Spread a Little Happiness with Kindness Rocks

When we first moved to our new neighborhood at the beach, I kept running across these pretty painted rocks stuck in random places. At first I was afraid to take them. I’d pick it up and admire it and then put it back, afraid maybe it was meant for someone else. I eventually realized it was meant for me to take it! It was left there for anyone who is lucky enough to find it. If you’ve stumbled across these little painted rocks, than know they are meant to be taken and hopefully bring a little happiness to your day.

They are often called “kindness rocks” and are painted with whatever people want to put on them. Some just have nice messages on them like “smile” or “be kind,” and others may just be swirls of color. We’ve found some that look like intricate art pieces! Sometimes people use different materials like shells or rocks that appear to be shaped like something already, but the most popular rocks are medium size with a good smooth surface for painting.

Once we started collecting painted rocks, we also got into painting new ones to hide. You can use lighter colored rocks and paint or draw right on them, or paint darker ones white first. I’ve also seen light ones painted black. Acrylic paint, paint markers and Sharpies are great for doodling on rocks. You can also spray them when done with a coat of clear paint sealer.

When you find a rock, be sure to look on the back for a hashtag or instructions on sharing. Most will tell you where to post on Facebook and a hashtag to include so the person who hid it can see it was found. Most people re-hide the rocks they find so they travel around. It’s OK to keep them too! We save our favorites for our garden. But if you are keeping them, make sure you are making new ones to put out so other people can enjoy them too.

If you are interested in getting started painting and hiding rocks, just search your area and add “rocks” on facebook. For example – I live in Atlantic Beach so our rock group is called Atlantic Beach Rocks and the hashtag is #rockinthebeaches. And if you don’t have any rocks handy, you can order buckets of rocks for around $20 on Amazon or even get an entire kit with ready-to-paint rocks:

So have you found any rocks in your area or gotten into rock painting? If not, you can always start something in your area! Also, a funny thing happens once you start looking for the rocks- you’ll start seeing them a lot more. You get a little more conscious of your surroundings and notice little spots that look like a rock might be stuck there. And sometimes you’ll find spots that becomes “regulars” and you can usually find a rock there, or leave one there yourself. Rock painting, finding and hiding is a great creative activity for kids and adults and a nice way to brighten someone’s day when they run across a surprise hidden gem.