Hop, hop, jump, hop! Pink, purple, blue, green and white. I grew up drawing hopscotch on the sidewalk and chalk murals on my driveway.  Inexpensive, portable and low-tech…..sidewalk chalk is a classic summer activity…..but is it forgotten these days? Today, children have videogames, computers, cell phones and ipods….so who needs sidewalk chalk?  All children need sidewalk chalk!

Needed: 1 box of sidewalk chalk and a group of children, aged 3-12. A 3 year old will practice designs and experiment with colors. The 6 year old might draw hopscotch and a few animals. A 9 year old might make intricate designs and write numbers as high as possible.  The 12 year old could possibly write messages or song lyrics. 

Sidewalk chalk is such a forgotten tool, that when I introduced it as an optional “station” during our end-of-first-grade party…..the kids were thrilled! They immediately set up a hopscotch challenge for me and wrote their numbers 1-200.  After working very hard on their chalk activities, they were so proud to show me their creations. 

Parents, take heart. Your favorite past summertime activities, including, but certainly not limited to sidewalk chalk….are so forgotten and rare….they’re new again! Help your children power down their screens and chalk up those sidewalks!