Post by Colleen of Lemon Thistle

These DIY ABC Stones are the perfect gift for a little one in your life. They make great toys to pack along, younger kids love the colors, and as kids age they can be used to help with letter recognition, spelling and counting. I’m so thrilled with how these turned out, my littles are a bit too young to start learning letters but they love playing with rocks (what kid doesn’t?) and enjoyed showing me all the ‘nice’ rocks they had.

A couple years ago I made some DIY Story Stones for my niece. She brought them to school for show and tell last fall and her teacher decided they needed to have some for her classroom. There’s something about brightly painted rocks that kids just can’t get enough of. And when they encourage learning and creativity? Us parents and teachers love them too!

They could not be simpler to make. Well maybe, if you wanted to get these done in a big hurry, you could find alphabet stickers.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your DIY ABC Stones unique to you:

• River Rocks (Can be found at many dollar stores)
• Multi Surface Acrylic Paint (I used Americana Satin paints and they are some of my favorites to use)
• Several Small Paint Brushes
• Spray Clear Sealer (I use Rust-Oleum Clear in a Satin Finish)
• Carrying Case (The one shown is the smallest of the Bon Voyage Suitcase Set)

Here’s how to make DIY ABC Stones:

1. Start by giving your rocks a good wash with dish soap and hot water. They need to be completely cleaned for the paint to adhere properly. Let them dry overnight if possible.
2. Then, get creative and paint your alphabet!
3. It will likely take a couple coats to get a good opacity. Let them dry in between coats. If you try when they are tacky, you will end up peeling off the layer that hasn’t fully dried.
4. When you’re happy with the way your stones look, let them dry overnight and then mist them with the clear sealer. I tried to skip this step and ended up chipping a couple- so definitely take time to do the sealer!

That’s all there is to it! These DIY ABC Stones would make a great gift for any child (probably stick to age 2 or 3 and up) or for an elementary teacher. My twins are 19 months old and do well with the stones as toys, but they’re not ready for the learning aspect yet. They had the most fun taking them in and out of the suitcase. When they’re ready for letter recognition, we will use them with an ABC book (they love any book). We really love the beautiful pictures in the Big ABC Book by Charley Harper.

*Storage Pouf is a DIY I made, you can find the directions here.

Colleen is a wife, Mama to 19 month old twins, and the DIY and lifestyle blogger behind Lemon Thistle where she shares printable art and hands on tutorials for DIY home decor, parties and gifts. Colleen believes you can have a beautiful life, home, and party without spending a lot- we’re keeping it real on a budget so everyone can join in on the fun.