Things to do at the beach
If you’ve every gotten stuck there on a cooler day, you probably wish you had lots of things to do at the beach that don’t involve getting wet, or taking off jackets. Even if you’re just visiting as a family and want a cool way to spend time together, these beach-side activities are lots of fun!
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A couple of months ago, on a mild Spring day, my family was at a sea-side amusement park, and we decided to head toward the beach. As often happens at beaches, it was much chillier there. We had minimal equipment (think: kites) and the water was too chilly to even consider dipping toes.
Creativity kicked in and we thought up some fun things to do at the beach. Try these on a cooler day, or on a warmer day too! They’re fun any time, and can involved the whole family.
7 things to do at the beach, good for chilly days too:
1. Fly a kite – a breezy day at the beach is perfect for this! My seven-year-old brother was able to fly a kite easily with no effort – the wind did all the work for them! It doesn’t take much running around, like sports do, which can be uncomfortable on a colder day.
2. Build something other than a sand castle. – Take turns challenging each other to build something. You can add to the challenge by “speed building”. One person decides what to build, and acts as a judge. Everyone else has one minute to build it. The judge then decides whose is best, and that person acts as judge for the next round.
3. Play Pictionary with the sand – Everyone loves drawing in the sand! You can play one-on-one just for fun, like I did with my sister. Or, you can divide into teams, and use rocks or seashells to keep score.
4. Take family photos – There is nothing like family photos at the beach – especially toward sunset! If you don’t have a tripod, take photos of each other (you can always make a collage later.)
5. Make shadow monsters – My sister’s wind-swept hair made for the perfect monster! You can challenge yourself, and each other, to make different types of monsters, creatures, or even letters of the alphabet. This is perfect for the evening or morning, when the sun is lower in the sky and the shadows are longer.
6. Play alphabet I-spy – Go through the letters of the alphabet and find something beach-y that starts with each letter!
7. Collect sea shells and rocks for crafting – I wanted to feature at least one sea shell craft for the season on my blog, so I asked my brothers to help me collect. We also found some beautiful, translucent rocks that I still hope to craft with.
Bonus: Since this post was published, M came up with another fun activity – rock wall building! Check it out on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTJaSoGBPVB/?taken-by=momsandcrafters
Which things do you love to do at the beach?
This post was originally published May 31, 2015, and was republished to keep it up to date. I hope you enjoy!
Great list! We love going to the beach on cold days too!
Thanks – glad to hear we’re not the only ones!
Living by the sea we go to the beach almost everyday to walk our dog. It is usually cold so we skim stones if the tide is in, collect shells, pebbles or sea glass. Run and play hide and seek among the sand dunes etc. My son and I love to play and have fun making up new games. It’s all about being creative
Awesome! We just did this “cold weather beach visit” again the first time this spring. We skimmed stones as suggested, but unfortunately there are no sand dunes by us. I totally agree – it’s about being creative.