Summer days can sure drag on when your kids start whining that they're bored. While boredom encourages creativity, sometimes the best way to combat the groans and moans is to suggest some fun activities that will get the kids outside and keep them entertained. Below you'll find ten fun games that require only a box of sidewalk chalk and a bit of imagination. Enjoy!
Hopscotch
A tried and true game that's been played for generations, hopscotch is as fun today as it was when you were a kid. Hand your child some sidewalk chalk and show them how to draw the hopscotch board onto the ground. While hopscotch traditionally has 10 squares, let your child get as creative as they want, adding dozens of boxes in twisty turny patterns if they choose. The sky is really the limit with this one, so set them loose and let them have fun.
Chalk Obstacle Course
Jumps, hops, and twists are just some of the fun elements your child can include in their chalk obstacle course. Help your kids create a fun and challenging course by adding toys and other elements into the mix (10-second jump rope, anyone?). Encourage your kids to be as creative as possible and to add fun prompts like doing a silly dance, hopping on one foot, or racing through part of the course backwards. Make it a community course by drawing it on the sidewalk so neighbors out for a stroll can participate, too.
Chalk Maze
Take the fun of an autumn corn maze and bring it to life in your own driveway by drawing a chalk maze for the kids to enjoy. Not only will the maze provide entertainment for the kiddos but working out the correct route is a great way for your kids to flex their problem-solving muscles and work on their patience and persistence as well.
Sidewalk Twister
Who says you need a plastic mat to play Twister? All you really need is some colorful sidewalk chalk and a couple of kiddos willing to bend and twist themselves into a pretzel to win the game. Kids can create a homemade spinner with some cardboard and a few markers, and your sidewalk Twister game will be ready to play in an instant.
Long Jump
Test the mettle of all the neighborhood kids with a chalkboard long jump. Mark one line from which the kids must take their leaps and another line where they land. This is a great way for kids to burn energy and compete against themselves as they try to beat their best jump.
Race the Line
To play this game all you need is one long and windy line drawn with sidewalk chalk. Make the line as loopy and long as possible, then time your kids to see how quickly they can race the line. As an added challenge, see how quickly they can race the line running backward or hopping on one foot.
Chalk Racetrack
Incorporate some of your child's favorite indoor toys, like their cars and trucks, into outdoor play. One way to do this is to build a chalk racetrack and let your kids honk and zoom their cards along the track. No matter what your child's favorite toy is (horse figurines? Dolls?) they can build a sidewalk chalk scene to suit the toy and boost their imagination.
Sponge Darts
A simple and fun game that will keep your kids entertained for hours, all you need to play sponge darts is some sidewalk chalk, a bucket with water and a few dishwashing sponges. Draw a target on the sidewalk with chalk, then dip your sponge in the water before throwing it at the target, aiming for the bullseye in the middle. If your kids get good at the game quickly, increase the distance between the target and the line they stand behind to throw.
Chalk Checkers
You don't need a checkerboard to play this beloved boardgame—just draw one in chalk! It's quick and simple to craft a board, and the kids will have fun choosing their very own unique checkerboard colors. For the checkers themselves, have your kids paint rocks (or color them with chalk), and you have a fun outdoor game the kids can play all day long.
Pictionary
Pictionary is fun no matter what, but it becomes even more entertaining when the pictures are drawn outside with sidewalk chalk. Test the chalk drawing skills of the whole family with this game, and in the end you'll have a fun mural that will last until the next rain washes it away.
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