Summer is a great time to get the kids out of the house and enjoy some good old-fashioned fun in the sun. Unfortunately, many parents are left wondering how to keep the children entertained for hours on end.
The amount of fun your kids can have on the water is limitless. But sometimes, it’s not enough to just take them somewhere like a beach and enjoy watching them try out their first steps into boogie boarding or surfing.
To help your kids do what they’re born to do, there are some cool ways that you can help them enjoy themselves AND encourage healthy habits at the same time.
So, who’s excited about the summer vacation?!
Here are 15 things you can do:
1. Sign Them Up For Surf Camp
There are many wonderful camps around that teach kids of all ages (and adults!) various levels of surfing skills.
You can enroll them in a surfing class to learn more about basic techniques and safety precautions. You may also want to consider where you live, the coasts or beaches are likely best suited for this type of class.
The waves come crashing over these areas with ferocity and power, making them perfect spots for those looking to learn surfing basics and more advanced techniques too!
2. Try Kitesurfing
This sport can be fun, even for younger children. Kitesurfing is similar to surfing, but you spend less time in the water and are instead gliding over it.
It’s also effortless and safe to learn this technique, with most lessons usually only taking about fifteen minutes.
3. Go Sailing (For Beginners)
Sailing lessons are offered by many places to teach kids about ocean navigation, but they also help increase their coordination and sense of motion. The process of getting a boat going can be very frustrating to many children because it doesn’t go as fast as they’d like.
However, once the wind picks up, you’ll find your kids feeling more confident and excited by learning the ropes (literally!).
4. Take A Bounce Ball Or Frisbee
With the added winds on the beach, a frisbee can be fun and unpredictable! Another great game is taking down a water bounce ball and skipping it across the water to each other.
5. Kick Back With Kayaking
A classic watersport that even people who aren’t fans of it admit is pretty easy for anyone around six years old or older. It’s great to bring along little ones on this trip because they might learn how important safety is when they’re on the water.
Most kayaks are simple to use for just about anyone, but it’s always a good idea to test it out first and see if you’re comfortable with how everything functions before taking your kids along.
If you’re looking for a place to start, this is one of the most accessible sports out there! Plus, you can get duo kayaks so you’re in control of your kids, which helps to get past the waves!
6. Hang Out With Your Pets
Take your dogs to the dog beach, as many people enjoy watching their dogs swim around at the beach or by their side when they’re diving underwater for fun.
The kids will love playing with their pets and it will teach the dogs that going underwater is ok, increasing their confidence in swimming.
7. Go Diving
Snorkeling is something that many children are scared of at first, but it’s easy as long as they’re taught how by someone careful and responsible!
You can start off slow in shallow waters to get the kids used to breathing through a snorkel. Once that’s comfortable, you can try swimming out to deeper waters and teaching them how to treat it like any other adventure.
8. Go Fishing For Food or Sport
Fishing is great because even though it is common on a boat, it can also be done from the land! It also is a great way to get outside for exercise, especially if you live near the coast. Your kids will learn valuable life skills from fishing, including patience.
9. Build a Sandcastle
Building a castle or other structure out of piles of sand on the beach can be so much fun for your kids. It’ll help them learn how to work together and they won’t even notice that they’re exercising their muscles by building something epic!
10. Go Tubing
If you have a boat, tubing is loads of fun! Kids will enjoy being pulled through the water while sitting in a tube as the adult drives the boat.
This can be a great way to bring them into deeper waters too and get them used to being further from land. Just remember their life jackets!
11. Chase the Waves
Waves are fun during any season of the year if you’re near a coast with beaches where they break. They’ll teach your kids about currents as well as physics by showing them how powerful waves can be depending on how high and steep-breaking they are.
Some kids might want to try surfing once they realize what kinds of adventures you can have with waves, especially within a barrel.
Conclusion
The most important thing is that you are all having fun together as a family at the beach. It doesn’t matter if you choose paddleboarding or kitesurfing, so long as you have some bonding time with your kids and the rest of your family.