LEARNING THROUGH PLAY- SIDEWALK CHALK ACTIVITIES- BY: KRISTY

As the weather gets warmer, our family is spending more and more time outdoors. Like most kids, my boys would much rather be outside than inside doing their school work. Since playing with chalk is one of their favorite activities; I thought it be perfect to bring learning through play outside this week. Today’s homemade Monday is all about using sidewalk chalk to offer a fun ways to teach your preschooler about shapes, colors, letters and numbers. I hope you enjoy these ideas…Play, Learn, Grow!

Activity One: Shape Maze

SIDEWALK MAZE.jpg

What you will need:

  • Different Colored Sidewalk Chalk
  • Clean Side Walk
  • Color/Shape Flash Cards

Instructions:

  1. Draw a start line using sidewalk chalk. Next, using different colored sidewalk chalk draw a variety of shapes (circles, squares, hearts, etc.) in a grid pattern. It is very important to make sure that your shapes match up so that your little one is able to make it from start to finish. Once you’ve completed your maze of shapes draw your finish line.
  2. You can either call out instructions or use learning Cards for this activity. Show your little one a shape or color from the card and see if they can identify the shape or color. Next encourage them to hop from start to finish by only touching the shape or the color that you called out or showed them.

Activity Two: Spray the Shape

What you will need:

  • Different Colored Sidewalk Chalk
  • Water Gun/Sprayer
  • Water

Instructions:

  1. Use your chalk to draw a variety of different shapes on the sidewalk. (If your little one is ready for a challenge, you could write letters or numbers in place of the shapes.)
  2. Fill your water gun or sprayer with water.
  3. You’re ready to practice shape, letter or number recognition with your little one. Name a shape that you want sprayed. See if they can trace the shape with the water or spray the shape away.

Activity Three: Color Hop

SIDEWALK CHALK HIP.jpg

What you will need:

  • Different Colored Sidewalk Chalk
  • Clean Side Walk

Instructions:

  1. Draw 6-8 different colored circles in a circle. I used pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
  2. Next encourage them to hop to a particular color.

Activity Four: Bean Bag Toss

SIDEWALK BEAN BAG.jpg

What you will need:

  • Different Colored Sidewalk Chalk
  • Clean Side Walk
  • Alphabet Bean Bags

Instructions:

  1. Draw upper case or lower case letters on the side walk using different colored chalk. You could do something similar with numbers.
  2. Next let your little one toss the bean bags on to the corresponding letter on the sidewalk. Encourage them to call out letters as they toss the bean bag.
  3. Number variation: Write numbers on the sidewalk in squares and then have your little one count out that many of an object and place them on the number square. (For an example: Write the number 2 in a square on the side walk, have your little one place two rocks or two leaves on the square.)