Beach Games for Kids

The sun, the sand and the surf make a great day for kids. There usually is more than enough to keep them busy at the beach; however, if they begin to get a little rambunctious, you can help to channel that energy by getting them into a game. The best thing about these beach games is that they require little to no extra equipment for parents to lug.

  1. Castle Battles

    • Building sand castles is always a fun pastime for the beach. With this game, however, the fun begins when the castles are done.

      To play this game, you will need at least two teams. It doesn't matter how many people are on a team. Each team needs to build its own sand castle at least 20 feet away from the others. Each team must put a flag on its castle. If you can, bring some miniature flags on a stick. If not, just lay a towel on top.

      When the castles are finished, each team tries to capture the other team's flag while protecting its own. The first team to capture the other team's flag is the winner.

      If you are having a party or event with lots of people, you can split up into as many teams as you like. The winning team is the one that captures the most flags.

    Fish, Fish, Shark!

    • The game "Duck, Duck, Goose!" is a popular game for younger kids. While on the beach you can give it an oceanic twist by calling out "Fish, Fish, Shark!"

      Have all the children sit in a circle. One child walks around the outside of the circle, patting the children on the head as he passes. Each time he passes a child, he calls out "fish." When he is ready, he calls out "shark." Whoever was tagged the shark gets up and chases the first child around the circle. The first child is safe when he sits in the spot where the shark was sitting. The child who was the shark now walks around the circle and the game is repeated.

      For a fun twist with older children who swim well, play this game in the water.

    Sand Bullseye

    • Sometimes it can be hard to get kids to take a break on the beach, after eating or after they've been running and swimming for a while. This game will keep them in one place and give them something to do while they take a breather.

      Draw a set of three circles in the sand: a large one, around a medium-sized one, around a small one. Have the kids collect some small stones and shells. Sit them around the circles, about six feet away.

      Let them take turns tossing their stones and shells into the circle. They get three points for any that land in the center circle, two points if they land in the middle circle, and one point if they land in the large circle.

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