The Best Beach Games For Children

Beach holidays or simply visiting the beach is a great way to enjoy the sun and stay active. Of course, while the ocean and the sand tantalise your little learner's imagination and provide countless play opportunities; there are some games you as the adult can enjoy too!

Having a list of engaging activities ready to go can make the difference between leaving after an hour or staying to enjoy the day. These games not only provide good family fun, but they also work to improve coordination, motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Some activities your family could try this summer could be cricket, golf frisbee, water bucket relay and a beach-themed treasure hunt. Look at our top picks for summer beach games below!

Beach Golf Frisbee

Frisbees are lightweight and easy to carry, so substitute the plain old game of frisbee for golf frisbee. You can use items you have taken to the beach for the targets, like a towel, a hat or a drink bottle. For this activity, each family member takes a turn using the frisbee to get as close to hitting the target as possible. Each member takes turns to mark where they landed with a shell or small rock. The person closest to the target wins. You can have one, two, three or more targets to make the game more interesting. Be sure to let the little ones get closer to the target to make it easier for them to hit it.

Water Bucket Relay

Children love a race, so at the beach, why not replace the good old egg and spoon race with the water bucket relay. For this one, give everyone a plastic cup and an empty bucket. To start, everyone needs to race to the water, fill their cup, and go back to fill their bucket. Everyone will delight and laugh when trying not to spill a drop. The first person to fill their bucket with water is the water bucket relay champion!

Beach Treasure Hunt

A treasure hunt in any setting is a delight, but the ocean provides many different and beautiful treasures. Everyone who participates has a plastic bucket and list of items they to find. You can tell your little learner what things they need to find and help them find them on the shoreline or in rockpools. You may like to include things like rocks of various colours, sea glass, seaweed, driftwood, feathers or shells!

Musical Towels

Everyone loves musical chairs, and musical towels is the same. Place down one less towel to the players. Using a phone or Bluetooth speaker, play music and walk around the towels. When the music stops, you jump on the nearest towel, and the player without a towel is out. Remove one towel and continue playing the music. The last one standing is the winner.

Beach Survivor

This is an excellent activity if you are with family or friends and have a larger group of people. You simply divide your group into two equal groups or the number of teams that work for your group's size. Then create your challenges with one person from each team competing in each challenge. These challenges could be:

·       Hopping across the sand to the finish line

·       Burying a team member in the sand

·       Who can stand on one leg the longest

·       A team relay race passing a bucket of water

·       Tug of war using a towel

·       Building a fantastic sandcastle as a team

Next time you visit the beach as a family or group, incorporate one of these fun activities. They will be sure to keep you there longer, enjoying the sun, sand and surf!

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