Looking for beach-themed books, either to prepare children for a trip to the beach or for reading during down time at the seashore? Join us throughout the week as we celebrate sand between our toes with a series of posts highlighting children’s books about beaches!
Let’s start out with The Beach Book: loads of things to do at lakes, rivers and the seaside
by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield, which is jam-packed with activities designed to inspire activity and creativity while at the beach.
Do you know how many minutes of physical activity the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for children per day? The answer is at least 60 minutes per day! The duo of Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield have created a wonderful series of titles for encouraging children to get outside and play by describing enjoyable and stimulating ways to get that exercise. Their books are filled with photographs of children running, jumping, and building amazing things (photos taken by Jo). This newest title (coming out June 1, 2015), has suggestions ranging from how to make sand mermaids to conducting beach treasure hunts to old favorites like skimming (skipping) stones on water.
The Beach Book is really in a class all by itself. It evokes a time before standardized tests and over-structured kids having every minute planned for them. Each activity comes with a description, which is more of a list of suggestions of what to try rather than detailed how-to instructions. This leaves a great deal of room for spontaneity and creativity. Things aren’t too loose, however, because the authors list safety tips with many of the activities. These are common-sense precautions to take, such as knowing which way the tide is going (sometimes tides can come in rapidly and unexpectedly) or when adult supervision is recommended. The best part is that any of the activities can easily be adapted to non-beach or even indoor situations, and are perfect for multi-aged groups.
If there’s a trip to the beach in your family’s future, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this book. Read it ahead of time to get imaginations charged up. Have a copy handy in the beach bag to keep the adventures coming. I can’t wait to visit a beach and try some of these activities myself!
Related Activities:
Although this book is bursting with activities, here’s a couple more to get you in the mood.
1. Buy an inexpensive waterproof (underwater) camera (available as inexpensive singe-use cameras, especially in touristy areas). Have your children document all their fun activities without worrying about delicate electronics.
2. Read some beach-themed books during quiet times. We’ll be suggesting titles throughout the week. (See links below to related posts.)
3. Check out our beach sand science activity suggestions at Growing with Science.
Age Range: 4 – 12 years
Grade Level: Preschool – 7
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Frances Lincoln (June 1, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0711235775
ISBN-13: 978-0711235779
Check out related Beach Books Week posts:
- Tuesday: Picture Book Beach Reads for Kids
- Wednesday: Beach Reads for Older Kids
- Thursday: Feet, Go To Sleep Blog Tour
- Friday: Beach Science Book Suggestions for STEM Friday
If you have a favorite book about going to the beach, please let us know in the comments.
Where is your favorite beach?
Disclosure: The book was provided by the publisher for review purposes. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.
Looking for more children’s nonfiction books? Try the Nonfiction Monday blog.