Hobbies And Interests
Beach Toys for Toddlers
The beach is an ideal play area for toddlers with the right toys and supervision. Simple toys like buckets, shovels and dump trucks are entertaining, but add a watering can and some plastic boxes and you can make bricks for a sand castle. When dumping sand gets boring, play hide and seek with some sea shells and let your toddlers find the hidden "treasure."
Pre-School Beach Fun
Although shovels, buckets and dump trucks are still fun at this age, pre-schoolers like a little more of a challenge. Set up a relay game with two teams and two buckets of water. Each team must run as quickly as possible to a pre-determined spot, turn around, then run back. They must hand off the bucket trying not to spill any water along the way. The team that finishes first and has the most water left in the bucket wins.
For a little edible fun at the beach, try dueling with pretzel rods. Each child gets three pretzel rods. Divide the children into two lines. The first two children in line duel until only one child ends up holding at least one pretzel. That child then duels the next child in the other line. Dueling continues until only one child is left with a pretzel. Don't forget to dispose of all the broken pretzels appropriately.
School-Aged Children and Beach Toys
School-aged children are more adventurous and require games that involve a little "danger" like big water guns that hold a lot of water and shoot for yards. A rousing game of tag using water guns is always fun, but to calm things down, set up a target range. Turn a paper cup over and write a number value on it. Line the cups on a picnic table. Add up each child's score to determine the winner.
Flying Disc Golf
For those who prefer a less violent activity, try flying disc golf. This sport is appropriate for any age. Set up at least six targets made from small plastic trash cans that are large enough to hold a flying disc. You can purchase these and other similar baskets at your local dollar store. Place the baskets around the beach area. Mark each basket showing the point value if the flying disc lands inside the basket. Keep score for each player, the one with the highest score wins.