There are still plenty of sunny days and warm weather to soak up before the end of summer. Make the most of it with these fun beach games and activities for the whole family.
Sand castles
A trip to the beach wouldn’t be complete without building sandcastles. Bring buckets and spades or just used your hands. For an extra challenge you can pick a theme, such as build an animal or a landmark, and everyone can try make their own creation.
Water bucket race
Place a bucket for each person in a line a short distance from the water. Give each player a small cup (or even a large sea shell if you can find some) and when you shout ‘go’ players must run to the water and fill their cup and then run back to empty it into their bucket (the tricky part is trying not to spill). The first to fill their bucket wins! For larger groups, compete relay style in teams.
Jumbo noughts and crosses
Use your feet to draw a giant noughts and crosses grid in the sand, then challenge your family and friends to a game. The best part of playing in the sand is that you can rub it out and play as many times as you like.
Beach mini golf
The beach is the perfect place to build your own mini golf course. Dig a hole as your target or make it extra challenging by building obstacles to manoeuvre around such as sandcastles, tunnels or water hazards (i.e. fill a hole with sea water). Pick up some cheap plastic golf clubs and balls from a toy or department store, or improvise with whatever you have on hand.
Beach treasure hunt
This takes a tiny bit of preparation but is a great way to keep the kids entertained. Give each person a treasure hunt list and a bucket, and then see who can collect everything on the list first. Base your list on what you are likely to find in your area, for example shells, a stick, seaweed, a rock, a feather or something round.
Beach Pictionary
Take turns picking a word or phrase and then use your feet to draw it in the sand while everyone else tries to guess what it is you are drawing. The first to guess correctly gets to be the artist for the next round.
Jump the wave
Stand in the shallow water at about shin deep, and jump the waves as they come in. If you get hit by a wave then you are out for the round. Keep playing until you have one winner.
Thong toss
Draw a large dart board in the sand with higher points as you get closer to the centre of the circle, and then make a base line a short distance away. Have all the players stand on the base line and take turns tossing a thong at the dart board. Once each person has thrown their thong 5 times, add up each players points to determine the winner.
Frisbee golf
Dig a hole or place a folded beach towel on the sand as the ‘target’, then take turns throwing a Frisbee and try to get it to land on the target. Where ever your Frisbee lands, stand on that spot and throw it again until you make it to the target. Whoever reaches the target in the fewest number of throws wins. If playing with the whole family, let the littlies start closer than the adults.
Musical beach towels
This is a beach twist on musical chairs. Lay out a line of beach towels with one less than the number of players. The person who is running the game then starts the music (you can use your phone to play some tunes) and the players must dance or run around the row of towels. When the music stops each player must sit down on a towel, the player left standing is out. Keep playing until you have a winner.
Beach cricket
Bust out the beach cricket set and hold your very own Ashes on the beach this summer. Play in teams and compete to find a champion team, or just take turns and play for fun.
