At home, ask your child to help you wash the rocks with soap and water. Ask them “Do you know why we should wash these rocks?”. While the rocks are drying, ask your child “Why do you think we are letting the rocks dry before painting them?”. You can even let your child paint one of the wet rocks to compare the results with the dried one.  

If you have a variety of colors, ask your child to choose the colour they want. When the rocks are fully painted, leave them on their side to dry. Now it’s time to draw X’s and O’s, use another colour to do this step. For younger children, show an example of how to draw X’s and O’s. Assist them where needed. When your rocks are completely dry, it’s time to play. Use the 4 long sticks for the outlines and if needed, explain to your child how to play this game. This game teaches your child valuable skills such as problem solving, anticipation, logic, strategy and more. Have a fun game! 

Tip: You can adapt this activity to your child’s age by changing the questions you ask, how far you can go on a walk and how much assistance your child needs in collecting items, carrying the bag, process of painting and simplifying the game. To simplify the game, make the focus of the game on taking turns to place the rocks where ever they please. This is a skill that young children need practice to learn.