As the nice spring weather is approaching, we are able to spend more time outdoors. This week we will be introducing you to four kid-friendly games using just one piece of chalk. If you do not have a piece of chalk, good old markers and paper can also do the trick! First, all you have to do is find a safe spot on the driveway, on the sidewalk or if you decide to play indoors, a nice big open space!
1. Hopscotch
Draw boxes to be jumped on in various shapes and sizes. You can fill it in with numbers, letters, or little drawings. Using stones, beanbags, buttons or small plastic toys, have them throw the object towards one of the boxes. Whichever box the object lands on is the objective they have to hop towards.
If they feel comfortable, see if they can double hop on each box or use varying feet to make their way up and back the course.
This game is also great for learning the alphabet or numbers! They can all out the numbers they pass by or try to spell out words as they call out the letters!
2. Avoid the Shark!
Use different coloured chalk to draw “beaches” with various distances apart. Using the colour blue, draw in the water and shark fins between the beaches. Have your kids jump from beach to beach to avoid the sharks and water! You can also draw in some safety points, like a floating wooden box, or life ring as checkpoints.
3. Chalk Maze
Have your kids draw their own design of squiggly lines, circles, zig zags with chalk to create a maze which they can walk, run, cycle or scooter!
The bigger, more colourful, and creative the maze, the more fun they will have working their way through!
4. Sidewalk Twister
This game will require the help of a parent or guardian.
Create your own chalk twister board with at least four colours and four shapes. Have the parent or guardian call out instructions as to where the child should place their right hands, right feet, left hands, and left feet!
Following the rules of Twister, have your child balance while moving each hand or foot to different coloured shapes without falling over.
You can switch it up by adding a creative twist and have them roar like lions or move like an animal on a specific colour or shape.