How to Entertain Children at Sea: Tips for Keeping Kids Engaged During Long Charters

Long yacht voyages can be magical for families, but they can also be challenging when it comes to keeping children entertained. The solution? Creative, interactive activities that turn the journey into an adventure.

For younger children, tech-free games and marine-themed crafts are ideal. Try “Message in a Bottle” storytelling or shell art projects using treasures found on the shore. Older children might enjoy jewellery making, celebratory card creating (there is always something to celebrate on a charter!), or even baking with the onboard chef. The key is to leverage the yacht’s unique environment—every wave and beach can be a new world to explore.

I find it best to focus on activities and crafts which are one-and-done. By this, I mean things that are completed in one sitting, as otherwise we end up with a crew mess full of half completed projects that kids loose interest in and not much finished work to show family members.

To keep things entertaining, and not feeling like a lesson, I find it best to weave learning into the day. Some of the ways this can be done include:
• Practising different swimming strokes within a game of Ministry of Silly Jumps
• Discussing the geography of the landscape while on a tender ride ashore
• Reading bedtime stories together – they read one page, you read one page
• Learning about different foods with the chefs
• A little bit of science through a mocktail mixology class with stewardesses. Depending on level, you can discuss why oil and water doesn’t mix or about liquids and solids (ice cubes)

By focusing on the sensory and educational elements of a sea journey, these activities ensure kids are engaged, entertained, and creating lasting memories. I hope this has been insightful to you, my ultimate family charter pack dives into a lot more detail, get it here.