Better Than a Pet Rock - DIY Tic Tac Toe Kids Activities Blog

I’m not inventing the wheel here, painting rocks is probably as old as paint, but it doesn’t make it any less fun. Here is a project where kids can wear their creative hats and paint their own Tic Tac Toe pieces on rocks.

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DIY tic tac toe rocks - more than a pet rock - Kids Activities Blog

Better Than a Pet Rock – DIY Tic Tac Toe

Once they have their own rock creations, they can make a tic tac toe board outside using sidewalk chalk. Tic Tac Toe is a great game that not only teaches sportsmanship but also strategy to young minds. Plus there’s the added bonus of rocks, sidewalk chalk and painting, so basically everyone wins. Materials:

Smooth Rocks (children love hunting for their own rocks) 5 per player
Acrylic paint (if you want to use these more than once I suggest also a non-toxic varnish)
Paint brush(es)
Sidewalk Chalk

Make sure you wash the rocks if they’re covered in dirt as it will make it harder for the paint to adhere to. Each player’s 5 rocks should be painted the same, specially for very young children to eliminate confusion. Acrylic paint dries fast so no need to paint them hours before the fun. You are only limited by your imagination- think critters (ladybugs, bees, spiders, snakes), superhero symbols, rainbows, patterns, animal faces, princess’ crowns… or if you’re a traditionalist x’s and o’s.

Make a DIY Tic Tac Toe Game

Have each child think of a design for their 5 rocks.
Have them paint it or paint it for them depending on age.
Draw a tic tac toe board with sidewalk chalk outside.
Write the players names on corners of the board to keep score.

Above we have a game for baseball lovers (any sport or a mixture of sports also works great) where Sam is the baseball glove and Jason is the baseball. Remember to write their name in chalk (or have them write it depending on the age) to keep score. A little math never hurt anyone ( I hypocritically say after years of coming home from school declaring a war on math when I was a kid). Critters and animals are always perfect when a mixture of boys and girls will be playing. While they’re painting you can even teach them fun facts about bees, ladybugs, snakes etc.

Have a garden tea party and invite your friends- stuffed and imaginary are always welcome. Paint the invited guests name on one of their five rocks and use it as their place setting. Perfect for kid friendly baby showers. If painting names sounds like a challenge paint pens are your friend. Here’s a lovely garden tea party serving a game of Tic Tac Toe.

No one said the Tic Tac Toe board had to be 4 simple lines. When you’re done you can either set the rocks free back in nature or if you keep everything your little Picasso makes store the rocks inside clear vases or scatter them on shelves amongst books, toys and knickknacks.