This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
It’s the time of year for lazy beach vacations, and you want ways to keep the kids happy without much work! So here are some ideas for super-simple (but satisfying) easy beach crafts that you can do on your special beach trip or while sitting at home dreaming of the waves. I’ve included some for adults, too, so you don’t have to miss out on the fun!
Easy Beach Crafts
For Kids
Literally the simplest seashell creature craft ever! Not even paint is required! And it makes such cute little fishes…
If your kids are like mine, they take home lots of random rocks from the beach they don’t really know what to do with later. Here’s a way they can turn them into toothy painted sharks!
Maybe you’ve had to stop your kids from taking…potential pets…home from the beach. You can let them make these fun plastic aquariums instead!
It’s not sand, it’s not playdough, it’s sand playdough – the best of both worlds! Uses ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen.
Even though everything on the beach is inherently a sensory experience, this sensory bottle heightens the fun. Super simple to make!
Wow, these colorful popsicle stick boats really float!
For You And Your Kids
This one is very quick and simple, but gives amazing results! It just uses shaving cream and food dye to create that marbled look – nothing expensive or hard to find!
Pouring sand into bottles is, I think, oddly satisfying no matter how old you are. This one suggests dying your own sand, which is cheaper.
Glitter Seashell Picture Frame
What a gorgeous frame! This craft is a great way to turn your more damaged seashells into something beautiful.
These chinoiserie oyster shells are the kind I’ve found in upscale, expensive Charleston gift shops, and they’re a little more involved than the other projects mentioned so far. But if you substitute a little, using gold paint instead of gold leaf and using fancy napkins instead of designer paper, it can be simple, cheap, and chic, so don’t get overwhelmed.
Could anything be simpler or more elegant than these recycled and upcycled seashell bottles?
Last but not least, seashells make a super inexpensive planter for succulents. Don’t worry, these little guys don’t want much room to grow anyway! Your kids can even paint the seashells before you plant them. Any kind of seashell will do, not just these huge ones.
Please enjoy these feel-good crafts, and keep being frugal!
