Fun Back to School Chalk Portraits

Looking for a fun and creative way to capture your students' or child's First Day of School?  Try these chalk portraits for a bright and cheery memory keepsake!

I started with a couple of boxes chalk from the Dollar Store...  I got a few extra boxes just in case!   Next, look for a clear spot of sidewalk; I took my son's picture so I used the sidewalk near our home.  But if you're using this method for your school students, your playground should have a big area you could use.

Next, think of what kind of text you'd like to have on your portraits:  Back to School, First Day of ______ Grade, Happy New School Year, etc..  There's a gazillion things you could use for these.   My son is in third grade this year, so I chose the saying, "Hello 3rd Grade".

Now, I have to start with my son HATES to take pictures.  And I'm a perfectionist that loves to take photos, so I have to keep taking them until I get just the right one!  So here's some of the 12 or so I took...

Then he started to get tired and just went wild...

Finally, we ended up with the Back to School portrait for the year...

I would recommend you plan out first where you want the child to sit and when you have your "masterpiece" drawn on the sidewalk, have them sit right in that place and no where else.  Otherwise, like my son, they'll want to touch and play with the chalk and get it all over their new white shirt we got for the pictures.  So plan out the entire picture taking experience in your head first!

Start the Discussion:

• What did you do for your first day portraits?
• What did you use... a printed poster, chalk, handmade sign?
• What are your suggestions for taking perfect Back to School portraits?

I'd love to hear you comments to the questions above or about anything you'd like!

Until Later My Friends,