Looking forward to spending long days at the beach? Slip into a shirt, slop on some sun cream, and slap on a hat – here are some fun summer games to keep the whole family entertained.
Beach Triathlon
Gather your competitors and start with a swim to a raft or a buoy. Then run to a landmark on the beach or to the top of sand dunes, and finish up with a round of 20 jumping jacks or push-ups. The fastest wins!
Bucket Relay
Form two or more teams. Then place an ice cream container, filled with water, on each competitor’s head. Holding the container with one hand, competitors need to run to the finish line with as much water remaining as possible. Once there, they will pass the container on to the second person in their team, and continue.
The winning team is the one that has the most water in the container after all team members have completed their round.
Water Donkey
This game is best played in waist-deep water, and there’s only one rule: don’t drop the ball. Players stand in a circle (the more people, the merrier!) and throw the ball to each other. If a player drops the ball, they earn a letter. Once a player has spelt DONKEY, they’re knocked out of the game, until there’s only one player remaining. You can spice things up a little by adding extra rules, like one-handed or ‘dive-and-catch’ rounds.
Beach Cricket
All you need is some tennis balls, and driftwood sticks or a chilly bin (in the absence of actual wickets). You don’t even need to form the teams – it’s every batter for themselves. The bowler’s turn is over when they’ve run out of tennis balls, and if you hit the ball into the ocean, that’s scored as six and out. It’s a fun chaos where rules can be made up or broken as you go along.
Limbo
An all-time Summer classic, limbo is a great game for all the family to enjoy. You need a long stick, a boom box, and flexible joints. Move to music as you pass underneath the stick, without bending forward or touching it. Then lower the stick and start a new round. The limbo champion is the last player remaining.
Water Balloon Catch
Looking for something refreshing on a scorching day? Nothing is better than tossing some water balloons. What you need here is one or more water balloons, and a scoop made from a two-litre milk bottle. Players must catch and toss the water balloons without dropping or breaking them. For extra fun, try the game with the catcher blindfolded (the thrower tells the catcher where the balloon is headed).
Beach Tag
It’s a game of tag, with a twist. One person is the shark, and they must try and capture all the little fish. Once tagged, the fish become part of the shark’s family and help tag the remaining fish. Alternatively, you can play ‘octopus tag’. Those that are caught become seaweed: keeping one foot planted, seaweed try to reach out and tag the fish running by, turning them into seaweed as well.
Musical Towels
It’s just like musical chairs – but with towels. Place the beach towels on the sand in a big circle, one less than the number of players. As the music stops, players must sit quickly on the remaining beach towels, until only one player remains.
Have fun, and be sunsmart
While you enjoy those warm, long hours at the beach, don’t forget to keep sun safety first! Head to Sunsmart.org.nz for some practical tips to protect yourself and your children. You can also check the latest sun protection alerts in your area, for extra peace of mind.
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