Activity is a great way to start teaching math skills to little learners.

Use rocks and dice to make this creative Rock and Roll Place Value Math Activity.

Learn about the different seasons with this Sorting Seasons Activity with Stones and Rocks activity.

Rock Art Activities

Your kids can make their own Garden Treasure Hunt with Painted Rocks for a fun outdoor art activity.

If you are looking for an easy rock project, your kids will love putting together this Easy Rock Mosaic.

If you’re looking for a way to use the rocks your kids bring home, have your kids Build Towers Using Stones.

This Painting with Rocks Activity is a fun and unique art project your kids will love.

Learn about the constellations using art with this Constellation Art activity.

Your kids will love this fun and noisy way to paint, without all the mess, in this Rock Rumble-Shake Painting with Rocks activity.

Create a fun painting using everyday rocks without making a mess with this Tumble Painting with Rocks art project.

Get inspired by nature with this Pictured Rock Inspired Painting activity.

This adorable Rock Creatures craft is so fun and easy to make.

This fun Ladybug Rock Craft is so easy to make, and your kids will love it!

Make your own kid-friendly cactus with this DIY Rock Cactus Craft.

Make your own family portrait with this Rock Painting Family activity.

Your kids will love making these adorable Easy Painted Mouse Rocks.

Your kids will love making these Painted Turtle and Fish Rocks for the garden or to play with.

Learn how to make Crystallized Beach Rocks with this fun and fascinating activity

Rock-Inspired Cooking with Kids Activities

If your kids loved the book “Stone Soup,” they will look forward to Making Stone Soup with this fun activity.

You can keep learning even during your lunch break! Have fun in the kitchen and Make Different Foods to Illustrate the Different Types of Rocks!

Learn about how igneous rocks form in this easy and fun Edible Igneous Rock Activity.

Your kids will love learning about the rock cycle, rocks, and soil with this Rock Cycle with Chocolate Rocks activity.

Learn about rock formations and layers with this fun Edible Sedimentary Rock Activity.

Playful Ways to Teach Young Kids About Rocks

The next post in this series will include some of my preschoolers’ favorite books about rocks. While you are waiting for that post, go ahead and start collecting some rocks! Anything will do…nothing fancy. We’re going to be putting those rocks to good use soon. And don’t forget to let your kids give their rock collection a good wash. This was an activity my kids went back to over and over again during our rock theme!

Wash Your Rock Collection

Do you have any other ideas or activities related to rocks? I would love for you to share them in the comments.

Find more fun ways to teach young kids about rocks with the rock ideas on my Letter R Pinterest Board.

Get a full week of playful rock theme ideas!

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

Preschool Rock Theme

Get Your Copy

Also avialable on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Playful ways to teach young kids about rocks. Rock theme ideas for kids
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Filed Under: Art, Fine Motor, Kindergarten, Letter R, Math, Phonics, Preschool, Rocks, Science, Sensory, Toddler Tagged With: rock theme

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mandy

    August 31, 2015 at 1:31 am

    I used sandstone rocks and let the kids rub them on the rough gourds. I also love, this Geode looks like cauliflower.

    Reply
    • Shaunna Evans

      September 2, 2015 at 5:47 am

      Interesting!

      Reply
  2. Christine

    January 15, 2015 at 7:59 pm

    Thank you so much for all of these wonderful ideas! I was feeling a little uninspired, but now I can’t wait to start. What a great help you have been!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      February 1, 2020 at 10:04 pm

      Thanks for your kind words, Christine! I am happy to help!

      Reply
  3. Mum of One

    April 8, 2013 at 5:58 am

    How brilliant! We have been having fun with alphabet rocks and there are some brilliant ideas here we can try, thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      April 8, 2013 at 1:29 pm

      Thanks! I hope you enjoy using some of the ideas!

      Reply
  4. Allison

    March 15, 2013 at 9:13 pm

    We are right in the middle of a rock unit for my son’s kindergarten lessons. We’ve done several of these things, and I’m excited to see many new ideas! Thanks for sharing. I’m featuring this on The Sunday Showcase.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 17, 2013 at 1:07 pm

      Thanks so much for featuring this list. I’m glad the timing is helpful, too! You might also enjoy some of the other rock ideas we have coming soon.

      Reply
  5. Karyn

    March 15, 2013 at 5:00 pm

    I love this round-up of ideas! Thanks for sharing at Share It Saturday!!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 17, 2013 at 1:05 pm

      Thanks! I enjoying researching for this list…lots of neat ideas!

      Reply
  6. Ticia

    March 15, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    What a great list of resources! I like the crayon rocks, it’s a great idea.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 17, 2013 at 1:04 pm

      I thought it was a fun list to put together…definitely love the crayon rock idea, too!

      Reply
  7. JDaniel4's Mom

    March 15, 2013 at 7:35 am

    What wonderful collection of ideas! JDaniel loves playing and learning with rocks.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 15, 2013 at 12:49 pm

      Thanks! I don’t think JDaniel is alone…rocks seem to have a universal appeal around here, too!

      Reply
  8. Beth

    March 15, 2013 at 7:33 am

    What a great round-up! So many clever and fun ways to learn and play with rocks! LOVE it!

    I am featuring this at TGIF today here – http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2013/03/tgif-linky-party-67.html. Thanks for linking up and sharing your creativity with the rest of us! Feel free to grab a NEW featured button.

    Have a GREAT weekend,
    Beth =-)

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 15, 2013 at 12:48 pm

      Thanks so much for featuring this round-up! I’ll be sure to grab the new button…love your new look!

      Reply
  9. Nicole

    March 10, 2013 at 8:08 pm

    Wow! So many fun activities! Thanks for this awesome list!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 10, 2013 at 8:58 pm

      I’m so glad you liked them. I hope you are able to use some of them in your classroom.

      Reply
  10. iGameMom

    March 10, 2013 at 4:38 pm

    Thanks for sharing. It is a wonderful resource. The crayon rock experiments brings the boring science concepts to toddler level, amazing. I started host Mom’s library linky with True Aim. I am going to feature this on iGameMom.com on Wednesday, and on my Pinterest Kids Science Activity board (http://ow.ly/iHdep). Thanks again for putting together the list of activities.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 10, 2013 at 8:53 pm

      I thought the crayon rock experiments were very creative, too. I look forward to checking out your features on Wednesday, and I appreciate you adding this post to your Pinterest Board…you’ve got some great activities there.

      Reply
  11. stacie

    March 8, 2013 at 11:24 pm

    Love this list! Thanks so much for including me! 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 9, 2013 at 7:21 am

      Thanks for sharing your ideas!

      Reply
  12. Julie

    March 8, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    You have tons of creative ideas. I like the crayon rocks. We read the book Rocks in His Head by Carol Hurst. It’s a cute children’s book about a man who ends up working at a museum during the Great Depression.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 9, 2013 at 7:21 am

      I hadn’t heard of that book before, but I just read a little about it. I’ll have to remember it next time we are learning about rocks. Thanks for the suggestion!

      Reply
  13. Reshama

    March 8, 2013 at 12:59 pm

    Love those rock collections. DD is always looking around for interesting rocks, I must show this post to her:) thanks for sharing
    -Reshama
    http://www.stackingbooks.com

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 9, 2013 at 7:23 am

      Thanks! My girls are little rock collectors, too. We really enjoyed this theme. I hope you and DD can try out some of the activities.

      Reply
  14. Claire

    March 8, 2013 at 6:36 am

    I’ve pinned this. It’ll be so useful for our geology studies!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 8, 2013 at 12:21 pm

      Thanks! I hope the ideas will help you incorporate some things all of your kids might enjoy learning together. There’s more coming in the series, too.

      Reply
  15. Valerie

    March 6, 2013 at 8:31 am

    Wow! This is an impressive round-up. I will have to come back and check every link! LOL I remember loving rocks as a child and although I’ve included them a few times while teaching my son, I am always looking for more ideas and it looks like there are TONS out there! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 6, 2013 at 1:07 pm

      Thanks! I enjoyed putting it together…so much great inspiration! I love building our play and learning activities on themes the kids are naturally interested in. And when the items come from nature it also makes our activities inexpensive or free which is another bonus! Hope you’ll come back to check out the rest of this series throughout the month.

      Reply
  16. Jessica @ Play Trains!

    March 6, 2013 at 2:42 am

    This is a wonderful list…thank you! Pinning it to my Preschool Science board.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 6, 2013 at 5:18 am

      Thanks! Hope you get to try out some of the activities soon.

      Reply
  17. Carolyn @ Pleasantest Thing

    March 5, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    I also wanted to add – thank you for sharing my post. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Carolyn @ Pleasantest Thing

    March 5, 2013 at 1:13 pm

    I love this collection. You’ve shared so many great ideas, and I really like that you’ve covered so many ways to play- art, cooking, fine motor, sensory…you’ve got it all! 🙂 I’m pinning it.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 5, 2013 at 1:21 pm

      Thanks! I know my oldest daughter would love to hunt for diamonds like you did in your activity! Thanks for sharing your idea 🙂

      Reply
  19. Stephanie

    March 5, 2013 at 8:37 am

    This post…ROCKS! Great roundup of rock ideas! Pinning for sure!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 5, 2013 at 1:20 pm

      🙂 Thanks! I’m glad you like it, and I appreciate you pinning it.

      Reply
  20. Ness @ One Perfect Day

    March 5, 2013 at 6:21 am

    What a brilliant round up of ideas Shaunna! Thank you for including our garden treasure hunt with painted rocks. I can’t wait to try some of the other ideas here. I’ve pinned this to my “Exploring Our World” board on Pinterest.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 5, 2013 at 6:28 am

      Thanks so much for allowing me to share your idea. It definitely makes me wish I had a garden, but I think we can still incorporate the concept into our play. I think you’ll like the other activities that we have coming throughout the month of March!

      Reply
  21. Becky

    March 5, 2013 at 6:07 am

    This is such a great list!:) I will bookmark it and pin it for this summer!!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      March 5, 2013 at 6:30 am

      Thanks so much. I loved how your activity incorporated history and art! We’ll have even more ideas for you to pin throughout the month of March.

      Reply

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