27 Beach Activities Your Kids Will Love

There’s nothing more relaxing than a day at a beach, especially if you’ve done your preps. No, we aren’t talking about packing sunscreen, snacks, or swimming gear. We bet you already have that sorted out.

What we mean is a list of beach activities and games so there’s never a dull moment. This is particularly important when you have kids in tow.

That’s why we’ve gone ahead and drawn up a list of activities to keep your kids beaming. Just swap your classic things to do with some on this list and watch your day become more memorable.

List of Family-Friendly Activities for a Perfect Day at the Beach:

1. Seashell Hunt

Let’s kick this list off with something that’s not only fun but also incredibly easy to execute: a seashell scavenger hunt. You don’t have to plan ahead for this because the treasure is already scattered and buried all over the shore.

Toddlers will love scouting for sea shells. And if you have more than one kid, you can level up the excitement by turning it into a competition.

To take the fun up another notch, ask your kids to look for shells with holes. Then, help them turn it into necklaces and bracelets by stringing the shells together.

Task older kids to create a “beach in a jar” by collecting sand, shells, and other quintessential beach items and layering them up in a glass container.

2. Musical Chairs (But with Towels)

More like musical towels because you’ll be using towels instead of chairs. Lay out your beach towels in a circle, one less than the number of players. Play some music and have your children walk in circles. When the music stops, they must sit or lay down on the towel closest to them.

Every round will eliminate one player till you get a winner.

You might want to pack towels that are long, lightweight, and easy to fold and stash in your beach tote, like our turkish beach towels. Not only are these environmentally friendly, but they are also quick-drying, sand-repelling, and easy to roll up and carry.

3. Building Sand Castles

Don’t roll your eyes just yet! Granted, building sandcastles is hardly an activity to shake up your beach ritual. That’s why we’ve given it a fun twist.

Divide yourselves into teams and make huge, similar-sized castles. Now, take turns to scoop out sand from each castle. The team whose castle falls first loses the challenge. If this doesn’t excite you, consider hosting a competition to build the most creative sand structure.

Your kids can use rocks, seashells, and sticks or whatever else to build something abstract. Once their structures are ready and photographed, ask them to melt the castles by slowly pouring water over them.

Safety tip: Don’t allow kids to dig a hole deeper than knee-deep to avoid the risk of getting trapped in the sand. Remember to fill the holes before you leave.

4. Build a Moat

Another beach activity that needs absolutely no preparations, just a dash of creativity. Have your kids dig a river or a moat around a sand structure. Then, fill the moat with water and sail some boats in it as long as the water stays.

They’ll be thrilled (or a tad disappointed) to see the water disappear into the sand. Use this experience to teach them about water absorption.

5. Play Limbo

Who doesn’t love limbo? A timeless classic that you can play anytime, anywhere, including a beach. However, getting a pole or long stick on the beach could be tricky.

In that case, simply grab a long beach towel, twist it tightly, and ask two people to hold it taut at each end to make it into a limb pole. A jump rope will also do, in case you’re carrying one.

6. Organize a Scavenger Hunt

A beach-themed scavenger hunt never disappoints. It’s something toddlers and babies will have an absolute blast doing. Just be sure to leave a tiny part of the buried object exposed as a clue.

Join your baby or toddler in digging up the objects and then burying them again. For older kids, create a list of items that they need to spot and check off, such as beach umbrellas, sandals, seashells, lifeguards, and beach balls.

7. Play The Beach Ball Towel Game

You just need a ball and a beach towel to get this fun-ny game going. This activity almost always cracks up kids. All you need to do is get four people from your family to hold a corner each of a generously sized beach towel so that it is stretched taut.

Now, place a beach ball on the towel and start bouncing. The task is to keep the ball from falling on the sandy floor. So simple and incredibly fun!

8. Beach Classroom

Your day at the beach is also a great time to teach your kids about marine life, vegetation, and seascape in general. Spend time walking along the beach, looking for interesting species or animal habitats.

It’s a good idea to do a bit of research before you head to the beach on the kinds of animals that live there and how to identify habitats.

This will save you the trouble of googling in the middle of the stroll. A beach holiday is also the perfect time to teach kids about tides and how they’re influenced by the moon.

9. Fly a Kite

We can’t quite put our finger on what makes the beach such a wonderful spot to fly a kite! Maybe it’s the bright blue skies and the delightful seasonal winds. Kite flying is something beach goers of all ages can do.

If you’re visiting with your baby or toddler, seeing a brightly colored kite flying high across the sky will be a thrilling moment for them.

Related Article: First Time Baby Travel Guide - 20 Expert Tips

10. Have a Relay Race

For this activity, divide the kids into teams and have them fill small buckets or cups with water, which they need to dump into an empty container at the other end.

The first team to fill their bucket to the brim wins. If you don't have enough kids for a relay race, do the classic individual race. The same rules apply. Each player gets a cup that they must use to fill the empty bucket.

This will have them run back and forth a lot, eventually tiring them enough to settle down for a nap or a meal.

11. Read a Book

If you’ve already ticked off some of the activities on this list, you’ll notice your little ones getting tired. Spread the beach blanket or towel on the sand and read them a beach-themed story (Moby Dick, maybe) as they dig hungrily into snacks.

12. Hopscotch Time

Something as simple as playing hopscotch can make your beach outing with kids memorable. You can join them in drawing hopscotch squares on the sand.

Then all there’s left to do is to grab a few rocks or shells for throwing, and get to playing. If hopscotch sounds a bit boring, swap it with tic-tac-toe.

Use items readily available on the beach, like rocks and shells, instead of traditional crosses and circles.

13. Set Up a Construction Site

This activity can keep your toddler busy for a long time. Here’s what you need to do: pack their favorite dump trucks and diggers and create a construction site on the beach.

You can start by adding some water to the sand, along with some rocks and seashells, and watch the magic unfold. It’s a good idea to be around some shade because this activity is sure to keep them rooted to a spot for a long time. It might also give you some time to catch up on some reading. Yay!

14. Practice Numbers and Letters

Sand is like a blank canvas with limitless possibilities. You can use it to create art or help your kids brush up on their learning.

Simply get hold of a stick and find a spot with wet sand to have your preschooler trace letters, numbers, and words. It’ll keep them entertained for a long time.

Swap the ABCs with games like Pictionary and Hangman for older kids.

15. Create a Sensory Treat for Toddlers

A beach is the biggest sandpit your toddler can come across, making it a great opportunity to engage them in activities that stimulate their senses, especially their sense of textures.

You can create a sensory game by placing a container full of wet sand and another with dry sand. Stay alert to make sure your toddler doesn’t put any rock, shell, or seaweed in their mouth while they’re in their exploratory mode.

16. Make Sand Angels

There’s plenty you can do at the beach with kids, including some as simple as making sand angels. Never heard of them? Well, they are just like snow angels but with a sandy twist.

All you need to do is lie down and move your arms and legs up and down. Be sure to scan the spot to make sure there are no sharp objects, bottles, or jellyfish that can hurt your child.

17. Make a Coastal Scrapbook

A day at the beach is a brilliant way to get your kids to connect with nature and explore various textures, shapes, and colors.

You can help them create a seascape on the wet sand with the treasure they would’ve collected during the scavenger hunt.

Ask them to draw anything they like, including their portrait, with the help of a stick, and then decorate it with seashells, small rocks, and driftwood.

18. Build Olaf’s Sandy Cousin

Here’s another winter tradition that can just as easily be given a beachy spin. Build Olaf’s sandy cousin using shovels or sand toys for arms and legs.

A small bucket can double up as the sandman’s hat, and seaweed can be hair. Complete the look with sunglasses.

These are just some of our suggestions. You and your kids are free to get creative and use whatever you like to fashion a snowman out of sand.

19. Play Bowling

Yes, you can set up bowling at the beach to keep your kids busy and happy. Here’s how: grab some plastic bottles, six to be precise, and fill them partly with sand.

The weight of the sand will stop them from toppling over. Now, position them in a pyramid formation, just as in a bowling alley. That’s it!

Turn it into a bowling competition by asking your kids to knock the bottles with a ball. Don’t forget to recycle the plastic bottles after returning from the beach.

20. Sing along

What an eventful day the kids have had so far! It’s now time to hit pause and have them rest, eat, and hydrate before resuming the beach action. You might encounter some trouble while settling them down, especially with all the fun they’ve had.

Here’s a thought: how about having a little singalong? It’s something the entire family can do. Busting out your kids’ favorite tunes on a ukulele would double the fun.

21. Play Jazzminton

No, we didn’t get the spelling wrong. It’s not badminton, it’s jazzminton! Perfect beach sport for all ages and great for improving your kid’s hand-eye coordination.

A Jazzminton kit typically has two paddles, birdies, balls, and a portable steel frame net. The best part is that the net is quick and easy to set up just about anywhere.

Just keep the rally going with the birdie swinging back and forth between paddles.

22. Organize Family Olympics

This activity will need some prepping but will make your beach trip extra special if you can pull it off. You can use some of the activities we’ve discussed when hosting a family Olympics.

Divide your family into teams or individuals. It’s a good idea to include sports that play to everyone’s strengths. Don’t forget to include classics such as volleyball, frisbee, and tug of war - they never disappoint.

23. Play Skee Ball

Next up on the list is Skeeball - a hugely popular arcade game that promises bucket-loads of fun for both kids and grown-ups. Choose an up-slope spot to set the skeeball course and play when the tide is still low to get in multiple rounds.

Now dig holes and place a bucket inside each one. Assign points to every hole. Grab a tennis ball and get rolling. The team that scores the most points wins!

24. Blow Bubbles

Pack some bubble jars in your beach tote, and bam! You’ve got an activity that’ll keep the entire family occupied.

Turn bubble-blowing into a competition if you have older kids. Meanwhile, for babies and toddlers, seeing bubbles floating around them is enough to set off a giggle attack. Make sure you pack enough bubble solution so no one ends up with a frown.

25. Capture Memories

Ask your kids to grab the camera or the phone and click pictures of whatever catches their fancy - shells, sand, waves, or wildlife. Teach them how to zoom in to capture the finer details.

Once they’ve had their camera fun, take over as the photographer and capture their toothy grins and any family moment that you want to preserve for a long time to come.

You could also ask all members of the family to make their footprints on wet sand and write their names right below it. It’ll make for a precious photo!

26. Examine Footprints

Speaking of footprints, here’s another hassle-free trick to keep your kids occupied. Have them study the footprints they make on the sand.

Ask them to dash, hop, jump, tread backward, and inspect the tracks they leave behind.

27. Beach Clean Up

Regardless of which activities you pick for your trip, always wrap up your beach adventures with a quick beach clean up. Picking up trash is a great way to teach your kids about living responsibly and eco-conservation.

Keep some gloves and trash bags handy in your beach extra large tote bag, and turn collecting trash into a fun family activity.

Final Thoughts

Nothing comes close to a sunny, breezy day at the beach. But it can get mighty stressful if you don’t have a plan to keep your kids busy at the shore. A few activities might not be enough.

You need to have quite a whole bunch of things to do to keep your little ones from losing interest.

Ready for the perfect beach day? Here is beach trip packing list to make your trip memorable!

We hope that, in our list of 27 beach activities ideas, you’ll find something that can keep your kids engaged, fuel their imagination, and help them connect with nature.