7 Fun Beach Games

Keep little ones moving and occupied with an easy beach relay. Have players fill cups with water, then run to empty them into a bucket. The first to fill the bucket wins.

Try this fun twist on a traditional sand castle. Fill a bucket with half sand and half water. Pour wet sand through a plastic funnel to build an abstract beach structure. Don't have a funnel? Cut the bottom off an empty two-liter bottle to make your own.

Take your young beachcombers on a hunt for shells and driftwood. Arrange your finds to create fun pictures.

Here's a fun activity beachgoers of any age can take part in. Lay down beach towels in a circle and crank up summer tunes like Surfin' U.S.A., by the Beach Boys.

Draw circles in the sand with a number in each one. Challenge kids to rack up points by tossing stones at the targets.

Use a shovel to dig six holes in the sand in a pyramid configuration. Give the kids tennis balls to roll into the goals.

After spending time in the sun, take a break by hanging out with the kids on your beach blanket to read a good book.

Originally published in the August 2009 issue of Parents magazine.