Beaches are lots of people's favourite places to go: whether it's for holidays or just for days out, beaches hold a lot of happy memories for millions.

Most beaches are by the sea, although beaches can also form by the side of large rivers and lakes, and in many parts of the world these beaches are visited just as much as the more well-known sea beaches. Also, when most people think of a beach they think of sand, but that isn't always the case either: beaches can also be made of pebbles, shingle, or any other kind of rocks that have been washed up there by the sea or some other kind of water.

When you visit a beach, there are lots of things that you shouldn't forget to take. All your beach clothes are an essential, as well as towels, and kids' toys like buckets and spades for making sandcastles. You might also want to take a surfboard or even an inflatable boat with you - if you pay a visit to a beach shop sometime, you can see that the possibilities are only limited by your imagination and your wallet.

There are also lots of games you can bring with you and play on the beach, including beach cricket or baseball, boules, volleyball, football, noughts and crosses in the sand, beach darts, frisbee, and lots more besides.

If you can't get to a beach, though, you don't need to worry. More and more artificial beaches are being built in towns, so that children there can have all the fun of the seaside even though they live nowhere near the sea. They often consist of sand that has been brought by lorry, and water jets squirting from the ground to make a kind of interactive fountain that people can play in.