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The Best Toys You Can Pack for a Beach Day

Children's beach toys---buckets, spade and shovel on sand on a sunny da
Anton Balazh/Shutterstock

One of the best ways to spend a sunny day isn’t just outside but outside and letting the cool touch of the sea current rush up to your feet. Of course, what’s a day at the beach without a couple of nifty toys and games to pass the time? Toys are just as pivotal to the beach experience as is the swimming because you want to enjoy your time in and outside of the water. If you’re in the market for a few new beach toys, then here are some options we think you ought to check out.

Purchasing Your Next Set of Beach Toys

Consider these factors when making a selection:

  • Better in Pairs: Ideally, you should invest in a batch of beach toys rather than singular items. Of course, while most tend to come in variety packs already, it’s important to have because there’s an invitation for all to join with a bundle.
  • All the Right Places: You should also make sure that the items you’re interested in are built for the beach conditions. Lightweight items with buoyant properties forge an immediate home in the water, floating atop its surface until the next time someone dives in. As you’ll come into contact with a lot of saltwater and sand, it’s important that your toy avoid featuring a design that’s difficult to rid of sand or saltwater.
  • Safety Measures: Your beach toy should provide concern-free usage in the water or sand. Items crafted from nontoxic materials that won’t react improperly to the salt or the heat from the sun are your best bet for family entertainment.

Best for Sand Play: Click N Play 18-Piece Beach Sand Toy Set

18 plastic sand carving tools, from sea creature molds to shovels, are spread out to reveal their size and varying color.
Click N Play

A classic bundle that’s sure to grant users of all ages hours of fun in the silky sand, this Click N Play Beach Sand Toy Set features 18 colorful sand carving toys for building castles or making shapes. Each BPA-free plastic mold, from its green seahorse to the yellow castle, features pinpoint detailing that does more than outline an image but truly creates a 3D model in the sand. The set also includes one bucket, two shovels, three rakes, two sand sifters, and several other deep-sea molds.

Best for Water Play: Atlasonix Water Blaster Soaker Guns

A lineup of four differently colored water cannons that feature pool noodle-like materials around the body and either a dog, hippo, monkey, or duck on top of the plunger.
Atlasonix

A rainbow four-pack of animal-themed toys, these Water Blaster Soaker Guns from Atlasonix are easily enjoyable in and outside of the beach water. A single water cannon functions as such: submerge the blaster into the water, pull back on the plunger, ready your sight, and then push the plunger forward to release a blast of saltwater. It’s a beloved classic, notably imitating the look and feel of a pool noodle to prevent accidental injury and bring an enjoyable amount of color into your game.

Best Team Game: Jalunth Ball Catch Set Game Toss Paddle

Two sets of pink-green and blue-yellow paddle and ball games sit next to the black mesh bag they are transported in.
Jalunth

For fans who love a bit of catch but worry about ruining the leather hide of their favorite ball, this  Jalunth Ball-Catch-Set Game Toss Paddle bundle is another beachside favorite that’s great for getting a team together. It features four Velcro-surfaced paddles that are used to catch the four color-corresponding tennis balls, which feature a light fuzz that sticks and holds tightly to fairly count points. It’s a great substitute to the old ball and bat routine and oftentimes safer as well.

Best Beach Kite: HENGDA KITES Software Octopus Flyer Kite

An animated, bright red octopus totaling 31 inches from the top of its head to the tip of its longest tentacle.
HENGDA KITES

Pelicans and seagulls won’t be the only creature taking to the sunny beach sky when you pull out this Octopus Flyer from HENGDA KITES. It’s an adorable sight: a big, 31-inch octopus with animated eyes and bright red tentacles dancing to and fro in the breeze. Assembly is simple, and its high-quality construction ensures steady high-altitude flying even in the most abrasive winds.

Best Beach Kite

Hengda Kite Software Octopus Flyer Kite with Long Colorful Tail for Kids, 31-Inch Wide x 157-Inch Long, Large, Red

This sturdy deep sea creature-themed kite looms large and bright in the beach sky.

Best Educational Toy: Dry Branch Sports Design Catch and Release Beach Aquarium Kit

A plastic fish bowl container featuring a screen lid covering and a nylon rope handle
Dry Branch Sports

For those wanting to truly experience all of the joys of the beach, even those not immediately perceptible to our eyes, this Dry Branch Catch and Release Aquarium Kit helps us see a little more clearly. Here’s an enlightening toy that brings those underwater wonders to the surface via a tank that users can submerge to catch sea life and other beach specimens. Not only is this an educational choice, but it promotes the responsible handling of animals with its catch and release system.

Best Educational Toy

Dry Branch Sports Design Catch and Release Plastic Beach Aquarium Kit , Clear, Fish

This catch and release aquarium brings the wonders that lurk just beneath the surface into the light for an instructive gaze.

Hollis Mills Hollis Mills
Hollis Mills is a freelance journalist and a content writer for LifeSavvy. He has a bachelor's degree in English literature, and as an undergraduate at Texas A&M University, Hollis wrote and edited for the nationally recognized student newspaper, The Battalion. When he's not writing, you can find him complaining about Boston Celtics basketball or giving plenty of peanut butter biscuits to his always-hungry Catahoula dog, Blue. Read Full Bio »
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