Hobbies And Interests
Beach Games
Beach games are a must when planning a trip to the shore. A great beach game is "On a Roll." For this, you'll need a shovel, an expanse of empty beach and a tennis ball. Approximately 10 feet from the water, dig a hole large enough for the tennis ball to fit into. One foot behind that and a foot apart from each other, dig two holes. Using the same spacing, dig three holes behind those two and four holes beyond those three. The increased holes should move away from the water.
Each hole has points assigned to it. The first hole is worth 100, the two behind it are worth 50 points each, the three behind that are worth 25 and the four holes are worth 5 points each. Take turns rolling the tennis ball, up to five rolls per turn and keep score.
Beach Crafts
Your beach adventure isn't limited to games in the surf. You can also do artistic projects without needing a lot of advanced planning. Encourage your children to make sand sculptures. Remember, there's no need to stop at building sand castles. You can make whole cities or create a race of sandmen.
Another idea for arts and crafts on the beach would be to have your kids collect seaweed, pebbles and shells, and then use them to make a picture on the beach. Or, perhaps, if the kids can find a shell or pebble with a hole occurring naturally or already bored into it, they can use it to make jewelry. A necklace could help them remember their trip forever.
Beach Contests
There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition, and you can plan for some great contests while you're at the beach. You can bring a clear jar, filled with candies of your choosing. Have the kids guess how many candies are in it. The winner gets the candy, but you might want to remind the winner that it's always better to share. For contests requiring less advanced planning, you can have relay races or limbo contests. The winner could receive an honorary award instead of a physical one.
Beach Birthday Parties
If your child has a birthday that falls during the summer months, throwing a beach birthday party is a wonderful way to celebrate. You can begin by getting creative with your invitations, choosing ones that are already made with beach pictures, or make your own with pictures of palm trees and waves on the shore. To make the trip easier, arrange for a carpool with other parents.
Once at the beach, you can use any of the other suggestions to keep the children entertained. You can also give beach-related gifts as favors by filling goody bags with suntan lotion, squirt guns and inflatable beach balls.