FUN BEACH GAMES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FAMILY

With Summer having arrived with a 'bang' recently I thought a post on beach games and activities to do with the kids was rather apt. We've just come back from the coast and spent much time building sandcastles and forts, so if you are heading off to the seaside then hopefully some of my other suggestions below will come in use.

• Collecting treasure (loose parts) with buckets - What sorts of treasures can you find on the beach - shells, rocks, sticks, feathers etc. When you've finished collecting you could encourage creativity by asking questions like "What is your most precious treasure?", "Why is this your most valuable treasure?", ""How much would it cost to buy your treasure?", "What do you use this treasure for?" etc. If you come across any plastic on the beach this would be a good opportunity to discuss the impact this has on the environment and animals, and discuss how we can reduce this. In the spirit of this, I would also recommend these books 'Clean Up!' and 'Somebody Swallowed Stanley' that introduce plastic pollution in the sea to young children.

• Sand people - Using sticks/shells/pebbles/rocks/seaweed etc. make your family into sand people.

• Become a mermaid/merman - A classic for the beach, and one that is guaranteed to get some smiles. You can then decorate with shells and other treasures found on the beach.

Our little mermaid

• Musical towels - Clear the lungs and sing some of your children's favourite songs whilst they dance around a beach towel. The last one to sit when the music stops is out. If you are at the beach with a big group then use more towels (one less than the number of kids) and just remove a towel after each round.

• Scavenger hunt - You could prepare a list before you head to the beach to include items like umbrella, windbreak, seaweed, beach ball, kite etc. or you could create a list with drawings in the sand and then work together to tick off the items.

• Letter/numbers practise in the sand - Where is better to incorporate some fun letter recognition and mark making? When they identify the letter then could then jump on it and rub it out with their feet.

Writing letters with stones

• Hopscotch - Draw out the frame into the sand and locate a rock to use. It's a great one for pre-schoolers to develop hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills. It also supports number recognition and counting.

• Relay race - Place the buckets whatever distance you want to run from the sea. Each team has a cup and has to run to the sea, fill up their cup with water, and then run back to the bucket to fill it up. The first team to fill up the bucket wins.

• Shell shop - Go hunting for the best shells to set-up a shell shop, and then let their imaginations take over.

The shell shop trading

• Wave chasing - Run in and out with the tide, but who can stay dry the longest?

• Concentric circles - Draw a large circle and allocate it a number of points, then draw a smaller one inside it with more points, and keep going until you draw the smallest circle with the most points in it. Then take it in turns to throw either a shell/rock/ball into one of the circles. The person with the most points wins.

• Fly a kite - One of my favourite things to do on the beach with the children. We had a kite with tassels on it and they loved chasing them in the wind and running through them when it was at their level. Not only fun to fly, but also a perfect shadow chasing game!

Chasing shadows instead of waterfalls :)

• Shadows - Whilst on the theme of shadows, an alternative game would be to try and step on each other's shadows.

• Frisbee - Either play between two people, make targets using things like towels and bags, or draw targets into the sand and allocate points if you hit them.

• Sand moulds - Take some different shaped moulds e.g. turtle, shell, crab, and then make up some stories that involve them and/or smash them up.

• Pebble throwing - A simple, but fun activity. Can you skim it? How far can you get it? Can you make the biggest 'plop'/splash?

Pebble throwing

• Burying/digging up treasure - Turn full pirate and bury and/or dig up your precious treasures.

• Football - Make goals with bags/towels, or draw them onto the sand and enjoy a good kick about.

• Sticky catch pad and ball game - This game conjures up many memories from my childhood in the garden and on the beach, and we recently played it with the children and it was a big hit!

• Construction work - Take some toy diggers and get creative with rocks and shells to make roads. You could also add sandcastles along the roads and enjoy smashing them up during the demolition stage.

Construction of a new town in the early stages

• Read some beach themed books - Take your favourite beach themed books to the beach for some chilled reading time.

• Tic-tac-toe - You could either play by marking the sand or use shells and rocks.

• Bubble wands - Wind and bubbles what could be more fun?

• Holes - Make it a game to see how deep you can dig the hole and then climb on into it to cool the legs off!

Having a casual chat whilst buried in the sand!

For any seasoned beach goers out there I would love to hear if I've missed anything that you think should make the list.

Enjoy your visit to the beach!