Embarking on a beach vacation on your next house exchange? The beach offers swimming, and fun in sand, but if you’re in need of a few more ideas, we’ve got you covered. No matter what age your children are,we’ve got plenty of tips and tricks for you to make entertaining them a snap. After all, you’re on vacation too, right? You may find that some of our house exchange properties even have private beach access! Let’s see what you can do with your kids this summer at the beach!

Original image used under Creative Commons from Flickr user Lukema.

1. Fly a kite. Kites are inexpensive, and it’s fairly easy to fly one.  Stop by a discount store and pick up a few colorful kites for fun.

2. Erect a beach tent. Not only will you have fun, but you’ll also be providing some good shade for the little ones. This is a good way to use an old sheet, and a few sticks to make a good place to play.

3. What trip to the beach is complete without building a sandcastle? Be sure to pack your bucket (stop by a dollar store before leaving to grab one), and start sculpting. You can decorate with shells, coral and all even food coloring for fun, colorful sand.

4. Do a nature walk. Take time to look up facts about the nature in the area, and make a checklist of things you can see. You can include options

5. Have a picture scavenger hunt. Take your camera or phone, and see if you can snap photos of any the sights and sounds of the beach. Your targets can include a hermit crab, a piece of driftwood, a pink sun hat, etc. Make a list of 10-12 things and get hunting!

6. Get out on the water. Many properties that are located near a beach for house exchange are not far from kayak, paddleboat, and other watercraft rentals.

7. Have a water fight. Grab your water guns and some water balloons, and chase each other down the beach (just be aware of other visitors!), seeing who can splash who first.

8. Make a sand volcano. It looks messy but it’s really just a lot of sand and water, but it’s big fun. Pile the sand into a mountain, carve out the crater where the water (lava) will erupt and start dropping buckets of water into it to see the way the lava flows down the sides of the mountain. Little kids can do this over and over with fascination.

9. Play musical towels. It’s like musical chairs but with towels, and is the perfect game for more than two kids. You can play the music on your smartphone then turn it on and off to start the race to towels.

10.  Turn a towel into a checkerboard and use shells for pieces. You can use a ratty old towel or one from the discount store to be your board by just coloring on it with a Sharpie. Be sure to use a ruler to get the lines sharp!

11. Collect shells. Start collecting shells and sand in small jars to make memory jars later. You can also keep your treasures in a Ziploc baggie.

12. Have a treasure hunt. This one can get kids playing for quite a long time. Try hiding a small box in the sand with small prizes, such as a card game or keychain, inside. Then make a “treasure map” with a few clues, and let the kids start the hunt.

13. Visit the Boardwalk. Most beaches have a Boardwalk area with a fun souvenir stores, dive shops, etc. You can browse and maybe even snag a piece of salt taffy.

14. Boogie board race. Kids 5 and up love boogie boarding, and why not turn their fun into a race? You can see who can get to the shoreline first.

15. Go beach bowling. Take one beach bowl, a bucket, and some sand, and what can you do? Beach bowl! It’s easy to make the pins and kids will have fun trying to knock them down.

What are your favorite activities on the beach?

At The Vacation Exchange, we know vacations and offer a wide network of house exchange properties. Our network lets you join for the first year for free, and leverage your vacation house for a stay in anyone else’s in the network! So you can own a house in Portland, Oregon, and leverage it for a stay in Destin, Florida, even if the homeowner doesn’t stay in your home! Contact us for more information, and find out how you can travel the word.