It’s 2pm, and it’s summer. Canned mojito in one hand, a crime thriller in the other – a tranquil holiday. And to top it off? The blissful groan of your child who has decided that 15 minutes of the beach is enough. Not to worry! We’re here with an ‘I want to go home!’-proof plan to keep them hooked on sand and salty water.
Top Fun Ideas for the Beach
- Throw things!
- Build moats and sand castles then watch them get washed away when the tide comes in
- Dig a hole to China (or until you reach water)
- Go swimming
- Learn how to surf / bodyboard / kayak
- Explore rock pools
- Search for seashells
- Collect rocks you can paint when you get home
- Fly a kite
- Bury Dad in the sand!
- Make sand art
- Pick up rubbish
- Wind down with a puzzle book
1. Throw things
You’ve probably ignored the moans for a while, and your children are now clutching at your legs. Not to worry, you already read this blog, and you packed the Waboba Wingman in your pocket, which unfolds into a soft, flying silicone disc, ready to test the breadth of the beach. A toy to send them running to the sea and back, trampling over every beach-goer they come across – annoying other families is part of any holiday, right? But by the time they get to the sea, they might not want to come back. No problem – whip out the Extreme Waboba Ball, and let it fizz across the water in an adventurous game of catch!
2. Build moats and sand castles then watch them get washed away when the tide comes in
As we all know, you can only throw and catch for so long – well, the youngsters could probably do it all summer, but your shoulder has given in after 5 minutes and you don’t want to ruin your holiday. So, hide the throwing toys, and get them using the wet sand to mold their own moats and castles – then watch their faces drop as their sandy empire is destroyed by the tide…
3. Dig a hole to China (or until you reach water)
Maybe they’re just bored of Britain. If so, send them on a holiday to China! No, not with easyJet – with a spade and a lot of patience. Okay, they’re never going to reach China, but such an exciting prospect will keep them entertained as well as any toy! If they want to find something exciting on their way, arm them with this Handheld Microscope, which if nothing else will show them just how cool sand is.
4. Go swimming
All of this throwing, building, and digging is tiring work, and it’s probably made you all very hot. Low and behold, you’re in luck: there are miles and miles of ocean in front of you, so go for a swim! To make sure nobody ends up swimming to Calais, keep their attention with the Glitter Beach Ball – a big, inflatable toy that you can just whack about. Low maintenance, high fun.
5. Learn how to surf / boadyboard / kayak
You’ve been in the sea for a while, and they’ve mastered the breaststroke – any longer and they’ll master the butterfly. So how about you teach them something new this summer: get out the surfboards and impress the entire beach with your wave riding. Optimistic? Yes, very – but as you’re making a fool of yourself, the youngsters won’t mind embarrassing themselves too. And who knows, you might just turn around and see your daughter immaculately riding a 20-foot wave.
Quick joke… Q: What did the beach say to the surfer? A: Nothing… it just waved.
6. Explore rock pools
After a few tumbles in the waves, it might be time to dry off. There’s a lot to explore out of the sea! Find some shallow rock pools and channel your inner Attenborough. Yes, during your educational tour, you may very possibly realise that you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. But no fear, that’s why you brought the About the Seashore kit along! With a cloth net and creature identification cards, you won’t need to know anything about the rock pools, because on this holiday, your children will be schooling you!
7. Search for seashells
Don’t stop there. Search the beach for any pretty seashells! If you find any that are really nice, you can bring them home and make jewellery. Little girls will love making friendship bracelets for their friends with this Jewellery Making Kit – make sure there’s nothing hiding inside the shells, though!
8. Collect rocks you can paint when you get home
By this point, the little ones are bounding up and down the beach, mesmerised by the wonders of the seafront (specific levels of enthusiasm not guaranteed). So why not milk this source of entertainment for every last drop? You can find some cool and peculiar rocks scattered across the beach. Send them off hunting for precious pebbles and bring them home to use with the Hide & Seek Rock Painting set!
9. Fly a kite
And if there’s really nothing going on below the sand, use the sky! The beach is such a vast, open space, and summer is the ideal time to make your little ones appreciate the big blue above. Alas, you might be at a British beach (cue grey clouds and a deep gust of wind). But you’re prepared for any outcome: the Waboba disc only took up one pocket, and the other was stuffed with the Pocket Kite! Take advantage of your British holiday and get your children running along with this colourful kite swept in the wind above them – so, yes, you are going to have to finally learn how to fly a kite yourself.
10. Bury Dad in the sand!
And what’s Dad been doing this whole time? Asleep, Kindle resting on his belly as the sun exposes all the parts of his body that didn’t get any suncream, probably. Well it’s time to wake him up, because he’s the next toy. It isn’t a proper family summer holiday without making Dad look like a sand-carved mermaid. If he really wants, he can stay asleep while it’s happening.
11. Make sand art
We give it 10 minutes until Dad gets bored or hungry and ruins the whole thing. But Dad doesn’t dictate when the fun stops – although he might think he does. Bring along the How To Draw Animals kit, but get the children building animals in the sand!
12. Pick up rubbish
And hey, who said fun couldn’t be morally progressive and sustainable? Send them on an planet-saving treasure hunt, where the treasure is rubbish and the reward is a few extra summers on Earth. If you’re really serious about saving the environment this holiday, you can go the extra step and give them this Metal Detector. (Sure, there might not be much metal of interest, but we’re here to keep the youngsters entertained and eco-friendly, not create little archaeologists).
13. Wind down with a puzzle book
They’ve run, thrown, caught, and explored just about all they can. Your job is done. You are the entertainer. Now get them an ice cream and let them wind-down. Sill, if they haven’t passed out by now, put the Emoji Puzzle Challenge in front of them. No beach holiday is complete without a good bit of literature.
But, hey, toys aside, what really matters is the valuable family time you spent together. That’s what summer’s always been about.
And the toys. Sorry, it’s still kind of about the toys.
