Beach Series: Need Things to Do With Kids? Try Playing!

When entering Crane Beach, in Ipswich, MA, I usually walk down to an area which
is less crowded and quiet, which my sister and I refer to as “the Bahamas”. On my way to the Bahamas I make my way through the baking people, crowds of Frisbee players and crews of children building castles and digging trenches.

It never ceases to amaze me how intensely the adults are playing along side their children: filling up buckets of water to pour into the pits that have been tirelessly dug out, carefully arranging turned over pails of sand to create the walls of a castle, patting sand and making proper use of the dry sand verses wet sand. I can’t help but smile because the adults are really having just as much fun as the children, if not more. The adults don’t have to think about finding things to do with kids at the beach. This is a time where the caregiver and child play together on the same level. What a bonding experience that they will remember for a lifetime.

Playing at the beach is one of the must fun things to do with kids. It would be so wonderful to bring this type of play into other situations like at the playground and at home.

• At the playground: look for playgrounds which allow adults to easily play along side the child and then go for it! Swing with them, play in the sand with them and explore and explore and try out the play components.
• At home: have a game night were the family plays games together. Make sure they are games that are age appropriate, whether it is a simple traditional game of Snakes & Ladders or a more active game of hide and seek.

Of course it’s important for children to play on their own, but often we forget how fun and important it is to get actively involved as well. Just think of it as a mini-vacation from the stresses of adulthood and have some child-like fun!

P.S. If you’re in the area, check out Crane Beach http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/northeast-ma/crane-beach-on-the-crane.html