How to Make Sidewalk Chalk

Learn how to make sidewalk chalk using our detailed step-by-step guide! DIY sidewalk chalk is SO EASY to make. You only need 3 simple ingredients – and one is water! It’s such a fun and creative summer activity!

This easy DIY sidewalk chalk recipe is great for encouraging art skills and creativity, while also increasing your kids outdoor time. Choose your favourite colours and shapes and make your own chalk for non-stop summer fun!

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Helpful Tips:

1. Plaster of Paris is quite safe to work with, but you still want to be responsible. Wear gloves if your skin is sensitive and consider wearing a dust mask and eye protection. Be sure to wash away any wet plaster from your skin right away.
2. Make your own sidewalk chalk in all your favourite colours! But remember to make white chalk as well if you want to draw clouds to go along with your rainbows and suns.

What type of paint do you need to make DIY sidewalk chalk?

We recommend using tempera paint. It creates a sidewalk chalk that has an almost “creamy” feel to it when you draw, similar to a pastel. We also recommend using vibrant neon or flourescent shades of tempera paint. These colours show up a lot better on the pavement.

You can also use acrylic paint if that’s all you have. Even though acrylic paint isn’t washable, like tempera is, it still washed off our sidewalks without any issue. If your driveway or sidewalks are light in colour or are especially porous, test a small area first to make sure it doesn’t stain.

Is DIY sidewalk chalk easy to clean up?

To keep the cleanup really simple, we like to use disposable cups and utensils when making the sidewalk chalk. Make sure you wipe out your molds before washing them to remove any flakes or chalk residue. You don’t want any of the plaster hardening in your sink drain.

We found that our sidewalk chalk washed away really easily outside. You can spray a garden hose over the drawings to remove them or wait for a rain storm to clean it up.

What molds are best for making DIY sidewalk chalk?

We love the look of the ice cube stick molds that we used – they mimic the look of school chalk! But you can also use silicone molds in a variety of shapes. How cute would it be to make chalk in the shape of butterflies or hearts and stars?!

A mold that’s fully silicone will make it a lot easier to remove the chalk without breaking it. If you’d like to move the chalk while it’s drying, place the silicone mold on a baking sheet to give it some support.

How thick should the Plaster of Paris mixture be?

Well… we had very mixed results with how thick the mixture got. Our theory is that the pigment of the paint changes the consistency, but we’d love if anyone could provide us with an actual scientific answer.

Some of our mixtures were thin enough to pour nicely, while others were like a thicker concrete mixture that needed to be scooped. Yet both of these consistencies created nice pieces of chalk, so don’t worry if your mixture looks a little different than ours. Just make sure there aren’t any air bubbles at the bottom of the mold, for the nicest looking sidewalk chalk.

How long does this DIY sidewalk chalk recipe take to dry?

Again, we had really varied results. Some of the chalk was firm and dry within 1 to 2 hours. Others stayed soft for a long time and required 24 hours in the mold before removing.

We’re not sure why the drying time was so different for our different colours and batches (humidity levels? the colour of the paint?), but again, the chalk seemed to work out really well no matter the drying time. We recommend leaving the chalk in the mold at least overnight to be safe.

Learn how to make sidewalk chalk in any shape and colour you want. Sure, you can buy sidewalk chalk at the store, but why buy it when you can get creative and make your own?!

This summer craft is a lot of fun to make and to use. And with only a few ingredients you can make colourful, custom chalk pieces that are perfect for decorating sidewalks, driveways, and patios!

Here’s even more outdoor summer craft ideas:

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Puffy Sidewalk Paint

How to Make a Smoke Bomb

Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!