Creating a Special Box of Toys Helpful pontooning hints from the staff of Pontoon Boat Guide.

While older children will revel in watersports, beachcombing, sunbathing and other activities, smaller children may need a little extra direction with their pontoon playtime. One popular solution is to have a special Pontoon Boat Toy Box for the younger set. You can do this one of two ways:

1. Create the Pontoon Toy Box with your children. Describe to them all the fun things you will be doing on the boat, and ask them what sorts of toys they would like to bring. Allow them to help choose the toys that will go into the box. Then put the box away for your next pontoon outing. Remind the children that a day on the pontoon boat means a special day with the Pontoon Toy Box. Give them unlimited access to those toys while on the boat, and when you come home, the toy box gets put away until next time.
2. Another option is to create the Pontoon Toy Box on your own, filling it with new toys for use on the boat. Surprise your children with the toy box when your boat is somewhere stationary for a substantial period of time — at the dock, on the hook or on the beach. Otherwise, you'll have kids clamoring for those new, exciting toys all the way to the anchorage or your next port of call!

Some suggestions for the Pontoon Toy Box include: plastic pails, shovels and other sand toys for time at the beach; children's fishing sets; toy boats; paper, crayons and books for the cockpit table; travel games; and stuffed animals for nap- or quiet-time cuddling. Avoid toys with removable parts and games with too many small pieces, as they're bound to go missing. And leave the electronic games at home; boating will allow your children to unleash their creative selves without the help of technology. You'll be amazed at how quickly it happens — and how completely they embrace the opportunity.

A note for cruising pontoon boaters:
The toy box may lose some of its luster if you're cruising for several days with the kids. While the adults are enjoying the sights and sounds on the water, younger children can get bored. So, before you leave home, come up with a list of games the entire family can play. Perhaps you can challenge everyone to find different birds, fish and other wildlife. You might want to identify and count different types of boats. You also can engage the kids with tried-and-true road-trip games like "I Spy"; this is a great game for cruising, since there are so many different and exciting things to see. Bring along a pair of binoculars, and pack a little notebook for everyone; it can serve as a pontoon boat journal, and it provides a record-keeping space for on-water games and wildlife watching.

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