With the sea within a 2-3 hours drive from the city, beach trips are a common weekend escape for those who live in the tropics. Many find that time spent by the water and sand is a wonderful opportunity to disconnect from the busyness of urban life, and to become recharged and reenergized by nature. Time at the beach is also a golden moment for bonding with loved ones, especially with our children whose wonder and awe for even the simplest of things make every experience more colorful.
Here are a few ideas for activities with your children at the beach that the entire family can enjoy.
1. Scavenger Hunt. – This is where those beach buckets come in handy! Take your child for a walk and challenge her to look for “treasures” she can keep in her bucket. Corals, shells, rocks, and even dried seaweed make for interesting objects to discover in the sand.
2. Cook, bake, and create with the sand! – The possibilities are endless. Allow your child to explore the textures of sand in its different forms—wet, dry, pasty—and let her imagination run wild. Make sand balls for throwing around, “sandy soup” for this evening’s dinner, or even a bake a “sand pie” for dessert.
3. Dig! – Use all the tools you have on hand to dig a hole so deep that it will bring your whole family to China. The kids will be thrilled to take on a challenge…and it will keep them busy for hours 😉
4. Ride the waves. – Taking all the safety precautions necessary (including the necessary floaters, life vests, and adult supervision of course), go for a dip and ride the waves with your kids. Be prepared to hear squeals of delight as they discover that the water can lift them up and bring them closer to the shore.
5. Draw or write on the sand. – Practice their fine motor skills by using a wooden stick for drawing or writing on the sand. Shapes, numbers, letters, and even sea animals are fun and educational options for sketching ideas.
6. Chase fish, crabs, and birds! – Burn some of that energy by encouraging your kids to chase the beach creatures on the shore and in the ocean. There’s nothing quite like a moving target to get kids excited to run, run, run!
7. Teach!– Teaching does not need to be boring. Use your time at the beach for exploration and for learning new vocabulary. Point out objects and animals and teach them about the sand, the sky and the ocean. Make sure that they don’t leave the beach without learning something new to take home, other than the beautiful memories you are sure to make together.