Chalky Hands to the Sink
Children draw big with chunky chalk on the playground, first with the chalk and then with their palms and fingers, until their hands are good and white; then they go to a real sink and wash with soap until no trace is left, singing the chant. It works on big whole-arm strokes and the real habit of handwashing.
How to play
- The teacher hands out chalk and suggests drawing a huge sun, a wavy path and big circles like wheels on the ground (2 min).
- Draw on your knees with big strokes using the whole arm, with one hand and then the other (4 min).
- Now without chalk: rub palms and fingers over the drawings to smudge them and look at your chalky hands (2 min).
- Handprints: stamp white hands on clean ground next to the drawings and compare sizes (2 min).
- Go to the real sink in small groups: water, soap, palms, backs, fingers, thumbs and rinse while singing the washing chant until the chalk is gone (4 min).
- Dry off and show your clean hands; check whether any chalk is left under the nails (1 min).
Rules
- Chalk is for the ground, not for clothes or friends.
- Wait your turn for the sink in line.
- Scrub your hands until nothing white is left.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, just big scribbles and washing with an adult guiding each step.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, drawings with shapes, handprints and a five-step wash with the chant.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, they check each other’s hands (“Any chalk left?”) and wash on their own.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: draw on an upright chalkboard, poster board or wheelchair tray, and use an accessible sink or a basin of water.
- Autism: preview that hands will get messy and keep a damp cloth handy in case the child wants to wipe them sooner.
- Visual impairment: the child feels the chalk on the fingertips and checks by touch that the hands end up smooth and clean.
Learning goals
- Make big strokes with the whole arm.
- Wash hands thoroughly and independently.
- Connect dirty hands with the need to wash them.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Sidewalk chalk: 25
- Soap: 2
- Paper towels
Teacher tip
Plan the sink turns before you start: while one group washes, the others keep making handprints. The chalk makes dirt visible, which makes this the perfect moment to teach scrubbing between the fingers.
PatioLab has "Chalky Hands to the Sink" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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