My #1 Trick for Having Fun at the Beach

POWDER! gets the sand off of your feet and other neighborhoods like a charm! totally key for any sandy visit anywhere

This post brought back a flood of wonderful memories! Growing up, my family rented the same little cottage in Maine every summer until I graduated from high school. My brother, my sister, and I spent sunrise to sunset on the beach. Mom packed the cooler with frozen bottles of water, sandwiches, and plenty of snacks. Dad always secured the umbrella deep in the sand and anchored our blankets so we’d have our own little “home base.” Those long, carefree beach days became some of my favorite childhood memories. Years later, I carried those same traditions on with my own boys—building sandcastles, chasing waves, searching for shells, making new friends, and staying until we were all happily exhausted. As for beach essentials, I’d never leave home without sunscreen, a sturdy umbrella, frozen water bottles, snacks, and plenty of beach toys. I’m also loving the tips everyone is sharing! I’d never heard of using cornstarch or baby powder to brush the sand off before getting in the car—that’s brilliant. And I thought the idea of bringing several gallon jugs of water, leaving them in the car all day so the sun warms them, then using that warm water to rinse everyone off before changing the kids into their pajamas for the ride home was absolutely genius. They may not be bath-time clean, but they’re sand-free, comfortable, and ready to head straight to bed when they get home. I love that after all these years, we’re still learning new beach tricks!

10000% to the shovels. My husband and I just went to the beach last weekend with our sons, now 12 and 14, and they still love to dig. We decided we’ll know they are truly “grown up” when they lose interest in the shovels.

YES to a sturdy shovel (particularly one per child). Also, a soccer ball, especially if you’re not going with another family/built-in friend. The kind of “pop up” friends you can make on the beach if you just have a ball, even if you don’t speak the language, even if you’re not the same age – it makes my heart sing every time.

I forgot to mention in my last comment that my game changer beach essential is one of those rubbery rectangular totes (Boggs makes a popular one, but mine is Hurley and was way less expensive from TJ Maxx). Toss all your sandy or wet stuff in it at the end, and it makes clean up at home a breeze because the sand just dumps out.

Great advice! My kids are older now but I feel we can still benefit from this. I would equally enjoy a great beach dig.

Yes! A sturdy shovel! The gaggle of boys that gather with us at the beach every year always dig a whole to the other side of the world, and… PRO TIP: you can use the shovel to dig two holes to set the back legs of your chair into, for perfect leaned-back beach comfort.

We recently moved to Seattle and are thrilled by the access to all kinds of beaches and waterfront. I love that the water is so cold we’re not really prepping for the water as much as the beach play. We’ve encountered gray sand and pebbles/rocky beaches more than traditional sand and can attest that a quality shovel is the key to lasting fun. Small plastic sets weren’t cutting it with the rocks. Recently, we went to Owen Beach at Point Defiance and our kids (2 and 5) played with just the big penguin (babies stay home!) from the set linked below, and the rocks and small driftwood twigs/bark for hours. We have all types of beach toys, but each will choose a couple they want to bring along. Lizzy from @workspaceforchildren (the queen of play) has also shared that a sturdy long shovel is the best beach toy along with a sturdy painter’s bucket (I would add a plastic pitcher or watering can to dip into the bucket for littles). The painter’s bucket was a game changer for us because we only had to get up once to get water! There is great advice in this comment thread! Penguin family bath toy: https://calicotoyshoppe.com/products/penguin-family-tub-toys?srsltid=AfmBOooVgGsw05xJukgAbC0C6pDYNsCWnTXmwp1pXTQICt0ZgGLetw_b

We live near Lake Superior and we are at one beach or another multiple times a week in the summer. A good shovel is so right! And it’s great for digging foundations for good driftwood forts too. I use a a big ikea bag for the other essentials: towels, sunscreen, goggles. And my recent happy purchase is a cooler backpack.

My secret tip for beach time: skip the crowds in the afternoon and go in early evening, postpone dinner, and just bring sandwiches and snacks. It’s a quieter time, calmer, fewer people, the sun is lower and gentler, the light is prettier, and it turns what can be a hectic part of the day into calm and happy.

We live in San Diego so are beach going professionals- I completely agree with the sturdy shovel, and recommend one bucket as well. You can let them do their thing but I have found much more creative play develops if adults pitch in a dig a very big hole (if allowed! Some beaches prevent this). It’s extraordinary what creativity and teamwork come with kids with just a hole in the sand and endless water.

Omg Jo! The photo of you and Baby Anton 🥹so beautiful, joyful, and tender 🥹

When my kids were extra little, 1 and 2, the biggest hit was a spray bottle. Cost $1 at CVS and they could go fill it up in the shallow water and then spray…anything! The air! The sand! Mom’s feet! It rarely is something they’re able to do at home (because either spray bottles are full of chemicals they shouldn’t be playing with, or I don’t want them spraying water all over my floor) so it was a *popular* tool at the beach. Have fun, you simple little beings.

Less stuff is always easier. Since our daughter was one, we have always limited the things we bring with us to the beach. A fold up picnic blanket, a shovel (and yes fill the holes back), and a sand castle bucket. A umbrella when she was really small but now not so much. She wants to walk and build and play in the waves. I bring a beach bag for water bottles, sunscreen, beach towels, and maybe a book. That’s it. I always marvel at people who fill up huge wagons with things then spend hours putting things up. No wonder it’s stressful.

Just don’t forget to fill in any deep holes before you leave! Nesting and hatching baby birds (like plovers) can fall in and get stuck.

I was surprised that none of the comments mention the best bag/basket/bucket for kids to carry their own toys down to the beach. We usually walk over some large rocks to get to the more spacious area of beach and so it would be nice if the 3 and 7 year olds would carry their own toys (parents are already carrying the big beach bag, cooler backpack, and chairs).

omg, baby Anton!!!! sooooo cute.

100% agree on the shovel! Just bought two lightweight, long handle metal kids shovels.

Yes to the heavy duty shovels! We lived blocks from Lake Michigan when my boys were little and spent at least one day a week if not two at the beach every summer when they were off school. We had a Radio Flyer Wagon with the wood sides stocked with every toy you can think of…and they mostly played with the shovel. I don’t care – we still brought the toys. We could be there all day – often ordered a pizza to be delivered, brought jugs of water or lemonade, kept re-sunscreen-ing. They both went on to be lifeguards as high school and college students, so the lake definitely got in their blood. Must have is baby powder to get as much sand off as possible before they came in the house, but by about week two you just have to accept that for the rest of the summer you have sand on the floors no matter what you do. Now those beach boys are 25 and 27 but those are some of our best memories.

This is so fascinating to read through! The beach looks so different depending on what your coast line is like. Love reading suggestions from cooler climates like the UK and warm tropical climates. And really, a shovel works everywhere! I’m in Oregon, and we really don’t swim in the ocean here unless you’re a very strong swimmer and it’s a very hot day (which is rare). We have big rocks to crawl over and tide pools to marvel at and caves to explore and waterfalls to rinse off in. I love the coast!

YES to this. It is my firm belief that kids are happiest (i) digging a hole, (ii) throwing things into a body of water. We spend HOURS building sandcastles when the tide is low. The perfect activity for everyone ages 2 to 82 – including getting that tricky age 11 – 14 engaged if the sandcastle is epic (moat, river to ocean, outbuilding, seaweed flags and forests). The key is to have lots of proper gardening spades (like full sized ones) + some decent smaller ones for shaping etc. Pick ’em up when older relatives downsize or in yard sales.

We live in Maine and the cold, dark winters are…something to mostly endure. But the long, late nights in the summer help balance it out and our number one goal from June – September is to have as many ‘beach dinners’ as possible. Hot day? Scorching out during camp/school? Order a pizza or make sandwiches, grab a bag of chips and some watermelon, head to the beach. We learned that beach dinners mean the grownups can actually chat and relax while the tiny human roams, digs holes, catches crabs, and occasionally does a fly-by dinner-bite. We have now gotten other friends to drink the beach dinner Kool-Aid and it is awesome to be turning up at the beach when it’s not so hot, other families are trying to get cranky, hungry kids home for their dinner. We rock up with a pizza box and plenty of time to enjoy the beach when it’s less crowded, a little cooler, not so sunburn-y, etc. If I could make beach dinners a key part of my personality, I would (maybe I already have :) ).

We live walking distance to our small v. northern Ontario town’s “beach” on the river. All summer if you are looking for other kids to play with just head down to the dock. Top tip to bring for us are (cheap is fine!) snorkel style goggles, snorkel optional, all the kids magically transform into a fish as soon as their goggles are on that cover the nose. Extra stress on multiple pairs as there is always someone who needs to borrow a pair or a pair goes missing.

Yes to a good shovel! And have one more than you have kids in case someone else wants to join in. My favourite shovel is a large blue one from the brand Hape. I also bring a basket of toys to the pool. The basket has rings, torpedoes, and different balls. A guaranteed good time!

Shovel all the way. Oh the hours my boys racked up digging, engineering. I don’t like cards at the beach. Boggle (no scoring) & Shut the Box can take the wind. Maybe mad libs too.

I always used a rule of *youngest kid age = number of hours at the beach* and it has served me well. Also, knowing there is a risk I’ll sound like George Costanza, cotton. Cotton towels, cotton umbrella, cotton beach pillow. Synthetic stuff adds to the sensory overload and I find cotton very soothing in the beach environment.

My beach essentials for keeping babies, kids and grownups all happy: – a folding booster seat with a tray for babies under 2. Pop them in, then clean the sand off their hands. That way they can eat off the tray without constantly getting sand on their hands. – cheap watercolor set for kids. They can collect shells and rocks and paint on them, then wash them off and return them before leaving. It’s surprisingly fun, for kids and adults alike. – a magazine instead of a book for me. I don’t have to worry about it getting wet or sandy, and it’s easier to dip and out of when the kids are actually playing nicely, rather than a book that needs sustained attention. – corn starch or baby powder for dusting off sand when you get back to the car. It dries off any clinging sand so it brushes right off. – as much ice water in insulated bottles as you can stand to shlep. – what NOT to bring: excessive sand toys (one bucket and one shovel per kid max, no useless little molds or sifters), extra chairs (kids mostly don’t sit in them, and even adults mostly end up taking turns because someone has to be on kid duty), books (no one will read them and they will end up dirty), clean clothes (change after you leave, avoid having clean clothes get sandy or wet in your bag.

Yes to a gardening shovel! Also a mop bucket is way better than a toy beach pail.

Apropos of nothing – Would really love it if Lucy and/or other qualified medical doctors cld weigh in here re perimenopause and menopause and its “treatment.” Feels like at lightening speed this has gone from a rarely publicly discussed discourse to a fully commodified minefield at least partially designed to make women feel crappy and spend money all under the guise of feeling and looking better. Idk maybe I’m just wildly cynical. But there seems to be very little expertise and a whole lot of: pay me and maybe you’ll get hotter.

I genuinely don’t understand why you’d go to a beach without a spade lol. Used to keep my ex busy as well as our son lol. One tip I read years ago which is mindblowing. If you have small kids and going to the beach is hard work. Flip your day around. Go later in the afternoon after they’ve had their normal nap. Beach is less busy, its cooler. Take a picnic, eat your main meal out at a restaurant when it’s quieter because everyone’s at the beach. Gold hour photos are gorgeous to. Then home, bath to get the salty beach off them and straight into bed. I’ve shared this with friends who have struggled with a beach day and it made their holidays so much more pleasurable. I live in the UK so my beach hack is a rain proof tent and wellies for the beach. But I prefer the beach on a grey day, when the elements are battering the shore. Sitting in my little beach tent, protected by the rain with a flask of tea and my book, listening to the ocean (while my ex beachcombed for hours while I was sat there reading) are still some of my favourite pre-kid memories.

On the days when we decide to spend a day at the sea/pool/lake, I usually always bring a book or a magazine, so if there are interesting topics or articles, we talk about them. Obviously, I don’t have children, but many of my friends do, and then they suggest little tricks based on the age… although the fact that even adults like to build sandcastles is another story!

My beach tip, which works where I live because a beach is a 10 minute drive, is to treat the beach like any park or playground. I stopped overthinking what to pack and we just GO. We’ll go just for a walk even if the weather isn’t perfect. We’ll go with a picnic. We’ll go in the morning or late afternoon. Whenever we need to get out of the house, it’s an option.

We spent years and years going to Stinson Beach here in the Bay Area with several other families. The big shovels kept the boys entertained for hours and years while the girls moved through Polly Pockets and sand castle molds right into fashion magazines and boomboxes. I can attest to the power those shovels had over those boys. It was almost like a compulsion. They never tired of digging.

As a Canadian who lives in Gold Coast, Australia, I would say parents here take their children early to the beach, leaving by 10am often. Also what I love about the beaches here are that they all have showers, either covered with the bathrooms or open air showers as soon as you step off the sand – it’s such a good idea (so much better than the Nova Scotian beaches I grew up visiting, which are beautiful but shower-free)

Get a little shade pop up tent! I can spend all day at the beach if I can crawl in there and escape the sun.

I had to make room for something large in my van and pulled out an odd variety of boy-mom things including a full sized muddy shovel. The question marks on people’s faces… We are river-beach people and I have a Tommy Bahama backpack beach chair from Costco that’s changed my life. It has a little cooler on the back. Highly recommend.

Saving all these tips for when my daughter is older and stronger :) Sand and water are a no no with her tracheostomy so we set up on the grass with a pop up tent, snacks, and the tiniest lawn chair for her. She waves to everyone on the board walk and squeals at every sea gull/train/dog that goes past. People can’t help but smile back and we’re starting to get to know other regulars. We love the beach!

I think it was on this blog that I first read the tip of bringing cornstarch to the beach to help get sand off feet when shoes go back on at the end of the day. Whoever shared this, thank you thank you thank you. My sensitive kid looooves the beach experience and can easily be reduced to tears and screams from the discomfort of sand. The jar of “magic powder” keeps us on the right track!

Taking my 6 month old to the beach for the first time. What pro tips do you have for the wee ones?

I love this idea! …. AND…. a kind warning to be careful when digging holes on the beach. Children can die from climbing into a hole and the having the sand collapse on top of them. I don’t say this to yuck your yum- I was actually so excited about the idea that I mentioned it to a friend, and was surprised when he told me about this risk, which never occurred to me. So dig away- maybe just not too deep ;) https://www.smh.com.au/national/boy-dies-in-sand-collapse-on-qld-beach-20060816-gdo6o7.html

Reading this and the only child article together—I mostly love having an only child, but our last beach vacation I spent hours in the ocean playing football, attacking the waves, attacking each other, body surfing, boogie boarding…it was exhausting! 😂 If the shovel attracts other children that is a win.

To easily get off sand before getting in a car or putting on shoes to go home, I rub feet and ankles with Johnson’s cornstarch. The sand falls right off. We never had a beach with a shower or faucet.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Daf-42ECgqQ/?igsh=MWVldWMzdGEzeHJsZg== This feels relevant, ha ha. Like Melissa, I am not a beach person. The sand literally hurts. I don’t like being hot. Salt water in my eyes? No. I’m decently afraid of the ocean. People? Oof. No thank you. I do like a quiet, very private, not at all interacting with the elements, laying on a lounger under the shade of a palm tree, someone bringing me tropical drinks and plates of tropical drinks in a tropical paradise with my luxury hotel room just moments away situation. Lugging children and 437 things to a hot crowded sandy beach where parking is a real thing? Literally, why?

This clear catch-and-release bucket is loved by my two boys, their seven cousins and a few uncles as well. They’ll plant it in the sand and fill it throughout the day with water, hermit crabs, tiny fish and even jelly fish. So fun for observing and for showing off to passerby. Cheap too! https://a.co/d/090x2E0d We’ve had it for years and it really holds up!

I keep 4 gallon jugs (like the more sturdy ones grape juice comes in) filled with water in my trunk at all times. Really helps to be able to wash off well when we get back to the car!

Ooh, the beach was my very favorite day trip when my kids were little!! (Still is with teens, but they usually only want to go if they can bring a friend, siblings aren’t enough entertainment anymore.) For me, as long as there were enough snacks and sunscreen, (and yes, shovels) everyone was happy for hours! And I could mostly sit. Safety is not nearly as big of a concern on the Oregon coast because the water is so cold, no one is doing much more than dipping their toes, so it’s waaaay less stressful than a pool. Yes, the kids got sand in every crevice, but it was worth it for the hours of unstructured play, and nothing a good bath couldn’t take care of. Oh man, a full day at the beach and an ice cream cone on the way home…oof, feeling all the nostalgic feelings for the good old days!!

I grew up walking distance to the beach, so all summer, my mom would take me and my three siblings to the beach almost every day. It was our backyard. She was SO casual about it, and that’s really informed how I go to the beach now as an adult and mom myself. My mom would pack lunch, which usually consisted of a sandwich for each of us, some baby carrots, and some chips. That was it. No other snacks. We had no umbrella. My older brother and I carried whatever we wanted, be it sand toys, boogie boards, etc., plus our own towels. My sisters, who were younger, could put their stuff in the wagon with them, and then my mom would pull them while my brother and I walked. My mom didn’t carry anything but her own tote bag and towel and sometimes a beach chair. We didn’t have beach chairs, and we weren’t allowed in hers. My son is only two, so obviously I carry his stuff for him, but we don’t even bring toys yet. He’s so small, just playing with rocks and sticks in the sand is fine. My husband likes an umbrella, so he brings that, but I’m fine with just my towel and some snacks in a bag. Simpler is better with the beach, if you ask me!

My tip is to go to the beach around 4-5 pm. It’s cooler, there’s less people, the sunset is gorgeous. Bring a picnic dinner and a cooler, and it’s the best time! Mornings are for pools, afternoons for the beach.

Funny, we do the opposite. We bring a bunch of old containers, large and small— hummus, oxyclean, fage, whatever. All shapes and sizes, perfect for scooping, digging, and building castles. Best part is it all gets recycled on the way out. Also, do a base coat of sunscreen BEFORE you leave home!!! We used to live at the beach and these two tips kept me sane.

I swear my smartest parenting move ever was ordering an 8 pack of little plastic shovels on Amazon. We somehow still have quite a few of them (stashed in the car, in the stroller, sometimes in a purse or pocket), and almost always have one on hand when we encounter a sandbox.

I tipped from mild dislike to complete hatred for the beach after having kids. The sand, the heat, the public bathrooms (if lucky), the riptides, and on and on. But now that no one is at sand-eating or diaper-wearing age, I’m slowly becoming a beach enthusiast. The trick was to fully embrace playing in the sand with them for at least part of the time. On our most recent trip to Lake Michigan, we got into sand sculpture – easy things like a dolphin, a shark, a hippo. It is such a fun, collaborative, creative activity, and even though we aren’t artistically talented, our oversized sculptures attracted attention from beach walkers, sparking points and smiles and a few selfies. If you find a local person who gives sand sculpture or sandcastle building lessons, I say try it!

Writing this just after our first trip to Western Michigan. The BEST decision I made was picking up a $3 foam ball from Meijr on our way to the lake. My boys played soccer and volleyball for hours and hours-just perfect.

Parents of small children, take heart: before you know it they will be old enough to carry things themselves, and it is a game changer! We bought each member of our family a beach chair that folds into a backpack (full size for grown ups and kid size for the littles) and now going to the beach is SO much easier!!! It makes such a difference when the adults don’t feel like pack animals laden with beach supplies.

I was so excited to read this as a mom of two little ones who lives 5 minutes from the beach. Alas, my children have exactly zero interest in the sand, well, except my 1yo who will maybe eat it. My 5yo son would stay in the ocean for ten hours straight if we let him. Of course he’s too little to do it alone. And the 1yo wants to ruuuuunnnnnnnn! Sometimes she aims straight for the water, sometimes she heads straight away from me. Anyway, I’m desperate for beach tips for two littles who don’t know sitting down is an option at the beach.

Does anyone have a recommendation for good sand/beach toys for 2-3 year olds?

This keeps my boyfriend very busy as well lol

Grab some plastic cups and build a fort or a castle with them. Several years ago we went to a resort with my two kids. We didn’t have any sand toys with us, but the local bar gave us 4 cups. We built castles and had a whole audience watching how the waves would touch our architecture and wash it away. Adult men were like little kids helping us build and watched with us.

Going to the beach with kids in diapers is one of those parenting It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Hours of good clean fun, then so much cleanup. And I completely agree with my mother-in-law’s best friend who told me: The worst part of being a parent is having to swim when you don’t want to.

My two tips for the beach are to bring a little beach tent, that quarter spheric kind, so that you will have a corner of calm and privacy as well as good shade that’s less wind sensitive than a parasol, and to bring lots of shovels and buckets. I always bought the beach toys in September when they were on sale and so I could afford to have enough toys to avoid the ”he took the bucket” fights.

Along with a good shovel, bring some inexpensive plastic putty knives of different sizes. They work great for smoothing sand, drawing ornate windows, and many other things. Another Mom gave me that tip and those putty knives were in demand from all of the kiddos on a recent beach vacation.

It’s so f-ing wholesome how kids just love to dig a hole at the beach. It creates so many laughs and such a silly time. Great call with the big shovel.

*immediately orders shovels in anticipation of a beach day this weekend* THANK YOU for the hot tip!

Please be careful digging holes deeper than your knee! Always watch your kids while they’re digging and always refill the holes. Turtles can get trapped in them, and there are a few instances of children being in the hole and walls caved in around them. We had a teen die from this on the Outer Banks a couple of years ago 💔

We always did this too with our four boys, but my husband loved it just as much as they all did.

This is solid gold advice! We love our quut shovel. Very durable, but plastic, so light for schlepping, but good for hours of digging fun. Pivots easily to snow. Kim is right though, have the kiddos fill back in their holes. That can be part of the end of the day fun. Ready for smashing time??? https://quuttoys.com/product/scoppi/amp/

I would say bring a pop up tent because it’s a lifesaver. Good for naps, eating lunch, and recovering from the heat. Plus a safe way to change.

The children yearn for the mines. No but seriously this is a great tip!

We are big fans of the “big hole” plan for beaches with little kids: Get to the beach, dig a big-ass hole, then sit! The kids jump in and out, smoosh the sides, fix the sides, dig it deeper, pour water into it, build a sandcastle with the excavated sand… While you sit! Never fails

We used to bring a solid steel gardening shovel with us. We’d build huge rivers. And then that summer I read that a kid asphyxiated in a hole that collapsed after it hadn’t been properly filled back in. Just fill them back in completely packed. Sorry to be a Debbie downer.