What could be better than a beach and clear seawater on holiday? Cool off with a float in the water, leave footprints in the sand, build enormous sandcastles with the kids, or enjoy some beach games.
The sea and sand fascinate children of every age—and adults, too. Nature invites children to play and explore through touch, helping develop their muscles, physical movement, and creativity.
A sandy beach is ideal for all of this. Whether the sand is dry or wet, it offers children plenty of activities to enjoy during their time at the beach.
Playing beach games with your kids is great fun. A whole day spent with family or 2–3 friends, playing on the sand or splashing in the sea, can make for a wonderful day.
Safety comes first. Young children can drown quickly and silently, even in shallow water. Adults must stay within arm’s reach and watch children at all times, without leaving an older child in charge. If your child cannot swim yet, keep play on shore and have them wear an approved life jacket when entering the water. Even children who can swim still need adult supervision at all times (see AAP water safety guidance and WHO information on drowning).
Another essential is sun protection, which is part of caring for your child’s skin.
The golden rule is to avoid strong sun from around 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Keep children in the shade and have them wear wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses, and clothing that covers their skin. For children aged 6 months and older, apply broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB, with SPF 30 or higher, to all exposed skin about 15–30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every 2 hours or after playing in the water. Babies under 6 months should be kept out of the sun and protected mainly with clothing. If exposure is truly unavoidable, apply a small amount of sunscreen to small areas such as the face and backs of the hands, or consult a pediatrician (see Sun Safety – AAP). Once safety preparations are complete, all the kids will want to think about is choosing the most fun way to play. If you are looking for ideas, here are five beach games to get you started!
1. Shell Hunting
Looking for shells is a familiar seaside activity for children: it is a natural, wonderfully simple way to play. With a bucket in hand, children can head off to explore. Late afternoon or early evening is a lovely time to stroll along the shore, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the gentle sea breeze as you search for these tiny treasures.
As well as being fun, this activity is good for their health because it gets them moving.
There is one more thing to keep in mind. Once everyone has collected enough shells, you can count or weigh them to see who found the most. After playing, leave the shells on the beach—you never know whether one might be another creature’s home!
2. Building Sandcastles
Building sandcastles is suitable for all ages. It connects children with nature and lets them create any kind of structure they imagine while developing their senses.
To build a castle, children need to learn how to combine the different elements to find the right sand texture so their structure does not fall apart. As well as being fun, it develops a range of motor skills.
To make play even more interesting, children can go beyond classic castles and build world-famous towers or buildings, such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, or the Colosseum. Hape offers a variety of sand molds to choose from. Let’s mix sand and water in the right proportions and build a kingdom of your own!
A word of caution: building sandcastles may take children close to the water, so do not let them play too far from shore. Young children may also need help lifting heavy buckets of sand. A parent must stay close and watch them at all times (read more about the benefits of sand play in Sand Toys: Fun and Beneficial Play for Kids). Once everything is ready, hold a contest to build the best or biggest sandcastle, encouraging creativity and friendly competition!
3. Treasure Hunt
Here is another activity that is lots of fun.
Within an area of 2 square meters, hide objects of different sizes, such as shells, balls, molds, fish, or plastic molds. Assign each object 1–10 points according to its size.
Then blindfold the players and give them a few minutes to find as many hidden objects as possible. Whoever scores the most points wins!
Safety precautions: Play blindfolded games on sand away from the water. Choose an area free of broken glass, stones, and sharp objects, and have an adult hold the child’s hand or walk beside them at all times. For young children, you can ask them to close their eyes instead of using a blindfold.
You can offer a little help, too: digging toys can make it easier for children to find the treasure!
4. Mini Golf
It may sound difficult, but all you need is an ordinary ball or a suitably sized rubber ball, and everyone can play beach mini golf. For children under 3, avoid marbles and small objects that fit in the mouth because they pose a choking risk.
Dig 3 holes in the sand and assign a score to each one—the smaller the hole, the higher the score. Have everyone line up and roll or try to toss their ball into a hole. Whoever scores the most points wins!
If everyone enjoys the game and wants to make it more interesting, you can add variations or extra rules to increase the difficulty along the way.
5. Sand Truck Racing
Children love running on the beach, so draw a starting line and a finish line and let them pretend to be “gardeners” who must transport a load of sand across the finish line as quickly as possible. The first or fastest to arrive wins!
If you do not have a toy sand truck, use an ordinary bucket filled with sand and push or pull it instead. This is a great way to practice balance and muscle skills.
These are all simple beach games to play with your little one. Which do you think your child will enjoy most?
Or try them all and see which one you and your child enjoy together, then make it a regular part of your beach trips. If you are planning to travel farther afield, explore places to take children abroad and choose some children’s toys to pack for the trip.
If you are looking for a great developmental toy, ‘Hape’ is a good choice. Its wide range of wooden toys supports children’s development at every age. Browse all Hape toys at the store.
Thoughtfully designed with children’s learning in mind, these toys help them practice essential skills such as seeing, listening, observing, fine motor control, problem-solving, imagination, and creativity. They also encourage integrated academic learning through STEAM.
With durable designs and materials, these toys focus on supporting children’s development while making safety a priority. They use non-toxic paints and FSC-certified wood, are long-lasting, and are environmentally friendly.
Hape is therefore a global wooden toy brand that has won toy awards from various organizations and uses production systems based on international standards such as ICTI, ISO 14001, and ISO 9001.
What matters most is sharing happy moments as a family, because wherever there is love, there is a complete home.
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