We all have fond memories of drawing on the pavement with chalk or creating our own hopscotch to play, chalk art has been popular with kids for decades. However chalk drawing didn't start there, it has been around for millions of years - prehistoric cave drawings made using natural chalk (made from limestone) have been discovered!
Fast forward a few million years and here we are with an abundance of amazing chalk art ideas to share with you. This list has been created with your little one's in mind, so many are suitable for little children, but some may need a bigger person to help! You'll find all sorts of chalk art ideas, from pavement games and challenges, to cool chalk art photo backdrops. All of which can be created with just a set of chalk and a pair of hands! You can see our top chalk picks below.
If you love chalk art and want more ways to keep the kids busy this summer try out these craft ideas for kids, there's bound to be something that sparks their imagination on the list. We also have a great selection of crafts for toddlers too, if you have little ones.
Where to buy chalk
Giant chalk, Amazon, £15.99 - get a huge 60 piece set of all the colours you can think of! These will certainly keep the kids busy.
Tie Dye chalk, Amazon, £9.89 - chalk with a twist, more colours mixed into each stick of chalk to create super colourful artwork.
Liquid chalk pens, Amazon, £21.95 - these liquid chalk pens are great for artwork created on a blackboard or glass and will erase from these surfaces easily (not to be used on porous surfaces though).
Chalk pastels, Amazon, £14.99 - chalk pastels are perfect for more detailed drawings on black paper, make colourful drawings with 48 bright colours.
32 chalk art ideas
Monopoly board chalk art
Ah the classic game, bringing families together for generations (and sometimes causing the odd argument)! But we all know it's part of the fun right?! So why not bring the game to life with this giant chalk monopoly design, the perfect way to keep the kids entertained this summer. Instead of using the classic property names, you could change them to places in your hometown. The best thing about this chalk art idea is that it's playable! You'll have to own a set of Monopoly already and either use those cards and money or if you want to go a step further - create your own cards. Don't forget the giant dice!
Outerspace chalk art
Blast into Outerspace with this cute chalk design - it's a really easy one to do and you could even keep going and create the whole solar system, who said learning couldn't be fun (and chalk related)? Add the stars in for extra sparkle!
Balloon chalk art ideas
Up up and away! Have lots of fun creating these balloon bouquets with the kids, these work especially well if they love the Pixar film Up. You can create as many balloons as you like and they will make for some fun photos if the kids lie down next to them - just make sure they hold on tight!
Bat chalk pastel art ideas
This spooky bat is a great Halloween craft for the kids. Note: if they're a big fan of Batman, you could just use the yellow chalk. You'll find an easy how-to guide on Projects with Kids - they also have a bat template available to download for free, bonus!
Spongebob chalk art ideas
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? We all know the answer to that one (well, if we have kids we do)! Plankton is a bright, fun, and easy-to-draw design and only requires a few colours. Everyone will be smiling after seeing it.
Sunshine chalk art ideas
After the year we've had we all need a little sunshine in our lives! Create this fun chalk art outside your home to give passers-by something to smile about. You could try other quotes if you prefer, a quick search on Google will give you lots of positive quotes to choose from!
Superhero chalk art ideas
We love a good photo opportunity. This chalk art idea will get the kids excited to be in front of the camera, and you get some good memories for the album, bonus! Create this cool cityscape and have your little ones adorn capes and fly across the city. They'll love the outcome and the thrill of being just like their heroes!
Christmas lights chalk art
These glowing Christmas lights can be drawn on black paper or outside on the pavement! They do work especially well on darker surfaces to give the illumination effect. All you'll need is some fairy light-shaped stencils and some bright chalks - you can find the full tutorial on Buggy and Buddy.
Jellyfish chalk art ideas
Create a magical underwater scene with these brightly coloured jellies! They're super easy to draw and the little ones can be as creative as they like with the colours and tentacles for this chalk art. We'll warn you though they're addictive to draw, so you might end up with a whole swarm!
Road chalk art idea
Art skills at the ready for this chalk art! You'll have to brush up your drawing skills to create a little village complete with roads and colourful houses for the little ones to play with their toys on. You can get them involved with colouring in the houses too.
DIY twister chalk art
A twist on the classic game! Draw your very own twister board right outside your house to enjoy the game in the sunshine, it's cheap and easy to create and will certainly keep the kids entertained this summer. You'll need a spinner too, and luckily for us, Designed Decor has created a simple tutorial on how to make your own.
Chalk pastel art ideas - bubbles
There's something magical about bubbles! We know the kids will love this one, so follow along with the video tutorial to create these realistic bubbles in no time at all. You'll need chalk pastels and black card or craft paper for this chalk art.
Self-portrait chalk art
A super simple but fun project for the kids (and the adults too if you want to get involved). Start by having your little one lie down on the ground and you can draw around their silhouette, then give them free rein to create their self-portrait with fun clothes colours and big crazy hair! You'll be giggling at the results.
Obstacle course chalk art
Create a fun obstacle course in chalk! You can make them as long and as creative as you like, each square can contain a fun challenge, hopping, whistling, touching toes... there's so much you can do with this one.
Lava chalk art ideas
Almost everyone has played 'the floor is lava' at some point in their lives, whether that was when you were little or you play it now with your own kids! It's a classic. Bring that fun to the outdoors and draw lots of rocks surrounded by lava. The challenge is for the kids to stay on the rocks, jumping between them, add or take away rocks to change the difficulty level.
Mermaid tail chalk art
Dive into the deep blue with this magical mermaid tail chalk art! This one will take a bit of skill but will be worth it in the end when you get some great photos of the kids posing with it. You can get creative with the colours on this one too, but we do love the bright pinks and blues to make it stand out.
Target practice chalk art ideas
Practice your aim with the chalk art target practice. For this game, you'll just need to draw a target board with points in each ring. Then using a small bean bag or other weighted item and take it in turns to throw it onto the target and see who can get the highest score.
Dog photoshoot chalk art idea
Now this one is going to take a bit of time and patience (especially to get the dog in the right place). You'll need a large piece of black card or chalkboard and chalks. Recreate the moon landing but with your pup by drawing him his own space helmet ready for intergalactic travels. This one is a fun project for the adults and the kids will love the outcome.
Swimming chalk art ideas
We all love to go for a dip in the pool on a summer's day! But we might not be able to go there every day - so bring the pool to you with this fun chalk art idea. It makes for a fab summer photoshoot, you can draw the pool, a diving board, and a big colourful beach ball to complete the scene. The only thing left is to get your little ones to pose. A great picture to send to family and friends or share on social media.
Hopscotch chalk art
How could we not include the chalk art classic game of hopscotch, it's simple and we've all played it before, but that doesn't make it any less fun! It's great to encourage kids with counting too.
Bird chalk art
This cute bird is an easy chalk art creation for smaller kids, and they can get creative with colours too! This chalk art is suitable for drawing on black construction paper. If you head over to Glued to My Crafts you can find a free template for this fun bird too.
Flowers hopscotch chalk art ideas
A bright and fun take on the classic hopscotch, great if you want to make the most of all the colours in your chalk box! Make your flower as large as you like, although it might end up looking a bit like Jack and the Beanstalk if you're not careful - now that's an idea!
Positivity chalk art
Spread kindness by creating some inspirational quotes on the pavement outside your home. It'll cheer up passers-by and remind them of all the things good in the world. We all need a little positivity in our lives now and then, so why not share some of your favourite quotes with your neighbours.
Jellyfish chalk pastel art ideas
These mystical jellyfish creatures are created with chalk pastels, it's a great project for kids to use their imagination for the jellyfish colours and shapes. Start by drawing the outline of the jellyfish using white chalk, this will help to keep the shape as you fill in the colours. You can find the full guide on Projects with Kids.
Fireworks chalk pastel art ideas
This one is definitely one of the easiest to create and one of the most effective! You'll need some black paper or card for these, as they stand out in the darker colour. Then the kids can have complete freedom with the colours and sparks their fireworks make, it's a great chance to let their creativity flow!
Peace chalk art ideas
Find a bit of peace in your chalk art with this cool design. These bright purple hands are colourful, cute, and eye-catching. They may take a little bit of practice to get the shape of the hand right, so the parents or older kids can do that part, then get the smaller ones involved to fill in the bright colours.
Northern lights chalk pastel art ideas
Create lovely magical artwork easily with this simple tutorial from The Pinterested Parent, there's even a video to guide you! The little ones can really let their imaginations run wild with this one, choosing their favourite colours to light up the skies.
Mushroom chalk art
If you're looking for a big chalk project that you can use to create magical photoshoots, then look no further. This cute mushroom chalk art will be the perfect backdrop to some really fun and fairytale style photos, a lovely keepsake! Now, where did we leave those fairy wings?
Chalk art leaves
Do you love going on autumnal walks but aren't sure what to do with all the leaves your little ones manage to collect? Well, now you can make them into little works of art. these work best with liquid chalk pens to create bright and bold designs.
Piglet chalk art
If you've got a budding artist in the family, give them a challenge with this cute piglet chalk drawing. It works perfectly for drawing on the pavement or on black paper! It's a cute design and perfect for any Disney fan, plus check out the rest of the amazing Disney-inspired chalk art on Picture the Magic's list!
Stars chalk art ideas
A simple yet effective way to brighten up your driveway or garden with this fun shooting star chalk art, try lots of different colours and choose darker pavement to make the colours really stand out, perfect for all ages to get involved.
Be kind chalk art
We couldn't have put it better ourselves! Kindness is so important and spreading that message with your neighbours is a great way to get the kids thinking about what it means to be kind. A lovely message with lots of thought.
We hope you loved our list of the best chalk art ideas and found something to inspire you and the kids this summer. It'll certainly keep them busy for many hours and at a low-cost. If you want more fun crafts to get the kids involved in try these handprint art ideas for some entertaining messy play. You could try your hand at how to make a kite out of paper, just in time for summer! We also have a range of DIY guides, try out this easy salt dough recipe or play dough recipe for low-cost fun.
