Fun Freetime - Children’s Summer Activities for an Engaging Day on the Boat

 Boating is a beautiful way to make memories together as a family. But, let’s be honest: It also can be chaotic and demanding, especially with younger children. The key to a great day is to have children’s summer activities to keep them engaged on the water. With a little planning and the right tools, you can improve your odds of having a dream day versus a daylong meltdown.

Whether you have a toddler careening around the cockpit or a curious elementary-schooler at the helm, here are age-appropriate children’s summer activities to keep your crew happy and occupied on the boat.

Littles and Toddlers (Ages 1-5)

Active Play Children’s Summer Activities

Water Discovery

Bring a small plastic bin of water-safe toys. This can include rubber ducks, bath boats or submarines, squishable squirty sea creatures, and stacking cups for scooping and pouring. You can set up a station in the cockpit or ashore for water discovery time.

Pro Tip: Little hands love to be busy, especially if the activity involves helping grownups with an important task. A small child will have a lot of fun “swabbing the decks” with a sponge or soft brush and bucket with water. 

Baby/Kiddie Pool

One of the easiest children’s summer activities is to set up a small inflatable pool in the cockpit or ashore. Fill it with a few buckets of seawater or lake water for supervised splash time. When our daughter was small, we loved doing this on hot boating and camping days. Some pools come with a built-in shade structure. You also can find inflatable and tent-style pool shades that are easy to pack and stow.

Bubbles

This was a hit for our child, from toddlerhood well into her grade-school years. We’re all familiar with the soap bubbles that come with a wand, but you can find kits with more elaborate bubble-making wands and toys.

Sand Toys

If you plan to beach up or visit a local sandbar, don’t forget the sand toys. Our set went with us absolutely everywhere. Include collapsible water buckets to add to the fun, and bring sun hats with chin straps. Sun-protective swim shirts are a good idea as well. My child preferred these to multiple applications of sunscreen. (She was very clear about that opinion.)

Deck Dance Party

All you need are a Bluetooth speaker, a nonslip dance area, and some good tunes! If you’re concerned about overly enthusiastic tumbles, bring along play mats or deck pads. We learned that the interlocking foam squares people use in their home gyms work well.

See more activities for kids of all ages here.