It’s summer and that means trips to the beach! Here are a list of ideas to keep kids entertained while spending the day at the beach.
Beach Activities
- Beach Relay- This is a fun activity to do with 2 or more children. Materials: 2 large beach buckets and 2 cups.
Place the beach buckets a distance away from the water. Split children up into even teams and have them stand a couple feet away from the beach buckets. Give the first two children on line a cup. The children run to the water and fill up their cup then run back to the bucket and pour the water in. Have them give the next child on line the cup and repeat. The first team with their bucket filled is the winner.
2. Plaster of Paris Beach Casting Project. This is a fun activity to do with children of all ages.
3. Fly a kite.
4. Play catch.
5. Search for shells and rocks. Take your shells and rocks home to paint. They make great outdoor decorations. You can also add a magnet to small shells and rocks and put them on your refrigerator. You can also glue shells together to make sculptures.
6. Take a walk and explore the beach.
7. Take turns burying each other. This is a fun activity if you don’t mind getting a little sandy. Just make sure you keep sand away from the face.
8. Make sand angels. Everyone’s heard of snow angels but what about sand angels. Just lay in the sand and move your arms and legs back and forth. Sand up and you will see a wonderful sand angel. Add shells and rocks to make a face on your angel and to decorate.
9. Build sandcastles. This is a classic and great beach activity and will keep kids busy for a while. Just don’t forget to bring the beach buckets and shovels.
10. Dig a deep hole. This is a fun activity that will take a while. Give each child a shovel and tell them to dig as deep and they can. If your hole is not too far from the water you may be able to dig until you reach water!
11. Have a dance party- Bring an ipod or battery operated radio to the beach and have the kids dance to their favorite songs. You can also play freeze dance.
12. Search for sticks and have kids write their names or phrases in the sand.
13. Go on a scavenger hunt. Make a list of items kids must find on the beach (i.e different types of shells and rocks, sticks, beach glass, seaweed, etc…). Give each child a bag or bucket and send them to look for the items.
Things to bring with you to have a great day at the beach
- Sunscreen – we don’t want anyone to get a sunburn!
- Beach Blanket– I always bring one for me and one for the kids. I try to keep mine sand free!
- Radio– Music always makes the day better.
- Snacks, drinks and lunch– The worst thing is to hear kids complain that their hungry and thirsty. Food at the beach can be very expensive. Try brining lunch.
- Cooler with ice– Need to keep those snacks, drinks and lunch cool.
- Towels and a couple of extra towels– Kids get sandy and so do their towels. I always bring 1-2 extra towels that I keep in the beach bag until we leave. It’s best to have a nice clean towel to clean the kids off when we are ready to leave.
- Beach buckets and toys- You want to keep those kids busy.
Enjoy your day at the beach!