Fun Beach Activities for Kids

May 27, 2016


dad walking with small daughter in the surf

Being by the ocean and just staring at the never-ending sea it’s all one could ask for. But that is only true for adults. Kids, on the other hand, love the beach but they need to entertained. They need activities to keep them busy and to help them spend all that energy that adults could only hope they could have a fraction of. So we made this blog post to suggest a few simple and fun activities that will keep the kids happy and enjoying their beach trip just as much as their parents.

1- Find seashells: Take a walk down the endless sands of Daytona Beach and look for seashells. Collect different sizes, shapes, colors, textures by using a small bucket. Let the kid be the one to pick up the shell, wash it and place it in the bucket. You can point out different ones and even give each one a pet name. Tell them to choose special ones to gift to family members based on their preference.  Resist the urge to take your camera or you phone. Make this time truly count and forget about taking pictures or videos. Just simply enjoy that time between you and your babies.

pretty sea shells in the sand

2- Seashell Art: Once you collected your seashells, use them to make different figures on the sand. Get creative and really let their imagination go wild. Dispose of the shells in the ocean after you are done. That way you can make this a daily activity. Ask their kids if they think they’ll be able to find the same one tomorrow, or challenge them to find a bigger one than they did today.

Sand art using sea shells

3- Play in the sand: Bring a few plastic toys so they can play on the sand, build sand castles, fill buckets of water or simply use the sand as a blanket. Bonus point if you let them cover your legs with sand while you wiggle around trying to escape.

Little boy playing in the sand

4- When night falls, take a few flashlights and go explore the beach at night while searching for some hermit crabs. Kids are not used to the dark and some are even scared, so it’s a great opportunity for them to be more comfortable with the dark, especially because it won’t be pitch black in most beached as the lights of the hotels and businesses on the shore help to bring in some light. This is a true bonding activity that kids forever hold as a fond memory.

Hermit crabs on the beach

5- Boardwalk Fun: If you are staying with us at the Hawaiian Inn, we also suggest visiting the Daytona Beach Boardwalk located just a few minutes from our resort. Kids love the rides and the carnival feel of it!

Boardwalk rides