Seashell Watercolor Painting (The Best Beach Activity for Kids!)

Did you know if you bring your watercolor paints with you on your next beach trip, you can paint seashells… right ON the beach?  This seashell watercolor painting activity is so fun and it couldn’t be any easier!

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This past weekend we spent the day at the beach, and I made sure to pack our watercolor paints (don’t go fancy or expensive here – something cheap like this is perfect). With two kids in tow, we had a whole car full of beach equipment, but for this activity, the watercolor paint set is really all you need! 

(I will share some of our other beach must-haves at the end, though, so keep reading!)

Painting Seashells

We started by collecting shells. A nice variety of shapes, sizes, and colors makes this activity even more interesting!

I poured a small amount of water (straight from the gulf) into the paints. Even though we had used this paint set at the beach in the past and it looked dried out, the little bit of water was all we needed to revive the paints!

Ella (5) set to work painting her shells. The colors were so vibrant! It was the perfect mix of art project, relaxing activity, and sensory experience.

After she was done painting, Ella made a “pie” in the sand and decorated it with her colorful shells. I love when art projects lead to imaginative play!

Our Beach Must Haves

If you’re heading to the beach anytime soon (especially with kids), you’re going to want these items with you!

• Beach tent – we only got ours last summer and I have no idea why we waited as long as we did! Make sure to get this kind that is all-in-one and easy to set up. We LOVE ours from Sam’s Club!
• Beach wagon – we got this one from Sam’s Club too and it has been fantastic. A must-have for the beach, and also perfect for family walks around our neighborhood at home!
• These kids’ camping chairs from Walmart. At $10 each these were a steal and our two girls are so happy to each have their own chair on the beach!
• Beach toys – a no-brainer, but if you don’t have a good set of beach toys yet, don’t forget to stock up!
• Catch-and-release aquarium – **I can’t call this one a must-have because we don’t have one, yet!  So this isn’t a personal recommendation… But I have seen this idea on Instagram and it’s so fun!  Use this aquarium to catch sea life, observe, and then return it safely to the water!

Speaking of Instagram, if you try painting seashells at the beach, will you head over to Instagram and tag me there?  I would love to see how yours turn out!  Or comment below and tell me about your experience!

Looking for even more fun summer activities? I’ve got you!:

• Create an Epic Summer Bucket List
• Easy and Fun Paper Plate Ocean Craft
• The Best (& Easiest) Shark Craft for Kids

**In this post I shared links to products from Walmart and Sam’s Club.  We have a Walmart+ subscription and a Sam’s Club membership, and I cannot recommend either enough!  As someone who is pretty frugal, I don’t just sign up for every membership I see… but these are two that have saved my family so much time and money.  You can sign up for Walmart+ here or Sam’s Club here.  You won’t regret it!