Need a fun outdoor activity?

Inside this post, I’ll share exactly how to take some chalk and blocks to make a fun activity on your porch.

Ready for some easy fun? Let’s go!

Full disclosure: this was my three-year-old’s idea!

I’d love to say that I’ve planted a seed by doing shape puzzles on our light table, on the floor, and even the garage…

But, making 2D outlines that turn blocks into cool 3D shapes??

Nope.

That wasn’t me.

That was allll my son!

And, if you follow us on Instagram, you’ll know EXACTLY why this was all Andy’s activity (remember the idea of one-on-one and compliments to avoid mom burnt out??). So when I started this fun outdoor activity, I let my son take the lead.

He started to build a Bowzer’s ship (yes, we play a lot of Mario – no shame) and then, he built a Mario Odessey ship (shocker). The only thing that I did was to ask him how we could outline these creations in chalk?

So, we flattened them.

And, drew outlines around the blocks!

Then, the magic happened…

I asked Andy if he could fold the blocks up to make them 3D?

• At first, he just folded all the blocks on top of each other like layers of a cake.
• Then, I showed him how he could fold up one block to match the side of another block build up instead of flat and he was off!

He “saw” how these 2D design could fold up to make 3D shapes.

See his tongue in the pic below?? This is when he figured out how to make the 3D shapes by all by himself!

How do you set this fun outdoor activity up?

You can do this two ways:

1. Make some 3D shapes out of magnetic tiles and then unfold the shape to make it flat on the ground.
2. Then, outline the flat shape on the ground with chalk.
3. Invite your child to come to see how to build the 2D blocks into 3D shapes.

OR,

1. Get your child involved.
2. Let them make the shapes and help you outline.

We did both.

I started by outlining Andy’s shapes, then he wanted the chalk to outline shapes by himself.

That’s it!

This is a fantastic way to get your child building and creating, but it’s also an amazing way to connect with your kids. Especially when you feel burnt out.

You can read all about my secrets about avoiding burn out on our Instagram post.

Can’t wait to meet you over there!

Need more Inspiration?

I’ve got you covered! See how we made our old puzzles FUN again with over 35 awesome activities.