Fun with Chalk!
If your little one is finally old enough to not be putting EVERYTHING in their mouth, you’ve probably invested in some chalk! Along with bubbles, this is something we always have on hand! Not only is it great for ALL ages, but the creativity and language opportunities are endless! Between our two Tiny Talkers families, we have kids ranging from 20 months to 10 years, so we can definitely speak to all the ways we love to incorporate chalk into play time and language learning fun!
More than anything, we like to give our kids the creative freedom to explore on their own with chalk. It’s always fun watching them play with colors and how the chalk looks on different textures and spaces! My kids love smashing chalk, writing on wet surfaces, coloring trees, bricks, and fences! There are just so many ways to keep your little one busy with this inexpensive art tool. We also know there are times when kids need a little guidance on what to do with chalk, so we have shared some of the ways we love to interact with our littles when they play with chalk! We’d also love to hear some of the fun activities you do with your children, so feel free to share in the comments!
Babies
Most babies are not using words, or are just starting to use words. When playing with chalk, think about ways to keep the language simple by focusing on single words. Words to say while playing chalk with your baby: want, more, no, help, on, off! If you would like to work with baby sign language with your baby, chalk play is a great time to target some of those signs! “More chalk? [show your baby the sign for more].
Chalk play ideas:
Work on the pointing gesture! “Should I color with pink or blue chalk?” Hold up the two choices and encourage your baby to point, “Do you like my fish or my tree drawing better?” Point to one to show your baby how to point.
Color with some chalk and show your baby how to pour water to make the chalk disappear. Pour the water and say, “All gone!” “Bye chalk!” This is a great chance to practice waving bye or doing the baby sign for all gone! After you pour out the water, you can say, “More?” or “Again?” and repeat the fun!
Draw some shapes that can be homes/parking spots/beds for your little one’s toys. “Car IN” (set the car in a circle). “Dinosaur ON” (put the dinosaur on the chalk spot). When baby takes the toy off of the shape, you can say, “Off!”
Toddlers:
If your baby or toddler has some words, you can work on expanding their language or building their vocabulary with more words! One simple way to do this is to talk about what your toddler is doing. When your child says a word, you repeat it back and add one more word! For example, if your little one says, “More,” you would say, “More chalk?”
Chalk play ideas:
Take turns (“Mommy’s turn! Annie’s turn!”). Keep it simple and just draw a little scribble or make a quick line, the point is to practice the skill of my turn and your turn!
Use one word to talk about what your baby is doing (Bang! Draw! Up!) or combine words to show your little one how to put words together: more chalk, more red, no water, I want more,, more help
Tell your baby what you are drawing with describing words (big, little smooth, rough)
Make pathways for balls, cars, animals, etc. and use verbal routines like, “One . . .two . . .three . . .Gooooooo!!”
Preschoolers:
Count all the pictures you made (Count 1-10)
Use new words to describe the drawings (“TINY scribble!” “LARGE scribble!”)
Make a path and practice action words (“Turn, stomp, jump!”)
Get a squirt bottle, water gun, or cup of water and make pictures disappear! (“Let’s wash away the BIG circles!” Now let’s wash away the TINY circles!”)
Play guessing games. “Can you guess what I am drawing?”
Ask questions: What do you like about this picture? Which picture is your favorite?
Play “Tell me how to draw. . . “ (a car). Your child can tell you what to draw first, next, etc.
School-age Kids:
At this age, play is much more about higher level thinking. We want kids to problem solve and navigate social situations. When kids create games, they need to work through rules, deciding what is fair, and communicating effectively. Chalk is a great way to allow kids the freedom to create many different activities and games!
Let kids create obstacle courses and come up with rules!
Hopscotch
Make up a driveway game, such as, “The floor is lava” where the kids can only be on the areas that they create with chalk. Let the kids decide the rules of the game, as this is a great way to work on problem solving and social skills!
Four square
Bike or scooter paths
Create targets on the ground where kids try and get a water balloon, bean bag, or other item to land. Each target can be worth a different amount of points.
