When the weather is nice, it is wonderful to do art projects with kids outside, and this garden stepping stone is a perfect one! Kids of all ages can participate in some way, and be able to say, “I made that!” about such a permanent and beautiful fixture builds self-esteem and a sense of mastery.
To begin, we purchased a garden mosaic kit from a local craft store. They come in a variety of sizes, each with cement mix, tray, even some mosaic tiles and alphabet stamps and very clear 
directions. An adult will need to mix the cement, as it can be rather dusty.
Next, we gathered some stained glass chards, shells, marbles, and pieces of broken ceramics we’ve been saving for this purpose. A couple of my 4-year-old daughter’s broken baby dishes were meaningful choices!
While still wet, my daughter made handprints in the cement. Then she chose to decorate our stone by pressing the treasures we had gathered into the wet cement in “rainbow order.” (My girl adores rainbows!)
I decided to include the words “roots & wings” on our garden stone, as it reminds me of a 
Hodding Carter quote my own mom once told me: “There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: One is roots, the other is wings.” It seemed fitting with her little handprints preserved there on the stone, amongst the roots of the plants in our garden. After 48 hours, the stone was dry and took its place in our yard.
I believe that art is inherently therapeutic. Like all art we make together, this art project gave my daughter a boost of confidence and allowed her to externalize her ideas and feelings in a concrete, creative and colorful form.