Fun games for kids to play on the beach
Who says summer, says vacation, beach, swimming, rest and fun! If you are spending your beach vacation this summer, then quickly read all of our ideas for activities and beach games for kids! Whether you are with family, friends, two or more, vacations are fun and represent a moment of sharing, precious time to live with family. What a joy to take advantage of summer to go to the beach…
The beach itself offers many activities and allows children to really have fun. However, here is a small list of fun beach game ideas to keep young and old entertained. Here is a guide to beach activities and games to keep your children occupied and enjoy the joys of the sea. Take advantage of this vacation time to organize with family or friends great moments of games that are both original and fun!
Also discover our beach investigation. A “turnkey” game in which children will become real detectives and will have to solve a new mystery by using their investigation sheet to find the culprit in a more than pleasant setting!
Beach bowling
Sand allows us to create a multitude of activities and games… So easily create a bowling alley in the sand… All you have to do is dig smooth and rounded holes in the wet sand. Plan a few tennis balls or plastic petanque balls for children and have fun aiming in the holes! Instead of knocking over the pins, you will have to put the balls in the holes. You can put a number in front of each of them to give them points… The furthest hole will earn the most points.
Organize a beach investigation : the funniest beach game for kids
Discover our beach investigation game for kids presented briefly at the beginning of this article. A “turnkey” game to print to easily organize a great investigation game at the water’s edge… Indeed, the waterproof camera used by our 2 heroes to photograph the fish with their masks and snorkels disappeared… So, not a minute to lose. All the children get together to find it and search for the culprit. Quickly resolve this mysterious case using the investigation sheet attached to the file.
Sandcastle competition: the most common beach games for kids
You can of course build a sandcastle with your family. But it gets even more fun when it’s a big sandcastle competition. Indeed, place the material at the disposal of all. Stand each a few meters apart. You will have previously chosen a theme in advance such as animals, castles or snowmen… Everyone must then, in a given time, make a construction in sand on the chosen theme. At the end of regular time, each participant votes for the achievement he prefers but is not entitled to vote for his own construction. Whoever has the most votes wins the contest! As a bonus, plan a small gift for the winner!
Drawing is winning
Again, nothing could be easier than using wet sand to organize a beach activity. So, you all surely know the famous game “drawing is winning”. A little in the same principle, the child will have to draw in the sand using his fingers a drawing and the other child or adult will have to guess what it is.A simple but very fun game that allows you to enjoy the joys of the beach by organizing slightly different games.
Shellfish hunting : the most traditional beach games for kids
Go looking for seashells on the beach and collect them in your bucket… When you get home, you will wash and dry them. You can then do many activities with these shells… Indeed, you can make pretty necklaces, decorate beautiful boxes, paint seashells and make pretty animals like a sea turtle or a crab. You can also create tables where you will form a drawing using seashells that you will paste. You can also assemble the shells to create characters and represent your family… In short, there are many ideas for activities to do with children using pretty shells!
Water bucket relay
It will take a minimum of 4 people to make 2 teams of 2. One child from each team will sit on the beach at the edge of the water with a bucket between the legs… The other 2 children will have to go into the water with each a container of identical size as for example the size of a plastic glass. These last 2 will have to come and go in the water and come fill the bucket of their partner… When the bucket is half filled, the children change roles. The child who kept the bucket in turn goes to fetch water and his comrade takes his place sitting at the water’s edge with the bucket between his legs. The first team to fill their bucket wins.
A circuit of marbles in the sand
Here is a fun beach game for kids to build with which the children will take the time to play then. Build a circuit… For that, it is enough to dig lightly the wet sand and to form a path. You can make intersections, climbs, descents, bridges, tunnels, paths that separate and join. And don’t forget the bumps, lots of bumps! Of course, think about the finish line and the start line. You will just have to provide marbles to then use the course… You can also use it with small cars. It’s as fun to build as it is to play with.
Trace water
Take 2 empty plastic bottles and fill them with water… Draw 2 lines parallel to the ground in the sand and each player will stand next to it, on the starting line. This game is played on dry sand, each player has a bottle filled with water in his hand… At the starting signal, the children will have to move forward by tilting their bottle so as to let a trickle of water run over the sand. As soon as the bottle is empty, the child stops. Whoever knows how to dose his water well and who leaves the longest trace in the sand wins the game.
Organize a treasure hunt : the most original beach games for kids
Take advantage of the beach to organize a treasure hunt. It is a privileged moment where children can discover all the elements that make up this natural space … So, to simplify your task, we have created on our site a little treasure hunt game to print for free… Just print the game. The child will then have to look for the different elements written on the sheet. When it finds an item in the list, it checks the corresponding box. The goal is of course to tick all the boxes. Parents can provide a small bag of candy or a little surprise as a reward.
The game of shark and fish : the sportiest beach games for kids
These are mainly the rules of the traditional “tag game” except that the “It” is a shark and the other players are fish. Thus, you can set up this game both on the sand, at the water’s edge or more in depth (at the waist) if the children are tall and can swim and under the supervision of an adult. Whatever the place chosen, the shark will have to touch the other players who will be the fish. Each affected fish becomes a shark. So there are more and more sharks and fewer and fewer fish. The game becomes more and more difficult. The last fish wins the game and becomes the shark in the next round.
Land art : the most natural beach game for kids
Land art is a contemporary art trend that uses elements of nature such as wood, sand, stones, algae, shells, water for the beach and all the natural elements you will find at your vacation spot. So, it’s time to bring out your artistic soul and create a kind of life-size painting with the elements around you… Use everything you have available but only natural elements. Nature is a natural space for learning and discovery. This activity allows children to discover the world more closely and express their creativity and give free rein to their imagination by creating a natural composition. The goal is therefore to compose an ephemeral work. It is a discovery of nature, a sensory discovery accessible to all and without limit while respecting the environment and working with its 5 senses.
Play darts
In the sand, draw the drawing of a target… For this, nothing more simple, draw a large circle with circles inside spaced the same distance… It will therefore be circles in each other… Number these circles starting from the number 1 for the one located outside… and assign a number to each one by adding 1 more point in each circle going towards the center. Then, you just have to pick up some small pebbles on the beach… Throw them so as to place them most in the center of your target. Count the points as you go.
Limbo at the beach
The limbo dance is a game used to liven up evenings with friends or even weddings. This game is also ideal for playing at the beach. Indeed, use an oar, a large shovel, a rope which will be maintained by 2 children. Then the children will have to take turns under this bar by leaning back with the bust turned towards the sky and especially without using his hands… All children must pass… Those who have succeeded start again but with each pass the stick is lowered… It will therefore be more and more difficult to pass below. The child should not fall, should not use their hands, and should not touch the ground. The last child in play wins the game.
Ball games at the beach
Take advantage of this sandy surface to play ball games. Trace the boundaries of the field in the sand… Whether it is a football or volleyball field, all ball games are very nice to play barefoot in the sand and the field can be easily drawn on wet sand.
The pebble tower
The goal is to collect pebbles on the beach of all sizes… Each child will have their stock of pebbles… Each will have to build the highest tower possible. Be careful that it does not collapse. Whoever has the highest tower to win. A tactical game because you have to position the pebbles strategically to avoid the disaster!
The kite
What a child doesn’t like to fly his kite. The beach, especially the Atlantic is often conducive to wind… It does not need a lot of wind to fly your kite. What a pleasure to watch it soar through the air, twirling in the wind. You can buy it all made in store or have fun building it yourself before your beach getaway.
The water battle : the most craziest beach game for kids
Children love water battles. Not always easy to do at home… But on the beach, everything becomes possible… So use the buckets and everything you have on hand to water your friends or family members. The goal is of course to avoid getting wet. A simple game but which will ensure good moments of fun.
Crab and shrimp fishing
Activity that children never tire of! Go in search of crabs and shrimps on the rocks… A way to discover marine flora and fauna, to educate children about small marine animals and the fragility of our coastal space. Of course, we release our little catch at the end…
The beach snake
For this game, you will simply need a jump rope… 2 children hold the rope on the ground and move it at each end so as to undulate it like a snake. The other children will take turns jumping over the rope without touching it. You can make the children jump with both feet together and make the game more fun by making them jump on 1 foot.
Noughts & crosses in the sand
Once again, the sand allows us to make infinite games offering us all its surface to set up traditional games… Use the sand as writing support. You can erase and rewrite endlessly. So take advantage of this playing surface to do noughts and crosses. A fun game where you just have to draw a square on the ground made up of 9 boxes. Each child will take turns drawing a circle or a cross in each square. The goal is to align 3 identical signs horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
By going to the seaside, you will notice that the people around you do many activities. The beach offers many possibilities for games. Of course, there are always those who bask in the sun, those who read, those who bite “a little nap” and the most active who swim, who fish, who look for crabs and shrimps in the pebbles, those who play in the waves… This list of beach games and activities for kids will allow you to do something less common, more original and to share family friendly moments…
To keep your children occupied throughout the year, but also during the holidays, discover our “turnkey” treasure hunt activities to print! All our games also exist in French!
