This DIY stone puzzle and art activity, which we named ‘Rock Fish’, is a lovely way to engage kids on many levels. Enjoy collecting rocks and stones and sorting through them to find which ones will make great rock fish. Then enjoy painting the sea with calming watercolour. Practice some gratitude as you name your fish family. Finally settle down to play together and connect over a homemade game.
{Related Post: Magnetic Fish Game}
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This activity alone is great fun for kids, but I love to gently weave in some well being skills as a bonus. In this activity we focused on practicing some gratitude. We chatted about being thankful for nature and the stones it provided for our craft. Also we expressed gratitude for the special people in our lives, as we named our ‘Rock Fish’ family. I also included some mindful play with the rocks before we began the puzzle, checking in and noticing the rocks with our senses.
Collecting Rocks and Stones for Your Project
Collecting rocks and stones for your project is a lovely way to get into nature. You can find stones on beaches, in the forest or even in the garden. You can also visit a local garden centre, which is also a really fun experience for kids and buy your stones there. However you collect your stones, enjoy this part of the process too, it’s a great experience to go on a creative journey!
Ready to Rock Fish? Here’s what you’ll need to make this simple DIY stone puzzle:
- Stones (Various shapes to make bodies and tails, we used 14)
- A piece of A3 paper (we used water colour paper and laminated in afterwards)
- Water colour paint and paintbrush
- White Crayon
- Container and water
- Waterproof ink pen
- Pencil and rubber
- Optional – Laminator
Lets get Started!
If you try this activity out I would love to hear! Tag us on Instagram at @calmahoykids
Talking about Gratitude with your kids
Gratitude is a skill that we can practice that helps us to train our brain to notice the good stuff in our lives. The practice of gratitude is a way to see the positive things that we have going on and not focus our attention on the negative things (which is our default).
So any fun ways we can bring up gratitude with our kids and practice is great for both us as adults and our children. In this activity, after we draw the ‘rock fish’, you can talk about naming the fish after people your children are thankful for.
Ask them why that person is important to them and how do they make them feel. Maybe this could lead to a conversation about a nice memory they have about that person. Its great to ‘dip your toe in’ and express gratitude, but its even better to swim in it!
Make it a Mindful Puzzle for Kids
The word ‘mindful’ means being aware, you can make this game mindful by prompting kids to bring awareness to their senses as they play. The stones make this really easy, before you start get kids to pick out a stone they are drawn to. What do they notice about it? How does it feel? What shape is it? Colour? Texture? How do they feel when they squeeze it in their hand?
By doing this kids are getting an opportunity to check in and be present. This is also a lovely way to start an activity as an adult too, making sure that you are present with your child and not distracted. I recommend you end the activity with a fun breathing exercise, I have lots to choose from in my store or head over to my freebie library for some free printables!
{Find lots of fun breathing activities in either my Etsy or Teachers Pay Teachers Store}
I hope you enjoy making this simple DIY stone puzzle with your kids, we really did love it and it was a lovely way to connect through creativity and play! Emma x
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