It’s summer, and that means it’s time for day trips to the beach. Going to the beach is a great chance for young children to experience new things and do some fun activities and crafts. Here are a few beach activities for preschoolers that go beyond sand castles:
- Sand handprints. This craft will help you preserve the memory of what your child’s hands used to look like for their whole life. Have your child make a handprint in wet sand, making sure the imprint is deep and unified. Then pour plaster of Paris into the imprint, so that when it dries, you’ll have a model of your child’s hand with a sandy surface.
- Shell initials. To start off with this craft, either purchase large wooden versions of your child’s initials from a craft store or simply cut out your own from cardboard or construction paper. Have your child try to find as many pretty seashells as possible, then work together to glue them onto the initials and hang them on your child’s door.
- Shadow faces. This one is just funny. Have your children stand up straight and find the head of their shadow, then draw a funny face in the sand with their finger where the head is to make it look like the shadow has a face. Take a picture for memory’s sake.
- Sand pool. If the ocean water is too cold to swim in, dig out your own in-ground pool away from the tide with your children, then carry buckets of water over from the shore to fill it up. The sun will be more able to warm this small amount of water.
For more information on how to keep your child engaged all summer long, explore our Summer Safari program.