There is so much to do with sidewalk chalk. It’s colorful, it’s fun to hold, and most importantly, it offers endless possibilities of fun! Chalk provides kids with limitless options for open-ended play. Whether you are looking to create art, play games, or burn off some energy with an obstacle course, sidewalk chalk activities help kids develop fine and gross motor skills through simple play opportunities. These 13 chalk activities for kids will bring joy, learning, and independent play to your kids all summer long!
RELATED: Check out our favorite outdoor activities to inspire hands-on play and exploration this summer!
Benefits of playing with chalk
Did you know you can help improve and strengthen important developmental skills with chalk? The colors help with color recognition, the collaboration encourages conversation, and the size of the chalk helps children develop fine motor strength, leading to a better pencil grip.
Chalk also helps children improve upon the following:
- Color Recognition
- Develops imagination
- Fine motor skills
- Gross motor skills
- Hands-on play
- Independent play
- Inspires art & creativity
- Strengthens pencil grip
- Outdoor time
RELATED: Summer activities made easy at home will keep your kids active, learning and having fun all summer long!
Chalk Activity Supply List
Let’s take a minute to get the MVP of chalk activities for kids in our Amazon cart before getting ahead of ourselves with a terrific idea. I also included a chalk walking stick, making creating a DIY chalk gameboard much easier.
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Chalk
Every chalk activity begins with chalk. Get this 48-color pack with bright, bold colors.
Chalk Walking Stick
This outdoor chalk stick provides a unique way to free your creativity.
RELATED: There are so many fun outdoor toys for summertime! Check out our Outdoor Toy List for Kids to get stocked up!
13 chalk activities for kids
Not sure what to do with all that pile of chalk in your garage? Try these simple chalk activities for kids to keep those endless summer days simple, fun, and creative!
Chalk Game for Outdoor Play
Create a larger-than-life board game and rolling dice for your kids right on your driveway as they roll, jump, run, and play with this outdoor chalk game.
ABC Sidewalk Chalk Game
(Buggy and Buddy)
Combine movement with alphabet recognition in this simple set-up ABC sidewalk chalk game!
Chalk Fireworks: Fine Motor Activities for Kids
(Toddler Approved)
Strengthen fine motor skills as your kids improve their pencil grip and get into the festive summer season with this chalk fireworks activity for kids.
Chalk Puzzle
(Happily Ever Mom)
Puzzles are such a fantastic way to build patience, confidence, and practice with shape recognition and creativity. Use chalk and magnetic tiles for some fun outdoor puzzle play this summer!
Chalk Sight Word Game
(The Educators’ Spin on It)
Use chalk to practice sight word recognition and improve early reading skills outside with your kids summer.
Magic Chalk Painting Activity
Kids LOVE messy play. So let your kids get messy and creative outdoors this summer with this magic chalk painting activity.
Math Dice Game with Movement
Your kids will have so much fun with this outdoor math dice game incorporating gross motor development through movement as they practice their early math skills.
Musical Scavenger Hunt
Grab some chalk to draw a giant colorful path to get your kids moving and grooving as they play this musical scavenger hunt!
Practice Prewriting with Movement
Using chalk, strengthen your preschooler’s prewriting skills and pencil grip outside this summer!
Sidewalk Chalk Paint
(The Best Ideas for Kids)
Did you know that you could use sidewalk chalk to paint? This simple, fun sidewalk chalk painting activity will inspire creativity and create beautiful driveway art!
Skip Counting with Chalk
(Playdough to Plato)
Skipping can be tricky to learn. Improve this gross motor coordination skill AND practice skip counting with this simple numerical chalk hopscotch path.
Super Simple Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course for Gross Motor Skills
(Hands On As We Grow)
Tire your kids with this ultimate driveway obstacle course for fun, old-fashioned summertime!
Stained Glass Chalk Art
(Juggling with Kids)
Remember this idea from 2020? I do. I would take a walk, and every other house would have a beautiful chalk picture on their driveway. Let’s keep the idea alive by giving it a home here.
Smash the Chalk
Use safety goggles to protect the eyes. Tape black construction paper to the table and lay different colors of chalk on the table. Use a wooden hammer to smash the chalk into little pieces. When finished, you will have a fun piece of art!
What are the different ways to play with chalk?
There are so many different ways to play with chalk! Being home with kids all summer can make us parents get creative with what we have. Don’t go out and feel the need to buy new toys this summer; use the chalk you have in your garage (broken pieces and all) to create all kinds of play with your kids!
- Games
- Letter and spelling practice
- Mazes
- Murals
- Number and counting awareness
- Obstacle courses
- Shape recognition
- Story-retelling
Who knew there was so much fun to be had with chalk play?!
There are countless ways to play with chalk at home with your kids. Whether your kids need some quiet time to draw or need to burn off some energy with a chalk obstacle course, there are many ways to support them with their play and learning this summer! Use these chalk activities for kids to engage, teach and keep your toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids busy all summer long!
Big Kid Activity Cards
Because our big kids crave hands-on learning, too!
20 hands-on activities for ages 5.5-8 years old.
There are so many different ways to play with chalk. Creating art, playing games, and making giant obstacle courses in the driveway are all fun and creative ways to play with chalk.
What are the benefits of chalk play?
Chalk play offers so many developmental benefits for kids. Playing with chalk improves pencil grip, strengthens fine motor and gross motor skills, and inspires independent play.
The best kinds of chalk activities are the ones that keep your toddler or preschooler busy. Simply drawing with chalk is a great quiet-time activity if your child needs some afternoon downtime. While mazes and obstacle courses created with chalk will create endless driveway fun to burn off all the extra energy!