Chalk Recipes and Activities

Sidewalk Chalk Recipes for Play

Summer is just about here, and that means it's time for all our favorite summer recipes for play!  Sidewalk chalk is right at the top of that list.  We love making our own sidewalk chalk paint and coming up with new ways to paint and play.  Sidewalk chalk paint is so inexpensive and easy to make.  I hope you get inspired by these ideas and make your own today!

15 Ways to Play with Sidewalk Chalk Paint 

This is our basic sidewalk chalk paint recipe.  We've used it for years.  It calls for two common household ingredients plus coloring and only takes a couple minutes to make.  

We made scented sidewalk chalk paint last summer, and my good friend from Fun at Home with Kids had the same idea.  You can view her scented edible sidewalk chalk paint here. 

Recently we discovered a way to make cornstarch free sidewalk paint, and it is amazing!  The colors dry vibrant and gorgeous.  It spreads easily with a paintbrush, and guess what?  It only calls for two ingredients, one of them being water.

I had no idea you could use sidewalk chalk to color hair until I saw this post from Housing a Forest.  When my boys are in a goofy mood I chalk their hair which never fails to provide hours of giggles and entertainment.  It washes away easily in the shower.

Have you ever made your own sidewalk chalk?  This recipe from Fun at Home with Kids is vivid and beautiful.

This is so cool.  Coffee Cups and Crayons made glow in the dark sidewalk chalk.  Seriously, how fun would this be?

Erupting rainbow sidewalk chalk paint is hands down my boys' favorite way to paint outside.

Nothing is better on a hot summer day than ice chalk or even frozen popsicle chalk. We've made ice chalk many times since seeing the idea on Reading Confetti, and my boys and their friends love it.  I've started keeping a batch in the freezer at all times, ready to go on a hot day.

Wet chalk painting from Housing a Forest makes sidewalk chalk really pop in bold shades.

My latest favorite art project is painting with ice chalk and oil.  Watching the chalk colors mix while the oil repels is incredible, and it doubles as a science lesson for kids.

Last week we made erupting ice chalk paint, and I have to admit, even I was memorized.  The colors were just so beautiful as they bubbled and mixed together.

Love the idea of erupting sidewalk paint but hate the smell of vinegar?  No worries, these vinegar free erupting sidewalk chalk paints smell incredible and bubble and fizz every bit as much as the vinegar version.

These chalk bombs from Reading Confetti look like so much fun and are on our to do list this summer.

Put a twist on a fall favorite and do some apple printing on the sidewalk with apple scented paint.

A classic favorite is making crushed chalk paint.  This recipe can be used on paper, the pavement, and even as body paint.

For more summer recipes for play follow me on Pinterest.

More summer recipes for play:

85+ Summer Activities for Kids



Top Ten Ways to Learn with Sidewalk Chalk