Kidstuff Blog 6 Fun Things to do with Chalk

Chalk! It's such a humble substance, yet it contains the seeds of so much fun. Painting or drawing with Kidstuff's sidewalk chalk is a time-honoured artistic pursuit that allows for untold creativity! Best of all, it engages kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens.Here is our chalk-centric activity guide for the weekend or school holidays:Take some black paper and paint it over with paintbrush and water. Little kids get excited by this stage, even before the chalk part begins. They love the texture of the water, the way it looks on the dark paper, and the way the paper sticks to the table.Next, draw on the wet paper with chalk. The big chunky street-art chalk sticks are best for toddler hands. Kids will delight in the bright hue of the chalk on the dark wet background. The chalk glides in the wet and leaves a paste just crying out for finger-painting!As an experiment, try the activity in reverse. Chalk first, then paint over it with water. What happens - is the chalk brighter or does it vanish?Chalk colours blend beautifully on construction paper with the fingers. Encourage your kids to blend a variety of colours. Maybe a rainbow!Because chalk cleans up so easily with water, it's ideal for many surfaces. Blackboards, brick walls, wooden fences, boulders - potential canvases are all around budding artists!One great canvas is the concrete pavement. That old favourite, hop-scotch, is a great way to get kids outdoors. When you first introduce your children to hopscotch, focus on an understanding of the rules, not accuracy. When they grasp how the game is played, they gain in confidence. Confidence in turn gives them joy in the social interaction, and joy leads to emotional development. When they are having fun, they don't care how often they miss the squares. It is fun that encourages them to keep trying, get better with practice - and chalk up the missed squares to experience. RELATED PRODUCTSOur Chalk and related products categorySidewalk Chalk - 24 Pieces in a Bucket from Educational Colours - This chalk bucket contains 24 jumbo washable 100mm x 25mm chalks that are easy to grasp. Included is a sponge and re-usable bucket.Fluro Sidewalk Chalk - Contains 4 sticks of Fluro-colour Jumbo sidewalk chalk measuring 100mm x 25mm each.