Family Beach Essentials

Our family LOVES beach vacations! Whether it is at the ocean, lake or even a river, the beach seems to bring our family together to help us reset and connect. 

Part of creating a magical beach day is having the right stuff to make it comfortable, easy and fun for everyone. I am sharing our favorite teen-friendly family beach essentials to make your next beach trip less work and more play! 

This site contains affiliate links for products and services we recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you, I will earn a small commission (for which I am very grateful). 

Teen-Friendly Family Beach Essentials

Folding Beach Wagon: We had a wagon with skinny wheels before and the bigger beach wheels really do make a difference! Not only is this super helpful for hauling all of our gear to the beach, but it is so nice to keep everything up out of the sand!

Coolest Giant Beach Tent: My teenage girls could sunbathe all day, but this mama needs some shade! We usually just take beach umbrellas because we don't want to lug our pop-up tent out to the beach, but on a recent beach trip, some friends of our had this tent and I was sold! It was huge, held up great in the wind, was easy to adjust for maximum shade and packed down into a small bag that was lightweight and easy to carry! 

Waterproof Portable JBL Speaker: You can't go to the beach without good music! We have two of these and they are perfect for the beach! They are small enough to pack in a suitcase if you are flying and they have a 20 hour battery life, but they pack a punch! If you aren't worried about the size, this JBL boombox is bigger, but it is still sand and waterproof and so much louder! 

Waterproof Phone Case: You know those teenagers are bringing their phones to the beach, so make sure they are protected. We learned this one the hard way on our last beach trip when our daughter didn't use one and dropped her phone in the ocean. 😬 We love to use these cases for kayaking, paddle boarding and even snorkeling to get pictures of all the water fun! 

Portable Charger Keychain: Not only is this cute and "aesthetic" as the kids say, but it will keep your devices charged all day long at the beach so the music doesn't have to stop. 😉 I love that it has all the cables built in AND can charge my apple watch too.

Trampoline Paddle Game: We got a game like this years ago and it is one of our favorite beach staples! This isn't the exact one we have, but it is the closest I could find. We have a couple of sets so we can all hit the ball around or you can use the paddles as a frisbee. 

Active Games: My teens love to play spikeball at the beach - especially if we are going with friends. On our last beach trip, we played Crossnet Volleyball and it was a blast! 

Sandproof Beach Blanket: This is a lifesaver for keeping us from getting caked with sand! You can totally use it as a blanket, but we usually lay our big quick-dry beach towel on top of it (we need a second blanket these days and I have my eye on this one because I think it is so pretty!). It dries quickly and sand shakes right off. 

Turkish Towels: Turkish Towels like this set or this one are my favorite as a mom because they pack small, dry fast and all the sand shakes right off, but we have an ongoing debate at our house because my kids love a soft fluffy beach towel like this. 

Waterproof Cards: It seems like everything you take to the beach gets wet at some point, so if your kids like playing cards, these waterproof playing cards are a great option to prevent a soggy deck. You can also grab this waterproof UNO game if that is more your family's style.

Flower Hair Claw Clip: If you have a teenage girl, she will love this cute flower claw clip. My daughter wore one on our last beach trip whenever she wanted to get her hair up and out of the way and it totally looked like she was wearing a flower in her hair! 

The Best Beach Sunscreen: Our family spends a lot of time in the sun, but it seems like we all get fried at the beach. We have tried so many sunscreens, and this is our tried and true favorite that actually works! I have still been on the hunt to find a reef-friendly sunscreen that works, though, and my friend just recommended Ocean Potion Sunscreen. We ordered some, but haven't had a chance to test it out yet. 

Favorite Beach Slides: You've gotta' have sandals at the beach, but I traded in my flip flops for these slides for more support and stability. 

Portable Beach Cooler: Snacks are essential at the beach! We like to take fruit and veggies to snack on and lots of ice cold drinks, so a good cooler is a must-have. We got this one because it was the perfect size to fit in our beach wagon, fits lots of stuff and has a latch that is easy for the kids to snap to make sure it gets closed. Unfortunately, it is sold out right now, but this Titan cooler or the YETI version look pretty similar in size and function.

Sand Removal Mitts: We have always taken baby powder with us to the beach to get the sand off (if you haven't tried that trick it is absolute magic), but I saw these and I can't wait to try them out! All the effectiveness of baby powder without the gigantic mess of white powder everywhere - yes please!

Aloe Vera: I am not sure why it has taken me so many years to figure out that you just need to pack aloe vera every time you go to the beach! Even if nobody gets sunburned, aloe cools the skin and rehydrates it after a day in the sun. But, don't waste your time with regular aloe vera or aloe lotion...this Badger Aloe Vera works wonders and my kids won't use anything else! It cools and soothes without getting sticky or plasticy and it is non-toxic with no dyes or fragrances. 

Beach Chairs: Beach chairs make the beach so much more comfortable! We usually just take our mesh-back camping chairs because they pack so easily into our beach wagon, but I love how these backpack beach chairs lean back so you can lay down. When I was getting links for the other chairs, I came across these cool folding beach chairs and I love how small and portable they are! 

What are your family's beach essentials? Is there anything I missed?