"One of my favorite (and only) memories of my preschool experience was when we had a beach party inside our classroom. When I became a teacher, I knew this was something I wanted to attempt to duplicate. This is good, silly pretend play," shares Erin Buhr, MEd, author of Little Walks, Big Adventures: 50+ Ideas for Exploring with Toddlers. Learn how to create a memorable indoor beach day with your little ones with the instructions below.
Materials
- Big beach towels
- Buckets
- Toys for dumping in and filling buckets
- Large container (the older the child, the larger the container)
- Water or sand
- Cups for scooping and dumping
- Goggles and other fun beach accessories
- Swimwear or summer clothes (optional)
What to Do
- Lay out your beach towels and your chosen beach props ahead of time. If you are offering water play, you may want to do this outside.
- Prep your toddlers like you would for other water play: strip them down to diapers or put them in their swimsuits or summer clothes, and talk to them about your beach party.
- Allow your toddlers to take the lead investigating everything you have laid out. Describe what they are doing, and emphasize new words about the beach towel, water, bucket, etc.
- Older children might enjoy helping you prep the activity or brainstorm a list of things you would need at a beach party.
