My preschooler was looking over my shoulder while I was on Pinterest and he saw DIY Chalkboard blocks and says, “I want to make these.”
My husband was out of town and I was parenting alone, need I say more.
I was running late for a meeting, I hadn’t showered, I was up all night with a sick child. Needless to say, I was not up for a project. The thought of running to the wood shop, finding someone to cut the wood for me, then coming home and painting these and setting them up for him–was more than I wanted to commit to.
He patiently waited around for me during my meeting. It went longer than I expected, but he hung in there. Since I work from home he just built with his Legos. So when I was done he rushed over and asked if we could make the blocks now. I hesitated because it was nearing dinner and I had not made anything yet. He looked at me with his big brown eyes that were beginning to tear up so I gave in to my sick little boy.
Off we went and I loved watching him work so diligently on something he was excited about!
This is a wonderful project for little ones to help them feel confident and to boost their fine motor skills. The sanding and painting are things little ones can do and then feel proud of their work as they play with their blocks day in and out.
DIY Chalkboard Wooden Blocks City
supplies:
- 2X4 piece of wood
- chalkboard paint
- sandpaper
1. You’ll need to have your 2X4 piece of wood cut. We bought ours from a carpenter shop and the guy cut it for us. We didn’t have any specific sizes in mind so I grabbed a pencil and drew on it where I wanted him to cut based on my son’s design. And to my surprise the guy cut it all, in less than 5 minutes. Places like Lowes or Home Depot sell the piece of lumber and they will also cut it for you.
2. Once we got home my son was dying to get started on is project. So he sanded away. He sanded all of his blocks and didn’t want my help. At the end he brought me all of them with a very proud look on his face. I was so impressed.
3. Paint wooden blocks with chalkboard paint. We’ve always used matte black paint and it works wonderfully. Plus, it’s cheaper.
4. Now create your city!
He was so proud of himself for making these pretty much on his own! I was quite impressed and honestly a bit shocked with his determination and creativity!
