“The urge to draw must be quite deep within us, because children love to do it.”
David Hockney
One of the most essential activities that children love is to play with colors. Every child loves to paint, scribble, and make a beautiful mess with colors.
That’s why I decided to introduce my daughter to sidewalk chalk paint. I saw this idea on Susie’s Busy Toddler Blog. I was impressed and decided to give it a try.
Children love to paint on the walls. I have never known why! They will choose a wall over a book or a canvas.
Warn a toddler not to do it and you will have a fit of laughter at their excuses. Rest assured, the wall talks them into painting on it.
Every parent only requires the courage the clean up the mess.
Paints can do too much damage to the walls and the house. I have scrubbed walls for hours with less to no hope of taking the color away.
We moved into a new rented home recently. The husband made it very clear that paints are not allowed in the house. Well, how can I make a 3-year-old understand?
I did. Is there anything a mother cannot do? I told her she cannot use paints anymore. She wanted to know why! I told her that she is using them on the walls. And, walls are not the place to color.
She managed to cope up with the new reality of not being able to scribble on the walls for two days! She managed to use color pencils and pens to scribble on the wall.
I had to google alternatives for paint. There must be something anyway!
That’s the beginning of the idea with sidewalk chalk paint for kids. Right from the time I found this, she has obliged not to touch the wall.
Make Sidewalk Chalk Paint for Kids at Home
I posted about chalk paint in the my previous post, 15+Easy fun activities for toddlers. A few friends asked me how to make these sidewalk chalk paint at home for kids.
I loved making this sidewalk chalk paint trick for kids. It is easy to make, and my daughter loves to play with it. Is there a kid who doesn’t like paint?
Here are two methods to make them. Try whichever works well for you.
Method 1: With Sidewalk Chalk
Main Ingredients:
- Sidewalk Chalk
- Grater
- Bowls
- Water
- Sponge Brush/ Regular Paint Brush/ Q Tip – Your choice
Method:
Grate the chalk in the grater. The chalk powder is ready in a bowl. Add a few drops of water to the chalk powder. Stir it with a paintbrush or Q Tip.
Note: You can use the mortar and pestle to quickly powder the chalk. Or, you can use the flatbread roller to crush the chalk into chunks.
This homemade sidewalk chalk paint is ready in less than 5 minutes for kids to use.
We made four colors. I like to grate the chalks. The chalk powder makes a fine paste.
I use Method 1 most of the time. My little one plays with colors inside the house with these. I could wipe it off quickly.
Method 2: Cornstarch and Sidewalk Chalk
An alternative method is to use cornstarch. This is quicker and works well in a squeeze bottle. It can be used for toddlers and older kids to play outside.
Main Ingredients:
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Sidewalk Chalk or Food Coloring
- Bottles or Bowls
- Paint Brush
Take a teaspoon of cornstarch, mix it with water to make a fine paste.
The mix is coarse with the yellow cornflour. The white cornflour mixes well to make a fine paste.
Next, I grate the sidewalk chalk and add it to the mix. It is an impressive makeshift paint. The consistency with cornflour was not as expected.
Cornstarch is used to make this paint. I replaced cornstarch with cornflour in this paint.
You can use baking powder and cornstarch to make this recipe and pour it in a squeeze bottle.
A simple alternativeto sidewalk chalk are the food colors.
These are the two methods to make sidewalk chalk paint for kids at home. Aren’t they quick, easy and ready to make paints?
I spent less than 5 minutes to make this new batch of paint!
Benefits of using Chalk Paint:
- Easy to Clean
- Super easy to make
- Inexpensive
- Affordable
- Guaranteed Fun
- Mess free
My daughter dropped the bowl of blue paint by mistake. The chalk paint was all over her pants and the floor.
Her pink pant does not have blue stains now. I did not scrub it for long either. I just wiped the floor with a wet microfiber cloth. How easy is this?
I soaked it in water and all gone in a few minutes. Come on, it is chalk! Let the toddler enjoy painting!!
Do you like this chalk paint recipe for kids to play? If, yes, do try it at home! I would love to hear from you!
