Beach Play, Activities And Games: Throw Darts, Race, Learn And Have Fun By The Shore

Although swimming is great exercise and plenty of fun, there are plenty more activities that make a day at the beach a rewarding experience.

Sand Darts

Start by drawing a large circle in the sand, then draw six successively smaller circles inside. Assign a point value to each circle. Ask children to gather stones or shells as darts. Each child takes a turn throwing three “darts” at the sand dartboard. Adults and older children can keep score.

Water Bucket Race

This game is for a group of at least four people. It requires two large buckets – 3 to five gallon size, and two cups or small buckets. The large buckets should hold the same volume and the smaller cups or buckets should hold the same volume.

Set the large buckets a good distance, depending on the age and energy of participants, from the shoreline. Divide players into two teams.

Teams should line up, with all players behind the team’s bucket. At the “go” signal, the first players of each team run to the shore, fill their cups with water, and run to fill the large bucket. When they have dumped their water into the large bucket, they pass their cup to the next player, who repeats the sequence. The first team to fill its bucket (or to fill it to a certain predetermined line) wins the game.

Stones or Shells Multiplication

Help the children with their math skills this summer with counting games. Gather shells or stones and place them in a pile. Use paper cups or other containers. If the sand is wet, just dig several shallow holes for this game. Ask the children to put two shells in each of four cups, and then ask them to count how many shells are in cups, altogether (8). Ask them to put four shells in each of two cups and ask the same question. This game can continue through the multiplication tables and can be more challenging, depending on the child’s age.

Sand Writing and Drawing

Sand play can be very creative. Have the children write their names, very large, in the sand with a stick. It is also interesting to use different tools, like a child’s rake, to write names. Consider a large-scale sand drawing using a variety of tools – rakes, sticks, forks, and whatever makes for an interesting design.

Collect Beach Art Supplies

A day at the beach can be very productive for young artists. Look for interesting driftwood, seashells, sea glass pebbles and stones. Once home, use the supplies to make a driftwood mobile or animal figurine. Seashells and stones make nice necklaces and frame decorations. Small shells and sea glass can be used to make a mosaic.

Observe Shore Birds

Go to the beach prepared with binoculars and a bird identification guide. Observe and identify species of sandpipers, plovers and seagulls. Children will learn observation skills and may enjoy watching and learning about shorebirds. Children also enjoy photographing birds. Consider purchasing a disposable camera for the young bird photographer.

Traditional Beach Play

Of course there are many more traditional beach activities that children can enjoy, such as playing Frisbee or volleyball, flying a kite, getting buried in the sand, water games and building sandcastles and sand sculptures.