Liven up the asphalt in your local play space

Is the place your neighborhood kids play all dull, boring blacktop? A little paint and a lot of creativity can make asphalt into the newest and coolest playing space.

Find Your Space

Find an asphalt space big enough for what you want to design. Make sure get permission from the government or private owner of the blacktop area. Try showing them your design drawings, and tell them what you hope to accomplish.

Get Your Paint

Take those same design sketches and show your neighbors, local business owners, or anyone else who might help you out by donating paint, paintbrushes, and measuring tools (yard sticks or rulers) for your project.

Create Your Play-Space

Now is the time to create something on the blacktop that will get people interested. Here are some ideas:

• Four Square Board: draw a very large square and then divide it into four equal smaller squares, two squares tall and two squares wide. Now number each square from 1 through 4. You now have the setup for a classic game!
• Hop-Scotch: draw ten numbered squares on top of one another, except draw some of the squares next to each other, like 3 and 4 or 6 and 7. If you can, make each square different in size and color.
• Basketball Court: is there a basketball hoop with no court? Use your yard stick and other tools to measure out the requirements and create a free-throw and 3-point line and anything else to help you play a fair game (Horse anyone?). Try the same idea with another favorite sport like tennis.
• Draw an Oversized Map: draw a map large enough that kids can play games on them. If you draw a map of the United States, make most states large enough so kids can stand in them when their friends call out that state’s name.

Invite the Community to Your New Space

Let everyone who helped you know about your success. Show them pictures and spread the news to the neighborhood kids!

Find more awesome ways to get involved with action guides, volunteer opportunities, and causes at DoSomething.org