Sidewalk Chalk Games for Kids

Snail's Pace

• Use the sidewalk chalk to draw a big spiral in the shape of a snail's shell on the ground. In the center, draw a circle and label it "Home." Then divide the rest of the spiral into twelve spaces. Player 1 must hop on one foot and land in each space, all the way to "Home," where he can then land on both feet before turning to hop back out. If this is done without stepping on a line, he can write his initials in any space he chooses. No other player can land there for the remainder of the game. Player 2 then tries her luck at hopping to and from "Home," but must skip over the initialed space. If she succeeds, she too earns a square. The game continues in this way until no one can reach "Home." The player who earns the most spaces wins.

Tic Tac Toss

• This is a pebble-tossing variation of tic-tac-toe. Use sidewalk chalk to create a large box on the ground with a tic-tac-toe grid inside it. Player 1 must try to toss a pebble into one of the squares. If she is successful, she marks the space with an "X." If a pebble lands on any of the grid's lines, it is a miss. Player 2 then tries to earn a square, marking his successful throw with an "O." The first player to fill three squares in a row is the winner.

Number Hop

• Create a hopscotch area in the image of a calculator. Player 1 tosses a pebble on the "1" key and must then hop on an equation that is equal to 1, such as: =, 1, +, 0 or =, 3, -, 2. Players must hop on one foot when landing on zeros and odd numbers and hop on two feet for even numbers and symbols. Each player continues until he or she makes a mistake, like stepping on a line or an incorrect equation. The first person to correctly get through all the numbers up to 9 wins.