What is a chalk racetrack?
A chalk racetrack is a racetrack drawn with chalk on a large paved area – simple, easy and fun!
Why it’s good to make a chalk racetrack for kids
When kids walk, skip, run, scoot, skate or wheel around a chalk racetrack, they develop gross motor skills, agility and fitness. Chalk racetrack activities also help kids learn numeracy concepts like time and speed.
What you need for a chalk racetrack
You need:
- chalk sticks – chunky chalk is best
- a large paved area like a footpath, a safe closed street, a public square or basketball court.
Keep your child safe around roads and driveways by supervising this activity.
How to create and use a chalk racetrack
Getting started
- Use your chalk to draw a large, looped racetrack on the ground.
- Draw one line first, then add the parallel line to make the track.
- Include some turns and wiggles on the track.
- Encourage your child to walk, run, skip, scoot, skate or wheel around, keeping within the lines of the track. You might need to show your child what to do or do it with your child.
Ideas and options
- Use a stopwatch to time how fast your child can run around the track,.
- Challenge your child to jump or hop around the track to make it harder.
- Let your child have a go at drawing the racetrack. Your child could work with other children to create and use the racetrack.
- Try making a racetrack on a beach or in a dirt field. Use a stick instead of chalk to draw the track.
How to adapt a chalk racetrack activity to suit children with diverse abilities
For children using wheelchairs or other mobility devices, draw a wider racetrack, have fewer twists and turns, or make the twists and turns less sharp. You could also focus more on getting around the whole track rather than on doing it as fast as possible.
For children with low vision or blindness, try using bright markers or tape for the track. Or you could set up a track that’s based on feel instead of vision. For example, you could tie cord around trees or poles and get your child to follow the track with their hands.
For children who find social interaction difficult, try getting them to race against their own best times rather than against other people.
You can get more ideas for adapting this activity from our articles on play and autistic children and play and children with disability. You might also like to explore our other activity guides. They can all be adapted to suit children with diverse strengths and abilities.