Set the tone for beach activities with props. For example, include items such as starfish, seaweed, fishing nets, shells, sand toys, sun hats and a picnic basket. List items on a poster board that you would need for a trip to the beach. Place a cooler, sunglasses, empty soda bottles and beach towels in your beach area and ask the children to pack things needed for a day at the beach. Add a small table and chairs, plastic food, play money and menus to create a seafood restaurant.
Permit the children to sit on beach towels during story time. Read a beach-themed story. Follow the story with a game that teaches the names of ocean creatures. Have the children sit in a circle on beach towels, and place a sheet in the middle of the circle. Under the sheet, place an assortment of plastic ocean creatures. Children dive under the "ocean" when their names are called to obtain ocean creatures. The child names the ocean creature and puts it aside. The children continue diving for ocean creatures until all have been retrieved and named.
Let the children create the ocean in a bottle. Provide a plastic water or soda bottle for each child. Set aside blue or green food coloring, vegetable oil, tiny shells and gold glitter. Add water to the bottle until it is 2/3 full. Add the food coloring to the water and mix well. Next, add the vegetable oil until the bottle is filled 1/2 inch from the rim. Tell the children to add the shells and glitter to the bottles. To seal the bottle, secure the lid with glue and tape. The finished craft simulates an ocean wave when the bottle is tipped.
Make a sorting activity with paper seashells. Cut out assorted seashell colors, shapes and sizes from construction paper. The children can sort the paper seashells by color and shape or match by color, shape and size. Ask the children to sequence the seashells from smallest to largest. Provide another beach activity with modeling compound and a plastic beach pail filled with beach-themed items. The children can make imprints in the modeling compound with seashells, starfish and ocean creature cookie cutters.