Summer has finally arrived and now is the moment to enjoy endless days of mini-adventures with the kids. If you’re staying at Searles, there’s tons of free, beach fun, which is within walking distance of the resort, to keep little ones entertained, all without a screen in sight! Sound good? Let’s get going…

Kid-friendly activities on Hunstanton Beach

Searles Leisure Resort has been ‘the place that makes people happy’ for 70 years, and families return year after year to enjoy a week or two by the sea, where the living’s easy and the entertainment awaits. One of the best things about Searles is that the beach is just footsteps away, with golden sands and a gentle tide that’s perfect for little ones to enjoy under a watchful eye.

A paddle or a dip in the sea is a given, but there are plenty of other ways to keep them entertained on the beach. School may be out, but sand writing is a great opportunity to keep their hand in during those long six weeks, and a daily spelling bee, game of Sand Pictionary, hangman or noughts and crosses will keep the cogs going.

Throw down the sandy gauntlet and challenge their creativity too with a sandcastle competition that goes beyond the basic box structure style – we’re talking super sculptures, towering turrets and amazing arches! Get the basics under your belt with this expert guide which explains how to construct a sandcastle without the worrying wobble that befalls so many beginners.

If you’re staying at Searles in early August, show off your sandcastle-building prowess at the Hunstanton RNLI Sandcastle Competition which takes place from 1.30pm on Wednesday 7 August at Old Hunstanton Beach, an easy walk along the promenade, across the clifftop and down to the sands. Entry is £1.50 and the event also marks Hunstanton RNLI’s 200th anniversary, so the day is a great opportunity to introduce the kids to the sea search and rescue service.

Wild things! Learn about nature on Hunstanton Beach 

The beach is a treasure trove of oceanic collectibles for kids to discover on the sands and in the rock pools. From colourful shells (be sure to look inside to check you’re not disturbing a sea creature’s home!), to smooth sea glass and stones, see if you can spot crabs and starfish or the mussels and limpets which cling to the rocks along the water’s edge – a net and bucket are a great way to scoop and study these discoveries without fear of injuring them, but return pool creatures to their natural habitat once you’re done.

If nature sparks the kids’ imagination, challenge them to a spot of Bird Bingo and see how many of the seasonal waders they can spy in a morning or afternoon – Knot, Dunlin, Sanderling, Godwit, Redshank, Curlew, Avocet, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover and Tern are all resident during the summer months, and if you need some help identifying the species, check out the RSPB’s handy guide.

If the sun is having a day off and clear blue skies are nowhere to be seen, spend some time cloud spotting and edifying early learners’ knowledge of the different types – stratus are flat and smooth, cumulus are puffy, cirrus are wispy and nimbus probably mean there are a few drops of rain incoming! Brush up your own understanding with the Cloud Appreciation Society.

Fun pastimes on Hunstanton Beach

Having looked up, focus their attention back to the ground and challenge them to find a fossil! Hunstanton’s famous red and white striped cliffs at the far end of town date from the Early and Late Cretaceous and if you study the area you might find a range of marine fossils including ammonites, belemnites, echinoids, fish bones and even shark teeth imprinted in the rocks below. You can read about the discoveries of Hunstanton’s fossil hunters here, but even without a technical understanding, the excitement of discovering a pre-historic find will thrill little explorers.

Talking of the ancients, let the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics inspire a Hunstanton Beach Championship. Events might include a 100m dash or relay race with a group (it’s actually harder to run on sand than you might think!), stone skimming (whose pebble will plop furthest?), a game of frisbee of volleyball, and perhaps a tug of war for the ultimate show of strength!

After all that activity, it’s time to cool off with a refreshing dip or maybe treat the kids to a cooling ice. You’ll find plenty of kiosks along the promenade, but East Coast Gelato offers a great pitstop to enjoy Italian gelato and a great cappuccino with a stunning view over The Wash – you might even spot some of the coastline’s resident seals bobbing along on the water’s edge.

However you enjoy your days on the beach, help to protect the coastline for the wildlife which inhabits the area and ensure the safety of future visitors by cleaning up and taking your rubbish home with you. You might even be kind enough to help clear up after others with a beach clean – obviously avoid any dangerous waste and report large items to the beach patrol service located at Alive Oasis on the promenade, but by teaching your children to respect the environment and do their bit, you are encouraging the next generation to protect our precious beaches for the future, and that’s something we all want to encourage.