50+ Things To Do At The Beach With Kids

Are you looking for ideas and inspiration for your next family trip to the beach? Well look no further. Here is a list of over 50 things to do at the beach with kids.

We love going to the beach and are fortunate that we spend a lot of time in North Norfolk which has some truly exceptional beaches and coastline.

The good thing about going to the beach is you don’t have to book, there’s usually plenty of space (if you pick the right beaches), and there are loads of activities you can do that cost next to nothing.

There is so much that you can do other than just build a sand castle (although that’s still one of our favourite activities). Every time we have a beach visit planned and I love trying to come up with new activities for us to try. So I thought I would pop all our ideas in a post to provide ideas and inspiration for others.

Just remember to be curtious to others on the beach, especially when running around and with ball games.

So read on for ideas of over 50 things to do at the beach, or pin it for later!

PIn 50+ Things To Do At The Beach With Kids

Fun on the Beach

• Walk along the beach– just a simple family walk along the beach can be so relaxing whatever the weather.
• Build a sandcastle– as I said before one of our favourite activities, and the castle designs are becoming more elaborate as the kids get older.

• Make a sand sculpture– can be as elaborate or simple as you like.
• Make trenches in the sand– the kids like to dig them down the sea edge and watch them fill with water as the waves come in.
• Bury someone’s feet– usually daddy’s feet!
• Make a sand mermaid or race car– the kids love this. You bury their legs in sand then make it look like a mermaids tail, or for Oliver I built a car around him.

• Write your name in the sand– find a stick and get writing!

• Make footprints in the sand
• Make sand angels
• Do you wanna build a Sandman?
• Sit and relax in the sun– sometimes its nice to actually just do nothing!
• Fly a kite– this is for the big kids and little kids, although daddy’s power kite needs a lot more room.

• Make pictures on the sand using pebbles, shells and seaweed. You could even try making a self portrait.
• Make your own sand kitchen. My kids love doing this. They use plastic cups, their buckets, shells and anything else they can find on the beach to serve ‘sand food’ to us adults.
• Dig a hole in the sand– how deep can you dig it? (NB if you dig a hole you should never get in it if it comes higher than your chest due to the risk of collapse)
• Have a picnic
• Eat an ice cream

• Have local fish and chips, but watch out for those seagulls!
• Blow bubbles
• Stack stones– who can stack the highest stone tower?
• Watch the sun set

Are You Looking for something?

• Go fossil hunting. North Norfolk is great for fossil hunting, but on any stoney beaches you have the chance to find a fossil or at least some interesting patterns in the stones.

• Do a beach scavenger hunt.
• Metal detecting– alas we have yet to find anything terrible exciting, but it’s still fun looking

• Hunt for seashells– how many different types sea shells can you find? Look at the interesting patterns and colours.

• Listen to the sea in a seashell. If your lucky enough to find a large empty seashell, then hold it to your ear and see if you can hear the sea in it.
• Go rockpooling– there are lots of things you can find in rock pools, from crabs, small fish, starfish, limpets and small anemones.

• Explore a cave– make sure it is safe and read and adhere to any advisory notices. Also make sure you are aware of tide times and do not risk getting cut off.
• Go seal spotting.

• Bird watching– how many different types of seabirds can you see?

Family Games

There are loads of games you can play at the beach, which are fun for all the family. Just be curtious to others around you and make sure you have plenty of space.

• Tic Tac Toe-you could use differnet coloured stones, or different types of shells instaed of noughts and crosses, or simply draw in the sand.

• Hopscotch– find a stick and draw out your hopscotch diagram in the sand and use a small pebble or shell to throw. For the full rules take a look here.
• Play frisbie
• Football
• Volleyball
• One knee catch– I remember playing this as a child, all you need is a ball to throw to each other.
• Touch rugby
• Petanque or Boules
• Family rounders
• Have a running race
• Set up a beach assort course– weave around buckets, jump over seaweed, balance buckets on your head- you get the idea!
• Limbo– you can use anything like a twisted towel strected between two chairs if there are no sticks around.
• Family tug of war– again towels tied together can be useful for this.
• Water bucket relay– You need two buckets per team. Take it in turns to run to the sea with a bucket and fill it up, and then run back to see which team can fill the other bucket up the fastest.

Into the Sea

• Paddle in the Sea– get your shoes and socks off and go paddling in the surf.

• Sit in the surf and let the waves crash against you.

• Swim in the sea– my new favourite hobby!
• Go bodyboarding– we have had great fun bodyboarding with the kids.

• Surfing– still on the to do list!
• Wave jumping
• Wave chasing– chase the waves then let the waves chase you!

• Skim a stone
• Catch a crab– lots of opportunity to go crabbing in Norfolk.

• Catch a fish. Rock pools are great for catching little fish which you can catch in a net and then let go without harming them.

That’s it? Have I missed any? What are your favourite things to do at the beach? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Kerry x