Whether you’re planning a party, a playdate, summer-camp-at-home or just some fun family activities, nothing says summer like the beach! You don’t need to be near the shore to “shellebrate” the season! Just enjoy a few of our beach-themed crafts, activities, games, and snacks.

Beach-Themed Crafts

DIY Mosaic Beach Box

For a seaside-inspired DIY gift, or a place to keep souvenirs from a beach vacation, kids can make a mosaic beach box using sand, shells, rocks, sea glass, and other coastal finds. Then, write thoughts or memories on our downloadable seashell templates and keep them safely inside. For the how to on this creative craft, click here.

 

Seaside Scrapbox

In the depths of winter, when your beach vacation is a distant memory, you’ll love looking at what I call a scrapbox—a 3-D frame that brings those days back to life. Center a snapshot from the seashore in the middle of the frame, then glue seashells to the bottom of it. Hang it on the wall and you’ll always have a sea view!

 

Make Your Own “Aquarium” Project

Little captains won’t believe what they’re sea-ing with this make-your-own-aquarium placemat that doubles as a fun activity. Set out a clear 12X12 sleeve (like you’d use for scrapbooking), some blue and white paper, and fun extras like sea-themed confetti. Download our sea shapes, cut out, and set on the table along with crayons and markers. Kids can have fun coloring the papers and filling the sleeve before dinner, creating a beautiful placemat for the table or artwork for the wall, putting in drawings or pictures of themselves swimming, postcards, fish that they see, mermaid drawings, or whatever they like.

 

Make the Beach Your Subject

Whether you’re painting, photographing, or drawing it, there’s nothing more beautiful than the beach! Many artists are known for their studies of the beach, from Winslow Homer’s seascape paintings to Gray Malin’s overhead photos. Document the beach any way you like—if you visit the same beach often, take pictures of it at different times of day and turn them into a scrapbook.

 

Beach-Themed Activities

Beach Themed Story Hour

“Beach reads” are meant for relaxing on vacation. But even when you can’t be on the shore, kids can travel there in their minds with a book set at the seashore.

 

Beach-Themed Movie Night

Throw some beach towels on the floor of the living room, or set up a projector outside to watch one of these beach movies suitable for kids.

  • Surf’s Up
  • Moana
  • The Little Mermaid
  • Shark Tale
  • Judy Moody and the Not-Bummer Summer
  • Finding Dory
  • Song of the Sea
  • Rio
  • Lilo and Stitch
  • A Fairly Odd Summer

 

Shell Games

There are so many fun games you can play with shells you collect.

—Tic Tac Toe with different types of shells like scallop shells and mussel shells (save them from your clambake!)
—Mancala with shells
—Shell Scavenger Hunt: Hide shells around the yard and pass out clues as to where to find them
—Find the Shell: Hide a shell under one of three cups, move them around and let people guess which is hiding it
—Guess How Many Shells: Fill a glass jar with shells and have people estimate how many are in the jar

 

Beach-Themed Snacks

Kid-Friendly “Lobster” Bake

Grown-up food gets a kid-friendly twist with these seafood pails. A small metal bucket holds any fresh seafood you have on hand: lobster tails, crayfish, or shrimp all work. Add in a little baby corn and a baked baby potato, and you’ve got a portable meal for guests of all ages.

 

Sandsational Beach Desserts

Have fun baking sea-inspired sweets! Crushed graham crackers turn any white (or blue!) frosted treat like cupcakes or cake into dessert into a sandy “beach.” Stick “shells” made out of white chocolate or candy on top—you can use molds to make your own or buy ready-made ones— and, on a cake, around the sides. When you’re done baking, everyone can dive right in!

 

Seashell Cookies

If you’re having a picnic, heading to the beach, or just having a beach-themed playdate or other shell-ebration, crush some graham crackers into “sand,” pour it into a baggie, and add cookies shaped like shells, mermaids, whales, narwhals, or any other sea creature.