What can children do in the Maldives?
Is the Maldives fun for kids?
Absolutely yes! You may think the Maldives is strictly for couples and honeymooners but over 50% of the resorts in the Maldives provide childcare in the form of a kid’s club. Many more offer a personal babysitting service at an additional cost. Further islands offer child specific activities, and many have parent supervised play areas such as playgrounds and areas to play sports. Approximately 86% of resorts have a public swimming pool for guest use.
Many children’s clubs are complimentary and are available throughout your stay. These range from resorts with childcare in a relaxed, child friendly play area to resorts with jam-packed schedules so your kids can learn and experience as many things as possible.
If you visit an island resort without a kid’s club or want to find other things to do with your young children, then there are still plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained.
Beyond the childcare, play and activities of the Kid’s Club you can try the following with your children:
Snorkelling
Although it is often advised to wait until a child is 5 or 6 to begin snorkelling, there is no official minimum age limit. If they have a well fitted mask and can comfortably breath through a snorkel, they can give it a go!
Being able to swim is a bonus but life jackets are available to hire at the resort dive centres or you could use your own inflatable arm bands or noddle.
We recommend practicing in the swimming pool first or even the bathtub! Children must be accompanied at all times whether in the swimming pool or sea. Even for those children who are strong swimmers, you may want to consider a life jacket or inflatable as snorkelling in the sea can get tiring very quickly!
Many resorts have a house reef which is free to explore as much as you like. You will likely be given information at the beginning of your stay which will include a resort map with the snorkelling channels marked as well as the house reef, if there is one. For those which don’t have a house reef, there may be a regular boat to take guests from the island to a local snorkelling hotspot.
Remember to make a note of where the strong currents and jetties are with regular boat traffic, so you avoid those areas.
It is also worth going over snorkelling and swimming safety with your children, including a lesson on not touching the coral.
Swimming
Most resorts in the Maldives have a freshwater public swimming pool for all guests to use during their stay. Many also have private pools attached to beach villas or overwater villas. Others may have a shallow lagoon appropriate for swimming. These will have very minimal tidal currants and crystal-clear waters. Whilst you may get coral and other sea life in a lagoon, it may be limited, and the creatures will often be smaller. This could be a perfect introduction to the ocean and ocean life for young children.
Scuba Diving (age limits apply)
Every resort has a dive centre with an experienced and friendly staff team ready to help you explore the underwater world. Courses are usually offered for anyone over 10 years of age and all equipment can be hired on the island. Some resorts have PADI courses for as young as 8 years old!
If you have an older child who has experience with scuba diving, either in the Maldives or elsewhere, then remember to bring along any certification cards and logbooks. This goes for the adults too!
Playing on the beach
Bring along your bucket and spade and have fun playing on the white sands of the beaches which surround the islands. With the sea never far away, wetting the sand to make sandcastles is a breeze. And there is no shortage of small shells and washed-up coral to decorate them. Just ensure you leave them on the beach and don’t bring them home with you.
Although there are many small white crabs on the beach, they are surprisingly fast and don’t want to be trodden on so will run away at the slightest sign of a human, even a small one! Hermit crabs are also fascinating to watch, especially if you see them swapping their shells. Some can be quite large in the Maldives but if you leave them alone, they can’t hurt you. Just be careful picking up any pretty shells!
Despite the sun there is often plenty of shade on the beaches, either in the undergrowth or under the permanent umbrella/gazebo structures.
Lastly you can’t beat paddling in the water with little ones, jumping over waves and creating those core memories.
Play areas and Swings
For those with a kids’ club they will likely have a play area/playground equipped with all sorts of fun things for children of all ages. Other resorts, without a kid’s club, may also have play areas for young children to enjoy with parental supervision.
Many resorts have an abundance of swings such as the traditional Maldivian swings or over water swings. There is never a shortage of photographic spots!
Water sports
There are so many options to choose from if you’re a fan of water sports. Beyond snorkelling, swimming, and diving, there are many water sporting activities to take part in during your stay in the Maldives.
From canoes and paddle boards to windsurfing and wakeboarding, jet skis, fly boarding, fun tubing, and catamaran rentals. There is something for everyone, at every stage of life.
Excursions
Resorts will have a wide range of excursions available during your stay. Some common ones include sunset cruises, dolphin safaris, picnics on an uninhabited island, fishing trips, visiting local islands, and diving and snorkelling trips to famous spots to see sea turtles, manta rays, whale sharks and more.
While some excursions are aimed at adults only, many are family activities and can be enjoyed by even the youngest family members.
Shark and Ray Daily Feeding
Ask your resort about a daily shark and sting ray feeding. Many resorts partake each day before sunset where the sharks and rays gather. These are often the friendly Tawny Nurse Sharks and stingrays. You can view this from the beach or jetty at a safe distance or sometimes feed them yourselves, subject to resort rules.
Games rooms
Some resorts have a games room filled with board games, books, darts board, table tennis, table football (fußball), billiards, TVs etc. Perfect for the whole family to fill up the odd hours between activities.
Sports and Gyms (age limits may apply)
Most resorts have some sort of sports complex or gym available to guests. Many have tennis courts, yoga studios/platforms, and beach volleyball. Some others have squash courts, basketball courts and badminton courts. A few even have golf courses and football pitches.
Wildlife spotting
Not only is there fascinating wildlife in the ocean but also on land in the Maldives. A few common ones to look out for are crabs, hermit crabs, fruit bats, geckos, water hens and herons. There are no dangerous land animals in the Maldives. You can read more about the wildlife you will encounter on our Maldives Wildlife page.
Biking
On some of the larger resorts you may have access to bicycles to get around the island quicker. With no hills in the Maldives, it makes it quite easy for children to independently cycle around the island. Most islands, however, are too small to need bikes or else don’t have adequate cycle paths for biking.