Whether you're planning a family vacation in the Caribbean or Mexico, you're bound to have some beach time on your mind. Of course, you may be content to lay back & work on your tan, but your kids likely have a different idea when it comes to fun in the sun. Keeping your children occupied & entertained is crucial to ensuring a smooth, pleasant trip for everyone. So instead of leaving them to their own devices, why not engage them with some structured special activities & games?
Here are a few ideas to get your started:
Scavenger hunt Before you head to the beach, make a list of things your children might see. Include any local animals, plants or other elements that you know would be easy for your them to spot & identify. Feel free to make things interesting by adding a red towel or a yellow bathing suit to the list. You can give older kids a disposable camera to keep track of what they've seen as they work on completing the list, & name the person who finishes first the winner. Just make sure to use a buddy system so that little ones are supervised by older siblings on their search.
Another fun alternative is beach bingo, which is basically a visual treasure hunt. This is also an ideal option for younger tots that you want to keep close to your beach towel. There are plenty of pre-made activity sheets available online that you can print out.
Ocean soundtrack If your kids appreciate music, this is a great way to let them get in touch with their creative side. Give your children a tape recorder to record the sound of the waves. It's best to do this closer to the water's edge, where the waves are especially noisy, so you may need to come with younger ones to supervise. Encourage your children to sing along or tell a story over the background noise. This is a great idea because the recording serves as a wonderful souvenir from your trip. In fact, the soothing soundtrack may become your child's favorite thing to fall asleep to at night.
Tic-Tac-Toe in the sand All you need is a stretch of smooth wet sand & two sticks to play tic-tac-toe on the beach. Draw your board by making two vertical & two horizontal lines & have your children take turns making X's & O's. The first one to get three in a row is the winner.
