If you only buy one new craft item this summer let it be sidewalk chalk! And if you only try one idea let it be this super fun sidewalk chalk obstacle course! Climb a giant bean stalk, travel to outer space, hop in a frog pond, just some of the places your child will go with this amazing obstacle course!
Love the idea of creating obstacle courses for your kids? Me too! Check out these other fun ideas that we enjoyed:
The Best Backyard Obstacle Course for Kids
20 Amazing Backyard Obstacle Courses
The Best Winter Backyard Obstacle Course for Kids
Why is Sidewalk Chalk So Great for Summer?
One summer we rented a cottage situated at the end of a cul-de-sac and the only toys they had for kids was sidewalk chalk.
One afternoon when it was too cold to go swimming we headed out the cul-de-sac and basically drew the galaxy and we spent the next few hours exploring space.
My kids still remember that game to this day! So believe me when I say sometimes all you need to keep kids entertained is some sidewalk chalk!
What Type of Sidewalk Chalk to Get?
Don’t be fooled, you don’t need to buy the pricey sidewalk chalk to get vibrant cool colors. The dollar store chalk is just as good. The trick to getting bright colors is to add a little water.
Dip your chalk in water before you draw. The color and chalk with transfer much smoother on to your outdoor surface when its wet.
Ways to Keep the Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course Fresh and New
If your kids are anything like mine, they will want to do this course over and over again! But one they have had a enough you can introduce some challenges. Here are a few ideas:
- See who can do it the fastest (slowest?).
- Try doing the course backwards.
- Try doing it while hopping on one foot.
- Try doing it while bouncing a ball.
Materials
- Sidewalk Chalk
- Bowl with water (optional)
How to Set Up Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course
- Let’s begin well at the “START”. You’ll need flat space on some stones or driveway or a sidewalk. This works great on a sidewalk. We did it in our backyard on the stone patio. To make sure we had space to draw the entire course I looped back around and drew the different parts of the course close together. Once you were on the course you knew where to go. My kids only need one time before they got and wanted to do it over and over again!
- First step “POP THE BUBBLES”. Write out the words “pop the bubbles” and draw cute little bubbles. Your child steps on the bubbles to pop them.
- Next, “WALK THE STEM”. Draw the long winding stem, complete with leaves. The stem ends at a ‘spin flower’.
- “SPIN”. Draw a spiral flower and write the words spin in the middle. Once your child reaches here they have to spin several times in a circle before leaving.
- ” FROG HOP”. For the frog hop, draw Lilly pads with flowers and ponds waves all around. Your child needs to hop across the pond using the lilly pads. Don’t fall into the water!
- And then from the frog pond we head over to outer space! “SPACE TRAVEL” will have you drawing all the planets in our solar system along with the sun.
- Finally, we end with “FINISH STRONG” and hopscotch.
8. All “DONE”. End by hopping on the number 10 that looks like the sun and big letter that spell “DONE!!”.
9. Repeat and enjoy!!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
