10+ Fun and creative ways to play with sidewalk chalk that you may not have thought of before.
One of my favourite go-to activities when we’re playing outside is sidewalk chalk. I keep a bucket of it on the porch all year round so the kids have something to occupy them in between other activities or when we’re waiting for parents to drop off or pick up.
Most days, we just use our chalk in the traditional way – to draw, write our names, and play hopscotch, but some days we take things to the next level.
Here are some of our favourite ways to get extra-creative with sidewalk chalk in the driveway, yard and patio.
Creative Sidewalk Chalk Activities for Kids
Wet Sidewalk Chalk Activity:
My daycare kids love it when we add water to our sidewalk chalk activities. Drawing with wet chalk is especially great for kids who don’t like the way the chalk feels when it’s dry. For this activity, I fill a few small cups (empty yogurt containers in the photo) with water, and we soak the chalk in it for a while before using it. When the kids draw with the wet chalk, the colours are much more vibrant and the chalk glides smoothly along the pavement.
Chalk and Water Painting:
Another fun and easy way to combine chalk and water for an outdoor activity is to give the kids a container of water and some paintbrushes. Brushing a wet paintbrush over a colourful piece of chalk art softens the look of the drawing and intensifies the colours. The children love the way the water instantly transforms their art, and they have fun blending the colours together.
Note: you can skip the chalk altogether and just give the kids paintbrushes, rollers and water, like we did here. That’s an even easier way to make driveway art.
Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint:
Take a break from sidewalk chalk and make this homemade sidewalk paint with water, cornstarch and food colouring. Paint the driveway, or paint rocks, trees, the fence, toys or whatever. It will all wash away with a spray from the garden hose.
Sidewalk Chalk Self Portraits:
My kids love this one! Have your child lay down on the driveway and strike a fun pose. You, or another child, can trace around the child’s body, and the child can decorate the tracing to add clothing, hair and facial features. The kids, their parents, and passersby always get a kick out of seeing our driveway decorated with images of colourful playful children.
See all of our self-portrait art activities here.
Bubble Hopscotch:
Years ago, I discovered that the quickest way to draw a hopscotch is to draw a bubble hopscotch. It’s so much faster and easier than drawing squares and rectangles. You just start with a circle and add more circles (bubbles) until your hopscotch reaches the length you want.
For indoor hopscotch, check out this post.
Letter Recognition with Sidewalk Chalk:
This is a great way for preschoolers and toddlers to practice letter recognition outside. I draw all of the letters of the alphabet, and then I hand out stones or pinecones to serve as “markers”. I call out letters, and the children have to place their markers on the corresponding chalk letter. It’s also fun for the children to search for all the letters in their name, and put the markers on them. You could do this activity with numbers as well.
More Creative Sidewalk Chalk Ideas:
- Draw small roads with intersections and road signs for kids to drive their matchbox cars on.
- Make larger roads with intersections and signs for kids to ride their trickles and ride-on toys on.
- Make a sidewalk chalk obstacle course with circles and squares that instruct kids to jump, turn around, hop on one foot, count to ten etc.
- Draw a sidewalk “Twister” game, and call out “Maddie, red circle, right foot” etc.
- Draw a sidewalk “Snakes and Ladders” game. Shake two dice and kids can proceed through the game squares, climbing up and sliding back when they land on a ladder or a snake.
In Closing…
I hope we’ve inspired you and the kids to get outside and try some new and creative chalk activities at your house. If you have a fun chalk activity of your own to share, please tell me about it in the comments!
Related – Chalk Marker Activities for Kids:
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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.
