Elevate your day on the sand and get a little more exercise with fun beach games that the entire family can play. Most can be easily packed into a bag or come with their own carrying cases and those that require an extra pair of hands to transport them to the sand are definitely worthwhile.
Some, like the beach ball games, are versatile enough to play at the park or as backyard games and certainly will come in handy at home while the kids are out of school.
Plus, when you live in a beach community like San Diego, games are one way to unplug at the beach during the winter when not everyone wants to get into the ocean (and even better during sun-filled visits).
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1. BucketBall
BucketBall is a beach-oriented, family-friendly version of the old college game of beer pong. Form two teams and set the buckets up in a triangle formation at an acceptable distance apart.
One team tries to toss a ball into the buckets in front of the other team and the team of lands the most balls into the buckets wins.
This is one of the beach ball games that are portable and lightweight. The set includes a carrying bag, 12 buckets, 2 balls, and the game rules.
2. Surfminton — Classic Paddle Game
Probably everyone has played some version of this classic, 2-person game with two over-sized paddles and a ball, whether at a beach or poolside or even just on someone’s family lawn in the summertime.
Surfminton is the beach-oriented version of this famous paddle game. This set comes with two water-resistant paddles, two kinds of balls, and a carrying bag.
3. Waterproof Playing Cards
Hoyle, the famous maker of regular playing cards for many decades, now has a branded, waterproof version. Card games to play at the beach can include Go Fish! with kids, solitaire, or even bridge without worry as this set won’t get ruined by water.
They’re more rigid than traditional paper playing cards so you can also stand them up in the sand. So, beach games for adults can include your favorite card-based drinking games.
4. Beach Aquarium Kit — Catch & Release
Encourage your child’s curiosity about the natural world at the beach with this Beach Aquarium Kit. The lid is removable and made of screen mesh so that the entire kit may be submerged in water.
Your child may enjoy whatever fish or other sea life they may catch, enabling them to view it in this transparent plastic aquarium. The “Catch & Release” ethos of the kit promotes environmental friendliness and is a fun gadget to bring tide pooling.
5. Water Shooters with Animal Handles – 4 Pack
Monkey, hippo, dog and ducky foam water shooters provide fun for the whole family. The cute animal handles appeal to younger kids. Pull the handle to fill the foam with water and push to shoot it out.
6. Tidal Ball
The fun and simple beach game that is hybrid of bocce ball, horseshoes, and cornhole. The whole game consists of 6 tidal balls and a plastic scoop that all fits in a super-portable 9-inch bag (included).
The court is dug into the sand (a hole and a trench on two sides of the court). Two teams compete against each other to toss the ball into the hole or trench. There are even two koozies for the winners to use to show off their victory.
7. Beach Soccer Ball
This is one of the fun beach games where the name says it all. This beach soccer ball is brightly colored, made of water-resistant material, and completely intended for beach play.
8. Spikeball
As seen on the TV show “Shark Tank,” all you need is four people and some open space to play which makes this worthy of our games to play at the beach. Your heart rate will elevate as one team spikes the ball onto the net.
The other team gets three touches and must spike the ball back onto the net for the other team to return. Yes, it’s similar to volleyball. The entire set weighs only 3.5 lbs and comes with a Lifetime Warranty.
9. Uno Splash — Waterproof Version
Here’s one of the fun beach games for kids when you’d like to pull them under the umbrella for some fun in shade. Match colors and numbers and be the first one to play all cards. This version of Uno features plastic waterproof cards that stay clipped together and can even be hooked on to a beach bag.
10. Flying Rings
Made of a special, lightweight material, these flying rings are 80% lighter than normal flying wings and definitely one of the fun beach games for kids.
They were designed this way to make them easier to catch for kids of all ages, and less likely to hurt little fingers.
They are easy to throw as well. (Be sure to take this home from the beach as these rings can be hazardous to sea life like our La Jolla seals.)
11. Collapsible Cornhole
Easily portable cornhole that is perfect for taking to the beach. These collapsible, lightweight cornhole boards unfold to 3′ x 2′. This set includes the two cornhole boards, eight bean bags, and a carrying case.
12. Bottle Bash Game Set
This fun family beach game takes only 1 minute to set up. In Bottle Bash, one team throws a flying disc at the other team’s bottle. The opposing side tries to catch the flying disc and the falling bottle if it’s hit. This game can be played in any 20′, 30′, or 40′ space that you turn into a court.
13. Bocce Set — Regulation Size
This game comes with a complete set of regulation size, 4″, 2lb 5oz balls, four in green and four in red, reflecting the Italian heritage of the game. Standard bocce ball rules apply.
14. Foldable Washer Set
Take your game of Washers with you to the beach easily with this foldable, portable version of the game with the included carrying bag. Each washer also conveniently doubles as a bottle opener (though be sure glassware is allowed where you’re going if using this feature — it’s prohibited on our beaches).
15. Waterproof Football
Throw a football around at the beach, with this all-weather ball that has a special grip pattern enabling you to hold and catch it more easily in beach conditions.
16. Sand and Water Mixing Toy
This handy tool allows you to mix sand and water in a way perfect for making better sandcastles and other sand creations at the beach. This is the toy you never know you needed as a kid when the wet sand slipped through your fingers before hitting the sandcastle. It pops apart for easy washing.
17. Glitter/Sequin Beach Ball — 5 Pack
Elevate your beach ball games with these clear, inflatable, 24-inch balls filled with glitter. The glitter is on the inside, so it won’t get chipped off during play at the beach and the manufacturer claims they are no-leak.
18. Long Tail Easy Kites
These long-tail octopus kites are easy for kids to fly and a compact way to add fun to a beach day. Find the wind and toss them up to catch it. The line is 200′ long but you can reel that in for a shorter flight.
19. Melissa and Doug Crab Toss and Catch Game
This is one of the beach games for kids that is perfect for the younger set. Kids wear the crab mitts and toss the ball to each other. The ball sticks to the Velcro on the mitts for easy catching.
20. Remote-Controlled Beach Car
We can see this being a fun gadget for all ages. This remote-controlled off-road vehicle can be driven on the sand and in the water. It also performs stunts like 180-degree flips and has a 200′ control distance.
What are your favorite beach games?
See also: 15 Beach Accessories that You Didn’t Know You Needed and Best Travel Games for Kids
Katie Dillon is the managing editor of La Jolla Mom. She helps readers plan San Diego vacations through her hotel expertise (that stems from living in a Four Seasons hotel) and local connections. Readers have access to exclusive discounts on theme park tickets (like Disneyland and San Diego Zoo) and perks at luxury hotels worldwide through her. She also shares insider tips for visiting major cities worldwide like Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Shanghai that her family has either lived in or visits regularly (or both).
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