Beach Day Sensory Play that Kids Will Love

We are planning to visit the beach a lot this summer. The weather can get pretty hot in Florida so splashing around in the water is a great way to cool off while having fun. I was inspired to make this fun beach day sensory play for my kids to enjoy at home. It’s a wonderful activity for preschoolers and older children. They can learn about the beach and have a cool sensory experience.

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How to Set Up Your Beach Day Sensory Play

Making Artificial Sand

Supplies:

Rice
Food coloring
Blender

Directions:

Start by gathering brown rice or dyed rice. Follow this tutorial if you want to dye your rice. Since I didn’t have brown food coloring, I mixed red, blue and yellow. Mix the colors before adding it to the resealable bag.
Once the rice is dried, add it to the blender. I used the chop setting to create the sand texture.

Setting Up Your Sensory Tray

Supplies

Plastic tray
Rice (brown rice and blue rice)
Mini boats
Cocktail umbrellas
Mini beach plastic buckets (purchased from Michael’s)
Paint
Wooden peg dolls
Plastic palm trees
Shells

Directions

Start by filling your plastic tray with blue rice (ocean) then add the brown rice (sand for beach).
Next, add some mini boats to the ocean.
I decided to create a beach chair using toothpicks and cardstock but that is optional. The beach signs are made out of craft sticks and water bottle tops. You can make these or keep it simple.
Paint the peg dolls then allow them to dry.
Add the peg dolls, buckets and cocktail umbrellas to the sand. I thought it would be fun to add pom poms to represent beach balls.
Finally, add the plastic palm trees and shells. This completes the tray. Let your kids explore using tongs, wooden scoops or their hands.

Don’t worry if you little ones decide to mix the rice. This activity is all about having fun and learning. Let them explore the different textures and discuss what they normally see at the beach. They can create a story using the peg dolls and mini boats. There’s so much you can do with this beach day sensory play for kids.