30 Beach Activities and Games for Endless Fun

A day at the beach always seems like the perfect way to spend a summer's day. But, if you want to avoid grumpy sand-covered little faces, you'll need to have some beach games up your sleeve.

Take a look through our collection of fun beach activities and make sure that your trip is full of cute photo opportunities and lots of smiles.

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Forced perspective challenge

a girl in a black swimsuit raches up as if to hold agiant beachball over her haed. The ball is being held by two large hands. The backdrop is a beach — Source: Playtivities

Break out the camera early in the day and your kids will have loads of fun playing with perspective with the help of our photo challenge. Create hilarious and unlikely shots with all of our tips!

Beach bowling

3 tennis balls sit on sand in front of the numbers 5, 4, 3, and 2 drawn circled in the sand — Source: The Nerd's Wife

Add a dash of education to your day with this fun beach bowling game from The Nerd's Wife. All you need are some tennis balls and some sand to brush up on math skills.

Seashell wind chimes

a wind chime made of seashells hangs in front of a brick wall — Source: Craftionary

Collecting seashells is one of my favorite things to do with the kids on the beach. But what to do once you've gathered your treasure? Make one of these wind chimes from Craftionary, of course!

Digging challenge

As simple as it is effective, this digging challenge will keep your little ones busy for hours. The premise? How deep a hole can you dig? And can you beat your siblings?

Fly a kite

So your beach day is a little windier than you planned? Then why not fly a kite? If you're a beginner, then Mom Junction has 6 easy steps to fly a kite with your kids.

Beach volleyball

Inspired by the Olympics? Then why not get everyone active and stage your very own game of beach volleyball? Score cards are optional of course!

Sand volcano

Kids learn best when they're having fun, and this STEM sand volcano experiment is perfect for keeping them busy and teaching them something about chemistry. Head to Growing a Jeweled Rose for the details.

The physics of sandcastles

a detialed castle made out of sand — Source: NASA science

From chemistry to physics, NASA has a page on the science of sandcastles. Why not brush up and then head to the beach to make your own?

Make a sundial

a sundial made out of stones and a stick in the sand

You can also use the vast expanse of sand to find out about the sun. Learn how our ancestors would have told the time with this sundial guide from wikiHow.

Beach scavenger hunt

two images. One of a scavenger hunt page, the other of a boy in a blue top holding the scavenger hunt on a clipboard — Source: Views From a Step Stool

Hearing one too many requests for ice cream? Send the kids off to run around with this beach scavenger hunt. Get the free printable from Views From a Step Stool.

DIY skee ball

children stand on a beach with a skee ball track made of sand in front of them — Source: Life with Leo

Sand is an endlessly useful resource. You can make all sorts of fun with it, including this skee ball game just like Life With Leo. Set up the competition and the winner gets extra ice cream!

Waterproof playing cards

playing cards and poker chips are dug into shingle on a beach

Family card games mean bonding, strategy, and math skills. But cards can get soggy on the beach, so pack some of these waterproof cards instead.

Beach ball race

a mom, dad, girl and boy play with a beach ball on a sunny beach

If you've got a beach ball and a large open area (like the beach) then this beach ball relay race from Kid Friendly Things to Do will get the whole family laughing!

Take a picnic

the text reads "How to pack the ultimate summer beach picnic" the image is of a blonde girl with blue sunglasses and a summer dress holding a glass bottle full of orange liquid. A stripy straw pokes out — Source: Creative Cynchronicity

A day out on the beach means more than snacks, you're going to have to pack a picnic. Creative Cynchronicity can show you how to pack the ultimate beach picnic to keep everyone's bellies full.

Sand angels

a dark haired boy lays in the sand wearing a blue tshirt and yellow shorts

I mean, if you can do it with snow then you can do it with sand. Making sand angels is a lot of fun for kids of all ages (and adults too!). Then you can decorate your efforts with seashells and stones.

Boogie boards

a dark haired boy in sunglasses, blue shorts and a white tshirt holds a yellow boogie board on a beach

It's not all about the sand, you know. Grab a boogie board and head into the surf for splashy, salty fun. Just make sure you know your beach safety.

Pirate treasure hunt

If you've got a little time to prepare, then setting up your own pirate treasure hunt can be great fun for little seafarers. This pack from Blimey Box is also great if you're taking a group to the beach.

Beach I-Spy

Occupy your little ones and help them develop their letter sounds with this printable I-Spy from Simple Play Ideas. See who can fill their sheet first!

Blowing bubbles

the text reads "3 ingredient bubble mixture: perfect bubbles that last!!" The image is of a young child in a blue puffer jacket holding a bottle of bubble mix blowing bubbles — Source: Emma Owl

Kids love bubbles! And this perfect bubble mixture from Emma Owl will give you another fun beach activity for your little ones. Have them running around popping bubbles all afternoon!

Beach frisbee

a girl in a yellow dress and a man in blue play frisbee on a beach

Get them ready for college Ultimate Frisbee with one of these hard-wearing discs. It'll help them burn off energy, and improve their aim.

Seashell activities

a boy in a blue shirt and a girl in a peach shirt search for seashells on the beach in the surf — Source: Mom Beach

As we've mentioned, seashell hunting is the perfect beach activity. And Mom Beach has a whole load of ideas for what you can do with them, complete with printables.

Bury a friend

a boy with dark hair smiles at the camera buried up to his chest in sand

Obviously, we don't mean this in a sinister way! But who hasn't been covered in sand up to their neck at some point in their childhood? Cover your chosen person, and then turn them into whatever you like by drawing in the sand. Mermaid, anyone?

Super soakers

When you're on the beach, you don't even have to run to the tap to fill up your super soaker - the water is right there! Pit adults against children, or let siblings go wild with something like this.

Build the perfect sandcastle

a close up of a sandcastle on the beach with 3 colored flags sticking out of the top — Source: Martha Stewart

If you're already at the top of your sandcastle game, then skip this one out. But if you'd like some tips then Martha Stewart herself can help you out with making the perfect sandcastle. Grab your bucket and spade and let's go!

Remote control car

You can enjoy taking your remote control car through its paces by building an epic track in the sand. Ramps, bridges, tunnels, chicanes, anything your heart desires. Bring two and you could even race.

Art on the beach

a seahorse made out of seashells on the beach — Source: Creative in Chicago

Why settle for sandcastles? Your budding artist can have fun on the beach making designs out of anything they can find. Creative in Chicago has some great ideas.

Take a beach ball

a group of children in summer clothes play with a beach ball on a sunny beach

If you've got a beach ball in your bag then the possibilities for fun are endless. We've already mentioned a couple of options, but Birthday Party Ideas 4 Kids have 20 more games that you can play with a beach ball.

Dye your sand

a rainbow of colored sand sits on the beach with sea in the background — Source: Diana Rambles

If you're feeling like your sandcastles lack a little pizzazz, then Diana Rambles can show you how to dye sand at the beach and make your constructions really pop!

Catch sand crabs

If the rockpools aren't yielding any of your usual sea crabs, why not follow this wikiHow guide to finding sand crabs instead? Smaller and duller than your usual cartoon crab, you can still learn a lot about crustaceans.

Beach golf

a boy in white tshirt and red shorts swings a yellow golf club behind him, standing in front of rocks

Keen to practice your swing even when you're away from the course? You can get your children involved in your favorite sport too by making your own beach golf course. Just make sure to check for passers-by!