Learn how to turn an ordinary rock into a spooky skull to decorate your front porch for Halloween. All you need is a little acrylic craft paint and your imagination.
We made these spooky painted skull rocks as a Halloween craft here in my daycare years ago, The kids each painted a rock to take home, and as you can see, I painted a couple for my own front porch. I love using them in our Halloween display every year.
They were fun to make, and they’ve held up really well considering they’ve lived in my garden for the better part of a decade. Yes, I leave them out all year. I just turn them around backwards so they look like ordinary garden rocks for the rest of the year.
P.S. You can see more of our painted rock crafts here.
How to Make Painted Halloween Rocks:
Supplies and materials:
- rocks
- acrylic craft paints
- paint brushes in various sizes
- craft varnish (optional)
Instructions:
Gather some good sized rocks and scrub them well to remove any dirt or debris.
Let them dry thoroughly before painting them.
With acrylic craft paints, transform your rock into spooky skeleton faces.
To Varnish or Not to Varnish…
We didn’t bother to seal or varnish rocks. You certainly could, but our painted rocks have been out in my garden for about 10 years now., and they still look great. I never bring them inside or shelter them from the elements.
The top photo in this post was taken today and the bottom photo was taken ten years ago when we made them.
As you can see, they’ve held up very well despite sitting in my garden in rain, sleet, snow and sun all year round.
What do I do when Halloween is over?
When Halloween is over, and I no longer want to display the spooky faces we painted on our rocks, I just turn them around so they look like regular garden rocks to anyone walking by. When October turns around, I turn them again so they’re facing the street.
You may also like:
Monster Mobiles for Preschoolers
Monster Handprint Craft for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Haunted Halloween Hand Melt (a salt and ice experiment for kids)
Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
Valerie @ Glittering Muffins
Love it’s so simple and free! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jennifer
We are going to do this & the milk jug ghost “lanterns” that I saw somewhere. I hate wasting my pumpkins.
Cassi
Love these! Painted rocks are so much fun! I’ll be sharing on The Crafty Crow soon 🙂
happyhooligans
Oh yay!! Thanks so much, Cassi!