Art & Work of Creative Parenting: Chalk It Up to Fun
Outdoor chalk play is a nearly perfect activity:
- Chalk can be a tool for art or for hopscotch.
- Children of different ages can create together, or
- Younger ones can color independently.
- Kids can practice writing.
- Cleanup with a hose is just as much fun as the activity.
- But — cleanup is optional!
Specific developmental benefits of playing with sidewalk chalk.
Motor development – Kids practice using their small muscles (fine motor skills) to grasp and hang on to the chalk. They use their larger muscles (gross motor development) to bend down, scribble HARD, hop back up to admire their work, run over to your hammock and drag you out to come and see their work. Oh yeh, that hopping on one leg thing? Then the other leg? While thinking? Beautiful electrical storms are lighting up their brains!
Intellectual or cognitive development - When you show your young children how to play games like hopscotch or bean bag toss, don’t focus on accuracy the first time out. What really matters is that they understand that there are rules to remember, and that there is a sequence to follow. Practice will ensure accuracy. For today, their attempts to participate in a group activity (social development) is enough. The confidence and enjoyment (emotional development) they gain from simply trying to participate will motivate them to continue working until they get it “right.”
Language development – Chalk play can enhance your child’s communication skills by simply giving her an opportunity to write letters, draw a picture that has meaning, invent letters that she wants to practice writing. Remember to take seriously whatever she decides to communicate. The sun is shining, and she is trying. She can’t get it wrong.
More language boosts will happen when your child needs to be able to
- listen to rules of a game,
- listen to the other players,
- respond to the words, “It’s your turn, now” or
- blurt out, “Hey! My turn!”
Parenting tip: if she recognizes that brother just took two turns, her sequencing ability (intellectual skill) is coming along, don’t you think??
Whew. Somebody’s gonna need a long afternoon nap, Mommy… yet another benefit of playing outside with chalk.
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Carly Jennings | Motor Development | 
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