Beach Games for Indoors

Balloon Volleyball

• Set up a net, or put a chair on each side of the room and hang a sheet between them to act as a net.

  Blow up a balloon. Divide players into two teams.

  Have each team stand on opposite sides of the net. Use the balloon as a volley ball, hitting it back and forth between teams over the net.

Shell Balancing

• Purchase some sea shells, or bring home some you collect from a beach trip.

  Play this game with two or three participants at a time, depending upon how much room you have.

  Give each participant a shell and have them line up next to each other at one end of the room.

  Say, "ready, set, go!" Participants must walk to the other side of the room balancing the shell on their head. If it falls off, they have to go back to start and begin again.

  The first player across the finish line without losing his shell is the winner.

Land Lubbers "Marco Polo"

• Clear the room so that there is nothing to trip or get hurt on.

  Blindfold one player and spin him around for a few seconds. The other players should scatter.

  Instruct the blindfolded player to call out "Marco!" every 10 seconds. Whenever players hear it, they have to reply "Polo!" They can shout it or whisper it, or try to throw their voice if they think they have the skill. Regardless, they must make themselves heard.

  Based on the responses he hears, the blindfolded person walks around the room and tries to tag another player. The round ends when he successfully tags a player. Then, blindfold the captured player and begin the game again.

Sand Castles

• Use sheets of cardboard and cardboard paper rolls to make indoor sand castles.

  Cut the cardboard into walls for a castle. Cut out windows or brick shapes or doorways. Use paper towel and toilet paper rolls as spires and towers. Don't put them together yet, though.

  Paint the castle wall with white craft glue. Press it into a big basin of sand collected from the beach, or purchase sandbox sand at a home and garden store.

  Allow the glue to dry. Piece your sand castle together with glue.

Sand Darts

• Put a big drop cloth on the center of the floor. Put a child's sand box, or an inexpensive plastic pool for babies and toddlers, in the center of the room. Pour in sandbox sand until it is an inch or two deep.

  Draw two circles in the sand with your finger to create a bull's eye.

  Seat players in a circle around the room so that they are as far away from the sandbox as they can get.

  Give players small pebbles or coins to toss into the sandbox. Any pebbles that land in the outermost circle get one point. If they land in the second circle they get five points. If they land in the center circle, they get 10 points.

  Keep track of each player's points. The person with the most points wins.