Watercolours at the Beach: An Easy Beach Activity for Kids

I love a day at the beach. Anywhere by the sea, really. It is probably my favourite place to be.

And since having children? I still love it. But goodness, it can be stressful too!

A lot depends on how my children feel about the sand that day. If they can't cope with it, that changes how our beach adventure is going to go. And if they don't want to swim, dig or make sandcastles, it helps to have something else in the bag.

For us, that something is watercolours. A little palette of paints, a couple of brushes, and we have an easy beach activity for the kids. And for me, actually!

What I take in our beach bag

Nothing fancy. This is what I normally pack:

• A small watercolour paint palette suitable for the children

• Two brushes

• A sandwich bag to keep them together

• A plastic cup, or we just use our beach bucket

The paints and brushes go in the sandwich bag and straight into our beach bag. Basic watercolours can be inexpensive, and you really don't need a big art set for this.

Painting pebbles at the beach

We look for light-coloured pebbles, ideally fairly flat ones so they are easier to paint. The pale stones show the colours up much better.

Then we fill the cup or bucket with a little water. We have used seawater, although fresh water works too. Wet the brush, swirl it in the paint, and off you go. That is pretty much it!

The children can mix colours, make marks or paint the whole pebble. There isn't a picture they need to copy. I like seeing what they choose to do with it.

Watercolours won't make a permanent design on a stone, so a photo is a lovely way to remember what you made. Check the beach's rules before painting pebbles, and keep paints and used painting water out of the sea and rock pools. A little pad of watercolour paper is another option to pack.

When the beach feels a bit too much

This is the reason I keep bringing the paints.

Sometimes the sand is too much. Sometimes the activity everyone else is doing just isn't going to work for us. Having something creative ready can give my children something else to focus on, and I find it helps them calm down and regulate.

If you have a neurodivergent child, or a child who finds the feel of sand difficult, you might know exactly what I mean. Every child is different, of course. This is something that helps mine, when they feel like painting. It isn't a magic answer to every difficult beach moment!

Creativity has always helped me too. Sitting there with a brush in my hand gives me something to do instead of scrolling on my phone. I get to make something with the children, by the sea. Two of my favourite things together.

A little idea for the school holidays

So if you are packing for a family beach day, try popping some watercolours in the bag. It is one of those simple holiday activities that doesn't need much organising, which is probably why I keep coming back to it.

I was going to say no mess... but we are at the beach with children. There will be sand! The paints are easy to pack away, though.

You can see more of our painting in my Instagram post, and there are more craft ideas to try with the children here on the website.

Have you ever taken watercolours to the beach? I would love to know! Tell me in the comments.

Kerry xxx