We’ve been inspired by all the books on our  beach-themed list.  They are full of fantastic ideas for having fun at the beach.

by Alison Lester (Allen and Unwin)

Read one of these books with your children before your next visit to the beach. There may be an idea featured in the story that your children would like to try. Connecting books to a child’s own experiences is a great way to  build a child’s vocabulary and help them to learn about the world around them.

Here’s a list of activities we want to try (We’ve already started some of them):

1.      Write your name in the sand (Great for kids learning the letters of their name)

Photo courtesy of Mountainbread

2.      Have a crab race

3.      Sea-comb along the sea shore. What natural and man-made treasures have made the journey to the beach?

4.      Fly a kite

5.      Play games in the sand (Eg.  Noughts and Crosses or Hangman)

6.      Build sand castles

7.      Collect shells, and use them for artwork or use them to make a necklace

8.      Visit a sand sculpture display or make your own sculpture

Photo courtesy of Holger zscheyge

9.      Search the rock pools

10.   Take part in a Scavenger hunt. Use our printable grid, or get some ideas from the beach-themed books and fill out our blank template.

11.   Bury yourself in the sand

12.   Play some beach sports (frisbee, volleyball, cricket)

13.   Create a Jeannie Baker inspired collage using items collected at the beach

14.   Explore the sand for footprints and guess who they belong to. Make up stories about these people or creatures.

15.   Fish from the jetty.

16.   Play hopscotch in the sand.

Photo courtesyof Kirrily Robert

17.   Make your own sand-art.

18.   Have water bucket race. Who can reach the finish line with a bucket full of water?

19.   Play water games (e.g.Marco Polo)

20.   Run a treasure hunt. Bury some ‘treasure’ and draw a map to help your family find it.

Image courtesy of Woody Thrower

21.   Write a sensory poem: I see…., I hear…., I smell….., I taste….., I feel……..

22.   Read a beach-themed book

Photo courtesy of Muckster

23.   Run a mini biathlon

24.   Ask your kids for some ideas

25.   Have you got any other ideas you’d like to add to our list. Click on ‘Tell your tale’ to share.