5 fun games for natural family photos on the beach / family photo shoot on West Sands

I'm often asked, what do we do during our photo shoot, and what do we need to bring with us?

The answer to the first one is - do you have a favourite activity, or something you usually do when outside? No worries if not, or if every walk is a new adventure (our family walks are often like this, so I understand!).

Here's a list of 5 simple activities and games for the beach that kids love (and adults too!), and that result in great natural photos. We did most of it during this family photo session on West Sands with little Noah and his baby brother. Most of these activities don't require any additional toys or equipment, which is great if you plan to walk and move around, and don't feel like dragging with you bags of toys and stuff. The few things I always have for a walk on the beach, and suggest to my clients are water, wipes and change of clothes.

Treasure hunting

Shells, rocks and sea glass are the obvious choice for this. Can also be funny-looking seaweed, sticks brought in by the sea. Looking for treasure also is an easy way to get kids walk, as walking becomes part of the game. A variation of the game can be to look only for green sea glass, or only for long shells, or only for round rocks. Or if you wish, it can also be made into competition - who finds the biggest shell, the longest stick and so on.

What to bring - nothing. But, it may be good to say how much of the treasure you can take back home, to avoid disappointment at the end (we ended up with pockets and bags full of rocks and shells so many times!)

Running

and anything with running - chasing seagulls, chasing siblings, just racing, running and big jump at the end. If ball is your kind of game, it works great on a sandy beach. Running with/after a kite is another great option. Noah here was happy to run and and try to escape from his pa, which often ended up with tickles!

Hide and seek

If the beach has sand dunes with grass, or rocks, hide and seek is great fun. Practical tip: define the area where you are playing, to be sure no one wanders off too far!

Construction games

Building sandcastles, digging trenches, doing something with sticks like long fence or little hut - so many options out there! Another favourite is to dig a pit for hiding or jumping, or to make a big sand hill. If you have more time and fancy something more complex, a big sandcastle with tunnels and moat is a great idea, or a network of channels leading to the sea. Another option that my son often liked to do is to dig a trench, cover it with sticks and then put sand over to make a covered underground tunnel. Once you are done with the castle, sea shells or glass can be used for decoration.

More simple projects, if you don't fancy spending hours digging in the sand - a long fence or pattern made of rocks, or a simple hut built with sticks.

A shovel and bucket can be handy, but not absolutely obligatory for this kind of activity. Noah loved building stick huts with sticks he found on the beach, and he had fun digging just with his hands. My kids often prefer to do it this way, or just use big shells and sticks.

Splashing in the water

Chasing waves and running away from them, always a favourite. Just be sure to have full change of clothes for this one, because the chances are high someone will end up falling or taking a swim at the end! It happened during this shot, and it also happened to us many times - my son is famous for coming back home from the beach in my sweater!

We did all 5 of these activities during the shoot, little Noah had lots of fun, and we also managed to do some photos with his brand new baby brother. Not your typical baby photo shoot, if you ask me, but showing so much character of this family! Scroll down to see more photos!