The beach is a brilliant place to enjoy a range of family-friendly activities, from quiet, relaxing activities such as reading together and watching the sunset to busy, active experiences such as playing beach sports or going on a scavenger hunt.
Read on to discover 12 things to do at the beach with family. (Note, use adult supervision and care where appropriate.)
Go on a scavenger hunt
Go on a fun expedition searching for seaside items together and tick them off your list once you’ve found them. In the process, you can help to improve the kids’ observational skills, encourage exploration and foster an appreciation of the interesting and exciting things all around.
Download our free printable beach scavenger hunt below to use with your family the next time you are by the coast!
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Make art
Draw pictures and write messages in the sand or create artwork with pebbles and shells. When doing this you could even play ‘Guess the Drawing’ or have a friendly competition for the best beach artwork! Photograph your creations before the tide washes them away and keep the photos as memories of artistic fun!
In addition, you could use cameras or share a camera to take pictures of the beach, the scenery and each other or maybe even work together to take a time-lapse video or long-exposure photograph.
Collect pebbles or seashells
Collect pebbles or seashells. See who can find the biggest pebble or the most interesting seashell. If it is possible to do so, collect them to use in crafts, such as painting pebbles.
Read together
A quiet beach is a pleasant, peaceful place to read together, whether through family read alouds or through quietly reading in each other’s company. Why not even hold a family book club meet-up at the beach?
Birdwatch
See which birds you can spot at different kinds of beaches in different places. If you want to be competitive, see who can spot any new kinds of birds first and note down which birds you see.
Explore rock pools
Explore rock pools to find a variety of sea life and plants. Getting the kids involved can provide them with a great learning experience.
Go metal detecting
Use a metal detector to search for hidden treasure at the beach (seek permission if needed). Maybe you’ll find a lost watch like Della Detectorist, a character from the world of Edmund and Joy (click HERE to learn more).
Make sandcastles
Make sandcastles using sandcastle moulds or freestyle. Build a giant sandcastle together or have a sandcastle building competition!
Play a beach sport
Play a family-friendly beach sport such as beach volleyball, beach cricket, beach tennis or frisbee.
Alternatively, why not make up your own beach sport? Decide what equipment it involves and what the rules are. Do any marks have to be made in the sand? Is it a team sport? Does it involve passes or aims?
Enjoy a water sport
Try a water sport such as paddle boarding or surfing and if you are new to the sport, book a family class with an instructor.
Eat together
Eat together, enjoying a long picnic or refreshing ice creams.
Watch the sunset or sunrise
Watch a beautiful sunset or sunrise with family in a relaxing activity perfect for quieter times at the seaside.
Whatever activity you choose to do at the beach, we hope you enjoy spending quality time together as a family!
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Disclaimer: Many Joyful Things makes no representations or warranties of any kind in relation to the information in this post.
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