Sidewalk chalk is the Swiss Army knife of summer, and when the days get longer, there’s no better tool we’d rather have in our pockets. From straightforward to seriously creative, we’ve got sidewalk chalk ideas that will turn your front walk into hours of fun. Here are cool things to draw with chalk and some of our favorite ways to make your mark (and then erase it).
For more outdoor activities, check out these classic backyard games, outdoor science projects, and games to play in the dark.
1. Draw a backdrop for a picture. This is probably one of our favorite sidewalk chalk ideas: Bonus points for scenes where they’re flying or underwater!
2. Make silly silhouettes. Trace each other with chalk. And then fill in the details for a fun self-portrait.
3. Your sidewalk’s got game. Make a life-sized game board of their favorite game (Chutes & Ladders, Candy Land, checkers, etc.) and let your little gamers be the game pieces.
4. Let chalk hold court. Draw a makeshift tennis or basketball court, and let them practice their swings and dribbles like Princess Pinky Girl did.
5. Get wet. Hose down the driveway and let them experiment with chalk on a wet surface. They’ll love the new effect.
6. Chalk that’s to dye for. Need to freshen up your look? Turn sidewalk chalk into hair chalk in a few easy steps. Find out how at One Creative Housewife.
7. Go 3-D. Tired of a two-dimensional driveway? Turn your sidewalk chalk into foam paint. The Tip Toe Fairy shows you how here!
Related: 20 Cheap (or Free!) Sidewalk Games to Keep the Kids Busy
8. Be city planners for a day. Make a sidewalk chalk town and roadway. Look for inspiration at B-Inspired Mama.
9. Do some trolling. Use the grass growing through cracks in the driveway as hair for pet trolls. Just add a body with sidewalk chalk and let the fun begin!
10. Make an Olympic-worthy course. Measure a long jump board, mark each milestone, and start training!
11. Make chalk pops. Make sidewalk chalk on a stick (they look like real treats!), then turn the kids loose to design a masterpiece. See how Project Nursery does it, here.
12. Create a put-put course. Draw a mini golf course and use a hockey puck or rock, and a stick to play a round!
13. Decorate the walkway. This sidewalk chalk idea is an ode to the Wizard of Oz’s Yellow Brick Road—only with more color.
14. Make it glow. You can make a batch of glow-in-the-dark chalk, like Coffee Cups and Crayons.
