Giant Lids Down the Chalk Road

Inspired by the bottle-cap races grown-ups played in the street as kids, each family draws a winding chalk road and the child moves a large jar lid along it by flicking it with a finger. It builds finger precision, force control and a traditional game, with no racing and no winners.

How to play

1. A grown-up who played bottle-cap races explains how it worked and shows the flick: index finger curled against the thumb, then snap! (2 min).
2. Each child-and-grown-up pair chalks a road two hands wide on the ground, with curves and a finish line (3 min).
3. The child sets the lid at the start and flicks it forward; the grown-up cheers and helps put it back if it goes off the road (3 min).
4. Now take turns: one flick for the child, one for the grown-up, each with their own lid, until both reach the finish (3 min).
5. Families visit another family's road and try it out (3 min).
6. Put the lids back in the basket and stomp out part of the road with your feet (1 min).

Rules

• Push the lid with just one finger.
• If the lid leaves the road, it goes back where it went off.
• No racing here: everyone gets to the finish.
• Wait your turn and don't touch other people's lids.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: draw the road on a table with painter's tape, and push the lid with a hand or a small stick.
• Less finger dexterity: use a bigger lid (from an ice-cream tub) and tap it with the palm.
• Visual impairment: mark the road's edges with string or raised tape so they can follow it by touch.

Learning goals

• Control the force and direction of a finger flick.
• Learn a street game from their elders' childhood.
• Take turns and play without competing.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Large jar lids: 25
• Sidewalk chalk: 10

Teacher tip

Use only big lids (from cocoa tins, large glass jars or ice-cream tubs): bottle caps are too small for 3-year-olds. Check that none have sharp edges.

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