Ah, nothing beats a chalk mosaic. Peeling back the tape is one of the most satisfying things! So when I started thinking about the box of chalk in our garage and easy summer ideas for kids, it came to me: It’s time to make a giant popsicle chalk mosaic art for our driveway this summer break. And this outdoor activity did not disappoint!
Painter’s Tape and Chalk
You will quickly understand my love for painter’s tape if you are new here. It is one of our most well-used supplies for easy activities for kids. (I wrote an entire roundup of ways to play with painter’s tape.)
It is safe to say that I was pleasantly surprised when the tape (actually!) stuck to the driveway to see this idea through. Spending the late morning together was fun, coloring in different shapes.
And with that, this easy sidewalk chalk art project was born!
RELATED: Does your family enjoy chalk? If so, I wrote this 13 sidewalk chalk activities post for you!
What will your kids DO this summer?
Take the guesswork out of your days with the Summertime Bundle.
- Startup Guide creates your summer routine.
- Activity cards have easy activities.
- The PDF calendar puts your plan in place.
At first, my seven and nine-year-old dove in to color the popsicle with chalk. When my nine-year-old wanted a break, I followed my first graders’ lead. He knew precisely which color he wanted, and we were excited to see what the final chalk mosaic looked like after peeling back the tape.
We also discussed which colors would look nice when blended. Again, let your child take the lead! If you have your design, make two and work side by side.
This is a great way to spend the long days of summer break redirecting energy and creativity—fresh air and great for multiple ages.
Supplies
The supplies for your chalk mosaic are pretty straightforward. To make the design come to life, you need only painter’s tape, chalk, and a few square feet.
Days with Grey is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
Variation: When creating a chalk mosaic, you can use chalk in the box or chalk paint. If you have masking tape, you can also try that. I haven’t tried duct tape, but that is another option. The tapes will stick differently depending on the surface.
Painter’s Tape
No one prepared me for how much painter’s tape we would go through! It is one of our favorite supplies for kid activities.
Chalk
Chalk is an ageless supply that many children enjoy.
Step-by-step directions
What I love about this creative activity is that you can make the popsicle and then run with your own ideas! I’ve also seen mosaic sidewalk chalk art being created on garage doors – I just haven’t been that brave yet.
Personally, I like the gritty look of driveway art, and the driveway also felt like a more washable surface than the garage.
- Find a flat surface outside.
- Sweep the area free from debris.
- Begin with a long verticle line using painter’s tape.
- Begin to arch the line at the top.
- Come back around the other side and add another verticle line.
- Close the popsicle bottom with a horizontal line.
- Add a small stem for the popsicle stick.
- Begin to create irregular shapes inside the popsicle. (Unique shapes are what make this so much fun!)
- Color in the sections with chalk.
- When everything is colored, peel back the tape and enjoy!
Oh! And don’t forget to stand back and admire your work.
Sidewalk chalk mosaic art is fairly simple. No wonder it caught on during the pandemic! I used to enjoy taking walks and admiring everyone’s design. It’s not a new idea, but I have yet to see a popsicle!
This chalk project was big enough to entertain my big kid but not so big that he gave up. Coloring a popsicle was the perfect size with “just enough” random patterns to color in.
Outdoor chalk activities are so great.
We did a popsicle today, but have the itch to make a few more. I brainstormed a few more summer chalk mosaics below for us to all keep going:
- Ice Cream
- Giant sun
- Sandcastle (whoa, can you imagine this one?)
Do you have another great activity idea to share? Comment on the post here so we can continue to share ideas for the long summer days ahead.
More summer fun!
Creating summer activities for kids is one of my FAVORITES. I have a few super clever ways to spend the days at home that I will share below.
- Summer Crafts for Kids: 20 Fun and Easy ideas for all ages
- Summer Would You Rather Questions for Kids: Silly conversation starters
- Water Tables for Kids: I tested them, so you don’t have to!
Leave a Comment