Sidewalk chalk is an inexpensive activity that gets kids outdoors and allows their creativity to flow! There are so many fun, active and educational sidewalk chalk activities, sometimes you just need an idea to get started. Keep reading for lots of ideas and instructions!

Sidewalk Chalk Games

Sidewalk Chalk Maze: This is a fun way to get your kids to problem solve. How to draw a sidewalk chalk maze:

1. Draw a square. Leave two openings on the opposite sides of the square for an entrance and an exit.
2. Draw another square inside the first square. Leave 3-4 openings in this square.
3. Keep drawing squares inside of squares with openings in them until you have a smaller space in the middle.
4. Now draw 3-4 rectangles or squares in different directions in the middle section and leave a few openings in those shapes.
5. Fill the shapes in the middle with more squares or rectangles with openings in them until you have filled all the space.
6. Figure out where you want the only way through the maze to be.
7. Now start drawing lines to close off paths other than the way through.
8. Finish drawing lines and/or erase more openings to make the maze more complicated.
9. Make sure there are no other ways through the maze other than the main exit. If there are, close it off with a line.
10. Now let your kids try it!

Avoid the Shark: Have your kids draw beaches with different colors of chalk at varying distances apart. Use blue chalk to color water in between the beaches. Then draw shark fins in the water at random. The kids have to jump from beach to beach to avoid the sharks.

Target Practice: Draw circles with different colors with a bullseye in the middle. Write point values on each circle (the bullseye is worth the most) and then have the kids throw an item (a sponge works great) to see who can get closest to the bullseye. Add a points so see who gets the most points.

Twister: Create your own twister board with chalk with at least four colors and four shapes. Play the traditional rules of Twister and have one person call out a color and shape and which hand or foot should go where.

Fruit Basket Mix-Up: Draw squares in a circle pattern, making sure to draw 1 less square than the number of kids playing. Each square represents a chair. Then assign everyone a different fruit. It’s best to just have 3 or 4 different fruits depending on how many people are playing. One person starts in the middle and calls out ‘Cherries!’ Anyone who is a cherry has to switch ‘seats’ with another cherry. The person in the middle tries to get a seat, and whoever is left without a seat is in the middle that round. You can also call out ‘Fruit Basket Mix Up’ and everyone has to switch seats.

Hot Lava: Draw stepping stones in line patterns or at random at varying distances. Pretend that everything else is lava and they have to hop from one stone to the next without falling in the ‘hot lava’!

Obstacle Course: Draw different obstacles for your kids to complete an obstacle course. A straight line for a balance beam and have them hop on one foot to cross it, spiral shapes to spin on, squiggly lines to follow, boxes to jump over. You can find some great ideas here!

Education Sidewalk Chalk

Alphabet Hop: Use chalk to make 26 squares or circles fairly close to one another and write the letters of the alphabet in each. For kids just learning their alphabet, call out letters to hop from one to another. For kids who are able to spell, call out words to spell and have them hop using one or two feet from one letter to another. During the summer months, this is a not-so-subtle way to work on spelling skills while having fun.

Counting Maze: To start, draw a grid pattern with sidewalk chalk. This should be big enough to fit as many numbers as you want to go up to. Higher for older kids and lower for younger kids. Each grid spot will have its own number. If you are doing 1-20, start by putting the numbers 1-20 in the maze first. Work your way from the beginning to end making sure the numbers are adjacent to each other. Then go back and fill in the blank spaces with random numbers. Put an arrow point into the maze at the start #1, and another arrow at the finish to get out at the last number. Then let your kids count their way through the maze!

Positive Messages: Have your kids practice their writing skills by writing positive messages on the sidewalk. They can be encouraging, uplifting, and happy notes. Let them draw pictures around the notes.

Outdoor Clock: First, draw a big clock with your chalk with numbers for the hour and marks in between for each minute. This works best with two people with one kid acting as the hour hand and the other as the minute hand. Once everything is ready, call out a time and the kids need to stand on the correct time. You can call out harder or easier times depending on your kids age levels.

Pictures with Sidewalk Chalk

Chalk Art: There are lots of fun tutorials of how to draw different pictures with sidewalk chalk. This is a great post on how to create your own Disney Chalk Art!

Photo Backdrop: Have your kids create a sidewalk chalk backdrop for a photo. These are some fun ideas and can even be used for a family photo!

Self Portrait: Have your kids lay down on the sidewalk and trace their entire body. Then let them fill it in with the details! Hair, clothes, accessories. Let them go wild!

Chalk Roadway: Draw a city and road system for your kids hot wheel cars. Or depending on how much space you have, draw it much bigger and let your kids drive on it with their scooters, or play cars like they are driving through town. Help them create a gas station, road rules (speed limit signs) and drive-through restaurant. Get creative!

Sidewalk Tape Art: Use painters tape and tape geometric designs on the sidewalk. Let your kids color between the tape. Remove the tape and admire the creation!

More Outdoor Activities for Kids