School’s out, zoom classes are over and it’s time to hit the beach! Of course, the beach is a place for rest and relaxation. A place to unwind and take in the sun. But when you’re with kids it’s most likely an active one! Here are plenty of fun ways to keep your kids busy and their minds sharp during those long beach days.
Math
There are so many amazing natural items on the beach that you can use to make math concrete and exciting. Have your child search for shells, pebbles or sticks and bring them back to work on some math concepts. They can count, add, subtract, multiply, divide or sort. The choices are limitless! So pick what’s right for your child and let them show you what they know! Some other simple options would be to have your child draw shapes in the sand, count the seconds between waves or take some shells home to paint and pattern.
Reading
Want to focus on reading? Whether working on sight words, story elements or comprehension, we’ve got you covered! One activity to get your kids learning and moving is sight word jump. Simply use a stick to write sight words in the wet sand. Then say one at a time and have your child jump from word to word! Want to challenge your child? Have them write the words themselves! Or grab a beach ball before you head out for the day and write all over it. What to write? Well, that’s up to you! You can write more sight words, rhyming words or letters. Want to make it math related? Write numbers, place value amounts or math facts to practice fluency. There are so many choices here. Whatever you choose the game is the same. When your child catches the ball they answer what’s written under their thumb! Simply reading on the beach is an option as well. Take it a step further by talking with your child what the main characters might do on the beach or how the book might change if set on the beach.
Science, Art, Movement and Mindfulness
Math and reading aren’t the only areas you can focus on. Science, Art, Movement and Mindfulness can be included too for a well-rounded day. Doing yoga on the beach, observing life in a tide pool and racing to the water are three no-prep, easy and engaging activities. Or have your child use what’s around them to create artwork. Collect different sized or different colored shells and play a game of tic-tac-toe. Go on a scavenger hunt. Draw a maze in the sand and challenge your child to complete it. Have your child use their STEM skills to gather items and create a structure of their choice. Sand castle, underwater city, whatever your child can imagine are all fair game! Play seashell memory by flipping over the shells and drawing pairs: pictures, shapes, numbers, words, anything goes! Finally, take some time to enjoy the beauty around you and explore the senses. Your child can tell you what they see, smell, taste, hear or feel. Or task them with finding something shiny, rough, smooth, soft or bumpy. Whatever you choose to do on the beach this summer, we hope it’s a solid mix of exciting activities and well-deserved rest!
Wishing you well,
Sarah