As a homeschooling family, our yearly trips to the beach included much more than sunbathing, playing in the sand, and tackling the waves. We did some fun planning before the trip. Here are some tips for your next trip to the beach with your little ones:

1) Research any special activities that are occurring at the beach or in the town you are planning to visit for the dates that you’ll be there.
2) Find a museum, nature center, or guided tour in the town that would be of interest for your family.
3) Have each child choose something related to the beach that they could research to learn more about it. Then, have them share their findings with the family! Examples include researching the lifecycle and habits of sand crabs, the favorite food for seagulls, the ocean’s water cycle, or what causes waves.
4) We were not a family that was especially fond of souvenirs. But when we planned for trips to the beach, we encouraged the children to complete special chores which we paid them to do so that they could earn money to buy something special (like a t-shirt or cap) if they wanted to.

Here are some good habits to practice while traveling to and from the beach, as well as while you are there:

1) Keep the children hydrated! Bring water or other beverages that contain electrolytes.
2) Purpose to eat healthy food and snacks. You could include things like salads and fresh fruit.
3) Don’t overpack! Making a list ahead of time will save you the aggravation of toting around unnecessary items on your trip.
4) In the morning, help your children understand some basics about what will happen that morning, afternoon, and evening so they can mentally form realistic expectations for the day.
5) Assume that more patience might be required in new settings as the children may be feeling a lot of things that they can’t verbalize.
6) Remember: the goal of every family outing is much bigger than the event itself. Our children will not remember every experience or even the souvenirs they may collect. But they will remember how we as parents made them feel.

Bonni Greiner is married to Nevin and is the mother of 8 adult children and 15 grandchildren. She is passionate about mentoring and speaking to women in all stages and chapters of life, especially homeschooling moms. Bonni homeschooled her children from kindergarten through high school graduation. She has been a certified PA homeschool evaluator for 26 years and has authored several books. She has had the honor of speaking at both homeschool and women’s conferences for 26 years.

Visit Bonni’s Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bonni.greiner/ or get her free monthly newsletter at https://bonnigreiner.myflodesk.com/youronmylist .