The best beach activities for kids
The beach is my happy place. It doesn’t even have to be sunny (although that’s a bonus) but there’s nothing I love more than sitting and hearing the crash of the waves, feeling somehow calmer and re-energised simply by being beside the sea.
contains affiliate links*
My daughter has inherited that love of the seaside from an early age. Announcing that we were off to the beach for an impromptu mini trip to Whitstable provoked squeals of excitement, especially at the thought there might be ice cream involved.
Whether there’s sand, shingle or pebbles, we can while away hours. So here are my best beach activities for kids – here’s how to entertain kids on the beach without a bucket and spade.
Contents - click to jump to a section
Go beachcombing
Sandcastles are Minnie’s first love on a beach, so she was briefly downcast to discover those were out for Whitstable.
But it turns out shingle, especially smashed up pieces of shell in this part of Kent, is even better. We combed the beach for unusual shells, looking for complete ones, interesting colours, unusual shapes, and ended up making a collection/pile of sea snail shells (while secretly getting her to practise her counting skills).
You could also creature pictures using your finds, especially if you stumble across some different colours.
Find rockpools
I had forgotten the fascination of rockpooling until we visited Devon when my daughter was a toddler – the National History Museum has a great guide to start you off.
Even without it, you can have a lot of fun peering into pools as we did on Shoalstone Beach (one of my top places to go rockpooling in Devon), hunting for crabs, spotting occasional tiny swimming creatures and endless shelled marine life clinging on to the sides.
Hunting for treasure
For younger kids, burying anything is fun – me, her feet, driftwood, stones, pods that have fallen from trees, shells, even a small bucket one time in the Isles of Scilly.
I swear I was watching her the entire time but we never found it… so there’s a tiny spotty bucket waiting for someone else to dig it up at Porthcressa Beach on St Mary’s.
For little ones, it can be as simple as digging and burying, for older ones, you could create a proper hunt with clues and treasure to be found.
Create sand pictures
Making sand sculptures is always a favourite: we’ve pressed sticks, a discarded tile and a free Peppa Pig teacup from the front of a magazine into action on a beach in Burma when I didn’t have a bucket and spade with me.
Be as creative as you like: draw pictures using your finger tip or toes, grab spare pebbles to make a pattern or pour water to create a different one.
Look at the beach differently and you have a huge empty sandy canvas.
Beach games
All that lovely expanse of sand isn’t just a blank canvas – there’s masses of room to run around, to play games. There are classic games like skimming stone, but for those – like me – who have never been able to make pebbles skip gently across the water, there are easier ones too.
How far can you jump, for example? Who can sprint fastest? If the beach is relatively empty and/or your kids have a decent aim, throwing games to get a stone closest to another stone.
Or challenge the sea – draw a line a little way above where the waves are coming in, and see who dares wait for the one which finally crosses the line. There’s always one which does… although obviously this works better if the tide is coming in.
If you’re not feeling desperately active, you could even use the sand to play noughts and crosses or hangman.
For my beach essentials with kids, check out my top picks for fun on the sand
*First published 2016, updated 2025*
PIN FOR LATER: THE BEST BEACH ACTIVITIES WITH KIDS
Images copyright MummyTravels
This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission
LIKED THIS? SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL NEWSLETTER
I was brought up near the sea and miss it! Still love doing beaches with the kids and we still look for shells! The Isles of Scilly beaches were amazing for beachcombing. On one there was loads of smashed ceramics washed up -great for collages.
I don’t think you’re ever too old to look for shells – I still love it too! Scilly was incredible, we found all kinds of sea glass and a few bits of ceramic ourselves too (which always makes me wonder where it started and what adventures it’s been through on the way).
There’s nothing I love more that a day at the beach. It really restores the soul! We love rockpooling and treasure hunting!
That’s such a good way to describe it, it really does!
Oh Whitstable!! So close to ‘home’ for me as I lived in Medway! I must admit I’m fair weather beach lover but I am spoilt in Cyprus! We have so many beaches to choose from but I think they are not as ‘interesting’ generally as English ones, all sand is perfect for castles but my boys would be fascinated by rock pools, stoney beaches etc.
That’s a good point – I’d love to have Cyprus’ beaches on the doorstep but it’s fun having the variety of England. 🙂
We never tire of a trip to the beach either. whether pebbles, shingle or sand there is always something to do and you don’t need to be armed with buckets and spades to make the most of your time there either. I often think when kids are little bored they think up the more imaginative ideas. Sand art and treasure hunting are two of my favourite activities on any beach. Looks like you had some lovely weather for your trip to Whitstable.
Thank you for sharing wiht me on #CountryKids
Definitely – I think my daughter comes up with such creative ideas when sandcastles aren’t an option. And just the right amount of sunshine for sitting out and enjoying the waves.
Awww this is an amazing list! We live near the beach and this is definitely what we are going to do teh whole summer! Plus theres an area here where the rock formations are just the right height for kids of every age to climb so we will add that to our top beach activity =)
#countrykids
Thanks! That sounds a lot of fun – I’m sure it would be on my daughter’s list too. One day I’d love to have a home by the sea.
We love rockpooling. Can spend hours looking around #countrykids
It’s fascinating, isn’t it – so much life in a little pool.
I live on the South Coast but don’t go to the beach as often as I’d like. My little boy does love lobbing stones in the sea though! #countrykids
There is something quite satisfying about that actually!
We love beach combing and rock pools, we are off to Cornwall tomorrow so hoping to go to the beach a lot. Sarah #CountryKids
Fantastic – Cornwall has such amazing beaches as well, have a great time.
Fabulous beach tips, we don’t have any rockpools on our local beach which is a shame #countrykids
Thanks! None of the beaches near (ish) us seem to have them either which is a shame – I always try to hunt them out if we’re on the coast now,
looks like you have found fun ways to enjoy the beach. I wish we were nearer to a beach. #countrykids
Me too – I always love to get to the coast when I can.