Wherever They Are, They Have Somewhere to Put the Big Feelings.
The ChalkWild CreateCalm Kit is a screen-free self-regulation tool for TK–6 students — transitional kindergarten through 6th grade — an erasable canvas backpack your child can draw on anytime, anywhere. They draw the feeling out, wipes it clean, and starts fresh: on the bus, at recess, at bedtime, no grown-up required. And with ChalkTales, you make them the hero of their own storybook — because a child who finds themselves on the page reads it again, and again, for the pleasure of it. That is how literacy gets built.
💡 $61.95 once. Unlimited drawings. No paper, no refills, no screens.
We believe every kid should have fun at school, be the hero of their own story, and build the skills no machine can replace.
Fun
A calm-down tool only works if a kid reaches for it. So we didn’t make a worksheet or a feelings chart — we made something they want to carry. Draw it, show it off, erase it, draw it again. Regulation that feels like play is regulation that actually happens.
Hero of their own story
Children read more when they find themselves on the page. That is the whole idea behind ChalkTales: you make the book, and your child is the main character in it — by name, likeness, and interest. A book starring you is a book you choose to read again, and choosing to read is where real literacy starts.
Bishop (1990), Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors — conceptual essay. Kucirkova, Messer & Sheehy (2014): personalized books improved preschoolers’ word acquisition in a controlled study.Skills no machine can replace
Creativity, empathy, communication, self-regulation, critical thinking. These are the things AI can’t do for your child — and they get built at age eight, not retrofitted at twenty-two. Every drawing, every reset, every story is practice.
Bowen & Kisida (2023); Corbisiero-Drakos et al. (2021) — both randomized trials on arts-based learning.I’m a Parent
Give your child a creative outlet they’ll carry everywhere. Watch their confidence grow — without a screen.
Shop for My Kid → 🏫I’m an Educator
ELOP, ASES, LCAP, Title I, Title IV-A and Prop 28 eligible. Bulk pricing on a single PO. Crosswalked to T-SEL and VAPA. Board approved at Fresno USD.
See Educator Programs →A Kid Who Wanted School to Be More Fun
ChalkWild was born in Modesto, CA, when Hien Ho — just 11 years old — saw canvas backpacks covered in permanent art at a skate park and wondered why kids couldn’t erase and start over. A kid invented it for kids. That is still how every decision gets made here, and the idea is now benefiting 50,000+ children across California.
Born in Modesto, CA
A local kid’s idea now reaching 50,000+ children statewide and beyond.
Built So Every Kid Can Belong
We partner with DA offices, school districts, and community orgs so no kid is left out.
Designed With Educators
Built alongside Changing Perspectives and used every day in real California classrooms.
There Will Never Be Enough Adults
You already know this from the school pickup line. Counselors are stretched, classrooms are full, and the hardest moments happen when nobody is watching — on the bus, at recess, at 8pm on a Tuesday. That’s the gap we build for.
Young children have a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.
Projected shortage of mental health counselors nationwide by 2038.
Of 4th graders read below basic — the highest share since 2002.
Of California TK–8 students were chronically absent in 2024–25, and 23% in TK–K.
“There aren’t enough counselors, and there never will be. So we give every kid a backpack they can draw their feelings onto and erase, and the adults in their life a way to hand them a book where they’re the hero.” Charlie Nguyen, Co-Founder, ChalkWild
From Your Door to Their Canvas
Ordering is easy, delivery is fast, and kids are creating on day one.
Choose a Design
Pick the backpack your child will love. 9+ styles — every one is an erasable canvas.
Kit Ships to You
Backpack, 12 chalk markers, eraser, and the drawing lesson library arrive together — ready from day one.
Kids Start Creating
Draw, write feelings, doodle dreams. Erase and do it again. No rules, just creativity.
Watch Them Bloom
Self-esteem rises, emotions calm, focus sharpens — real changes in how your child sees themselves.
See it in action — real kids, real creativity ✨
Draw. Showcase. Erase. Draw Again.
The same loop kids repeat all day — and the reason they keep coming back to it without being asked.
Draw It Out
Frustration, worry, excitement — whatever it is, it goes onto the canvas instead of bottling up.
→Wipe It Clean
One swipe and it’s gone. Mistakes aren’t permanent — a quiet lesson in letting go and resetting.
→Start Fresh
Calmer, focused, and a little more sure of themselves. Then they do it all again, anytime.
→Screen-free. Built to last. And they’ll actually use it.
Birthdays, holidays, the “you did great this year” moment — the CreateCalm Kit is the rare gift that’s good for kids and survives a school year. Gift message options available at checkout. Add a personalized ChalkTales book to make it unforgettable.
Pick Your Favorite Design
Every CreateCalm Kit is $61.95 and includes the erasable canvas backpack, 12 chalk markers, a terry cloth eraser, and free access to the drawing lesson library.
It’s Not Just a Backpack. It’s a Superpower.
Kids who use ChalkWild don’t just carry their stuff — they carry their feelings, their art, their sense of self, and the skills no machine can replace.
Calms Big Emotions
Drawing channels stress into creativity — observed by teachers in real classrooms.
They Actually Reach For It
Not a worksheet, not a feelings chart. A backpack they want to carry — which is why the tool gets used.
Builds Real Confidence
Making something, showing it off, and deciding for yourself when to start over — that is where a kid’s sense of “I can handle this” actually comes from.
A Voice When Words Fail
Art lets kids express what they can’t say out loud — their backpack becomes their safe space.
Infinite Creativity
Draw it. Love it. Erase it. Draw something new — no wasted paper, no rules.
A Conversation Starter
The backpack sparks real friendships and meaningful peer connections wherever they go.
Good for Their Brain
Just 20 minutes of drawing improves working memory — our brain’s control center.
Builds Fine Motor Skills
Holding markers builds small-muscle control kids need for writing — disguised as fun.
Draw Together, Bond Together
Parents and kids drawing side by side sparks conversation, laughter, and lasting memories.
The Skills a Machine Can’t Take From Your Child.
AI can already write the essay, make the slide deck, and answer the homework. What it cannot do is care, create from nothing, sit with a hard feeling, or persuade a room. Those are the skills that will still be worth something when your child is twenty-five.
And they are not skills you can install in a graduate who never practiced them. Creative confidence, empathy, self-regulation, and critical thinking are built in elementary school — or they are not built at all. Two randomized trials found that arts-based learning improves exactly these outcomes.
📚 Bowen & Kisida (2023), Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 42(3), 624–647 · Corbisiero-Drakos et al. (2021), International Journal of Education & the Arts 22(2) · Workforce data via Fast Company (May 2026)
This is the entire point of ChalkWild. Every session on the canvas is practice in creative problem-solving, emotional regulation, persistence, and the confidence to put something of your own into the world. Not a side effect. The whole design.
You Make the Book. They’re the Hero.
ChalkTales is for parents. In about five minutes you make a one-of-a-kind storybook starring your own child — their name, their likeness, their interests, their adventure — in English, Spanish, or bilingual, at their reading level.
It works because of identity. A child who opens a book and finds themselves inside it wants to keep reading, and asks for it again at bedtime. That is reading for pleasure rather than reading because someone made them — and rereading a book you love is how fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension actually get built.
An adult runs it. No child ever touches the AI. You enter the details, the book comes out finished. There is no child-facing chat, no account for your kid, and no open-ended prompt.
No subscription required
They’re the Protagonist
Their name, likeness, and interests — the star of every page.
English, Spanish, or Bilingual
Supports English Learners and their families at home.
At Their Reading Level
Matched to where your reader actually is, so the book is a pleasure and not a chore.
Download & Keep Forever
Includes comprehension questions for family read-aloud time.
📖 Create Your Child’s Book →
Meet Jax, the Aura Fox 🦊
In the kid’s hands
The CreateCalm Kit. Your child draws their world on the backpack — their feelings, their art, their sense of self.
In the parent’s hands
ChalkTales. You make the book; they open it and find themselves on every page — and want to read it again.
In Their Own Words
The kids — and the parents — have spoken.
It gives Bella a healthy outlet when she’s feeling overwhelmed. Instead of holding those emotions in, she’s able to release them in a creative way that makes her feel calm and proud at the same time.
Thank you for the backpack invention. It helps me be creative and I can use it when I need to calm down. It is my favorite backpack because I can re-use it over and over again.
The CreateCalm Kit gives our students a healthy, creative outlet to process their emotions. We’ve seen real changes in how kids regulate themselves during the school day.
I draw what I feel. It helps me say things I can’t say with words.
I have purchased ChalkWild backpacks for 5 years. Customer service is amazing — Charlie got back to me right away and made it right.
Backed by Mental Health Professionals
ChalkWild isn’t just fun — it’s endorsed by the experts who work with children every day.
ChalkWild backpacks serve as both a personal canvas and a communication tool, enabling children to express feelings, interests, and identities in a visually tangible form. For individuals with disabilities, this can be especially empowering.
A great on-the-go resource for children who love to draw — may help to ease feelings of anxiety or stress and regulate emotions. Very helpful for children who have attention difficulties.
My published research shows that just 20 minutes of drawing can improve working memory — our brain’s control center. Pick one of these fantastic backpacks and get drawing!
Everything Parents & Educators Want to Know
Quick answers so you can order with confidence.
Fun. Hero. Future-Ready.
That’s what we believe every kid deserves — and it starts with a backpack they can draw their whole world onto. Join 50,000+ families.