What family beach trip isn’t complete without building a sandcastle? It’s the perfect chance for both kids and grown-ups to get creative together and bring out your competitive sides while you’re at it! If you’re planning on spending a whole day on the sands, here are 10 other creative beach activities to try:

Make sand sculptures

Make an alternative sand creation! Encourage your kids to use their imagination and create a sculpture out of sand, with the rest of the family having to guess what they’ve made. Or join as a team and see if you can create a huge piece of sand art for others to marvel at.

 Try 2D castles

Collect as many pebbles or shells as possible and try creating a huge 2D castle scene on the floor. The more details the better. You could add a portcullis with driftwood and a flag with seaweed.

 Play drawing games in the sand

Any game you can play with pen and paper you can try on the sand with a stick or stone. Favourites that will go down well include hangman, noughts and crosses and Pictionary. You can find more ideas in our blog on Pen & Paper games here. Writing messages in the sand is always fun too. Challenge each other to read them before they’re washed away.

 Mini photographers

Pack a camera you don’t mind your kids handling and let them free as mini photographers. What will catch their eye? Perhaps give them a quick warning about taking photos of other beach dwellers without permission, to save any awkward situations…

Create a natural collage

Challenge your children to go scavenging and fill a bucket with natural finds. Then ask them to create a huge picture on the sands from whatever they have collected. Chat through their creations and ask them why they’ve used different finds for different features.

 Paint pebbles

Pebbling painting has become some what of a trend, so the beach is a great place to get crafty without having to buy of rocks from Hobbycraft! Take paints and watch as your children use their imagination to create mini pictures and write messages – all without the need to worry about getting your home messy.

Print making

 Experiment with texture next time you’re at the beach by encouraging your children to collect shells, interesting stones and driftwood and then pressing them into the sand. What shapes and patterns do they make?

Footprint fun

 Don’t forget about the fun of making hand and footprints in the sand too! Make paths and follow each other or use your movement to create a huge doodle. Who can create the longest chain of footprints in one go? And who can leave the biggest gap between footprints with giant steps or a big leap!

Drawing/painting

 Take a set of water colours or a tin of pens and ask your children to paint/draw what they can see. Use water from the sea and experiment with other ‘brushes’ you can find too (sticks, driftwood, shells) If they’re stuck for ideas, challenge them to paint the landscape or do a family portrait.

 Collect sands 

Sand is a brilliant crafty resource. Collect sands from different beaches to compare colours and then use in your arty creations. Consider it natures glitter! If you’re lucky and happen to find many different shades – then try layering them up in a jam jar to create a coloured sand decoration.

 If you liked this blog, you might also like our article on crafting on the go. Read now to discover outdoor craft ideas your kids will love!