Young children in Cancun. Suggestions needed as to things to do.
 

Headed to Cancun soon with my 4 1/2 year old twin grandchildren, boy and girl. This will be exciting as it is their first flight. Any suggestions as to what to do and where to eat?

Senor Frogs, as always! :)

Enjoy your hotel's pool, play area, etc. with them. Visit some pyramids, enjoy the beach. You are probably already aware their attention span will be quite a bit shorter than yours so just be aware of that.

Have a wonderful time.

As much as I don't like it's unnaturalness, i have to suggest *Xcaret for a half or full day. Children love it and it is stimulating. 4.5 YO might be young for many of the activities, though. See http://www.xcaret.com (English site).

*Actual pronunciation is "sh-car-ETT" but you'll hear all kinds of versions including "ess-car-ETT".

Xel-ha has nice children's area but is a looong ride from Cancun. Also, kids under 5 are free. Xcaret's closer and its animals and butterflies might be fun.

We will be staying at the Royal Sands and it has a lot of activities for kids. Should be interesting seeing Cancun through their eyes.

Do kids that age actually tire of simple time at the beach, to the extent that they need to be "entertained"? In that case, find a nearby cenote with shallow access.
IMO most of the Mayan historical sites would be dangerous (climbing pyramids) or boring or too far, the Maya theme parks are just that (Yucatan Disney version), and some other Yucatan peninsula sights (giant turtles in Akumal, Coba, monkey park and crocodiles near Coba, floating Maya canals in Sian Ka'an, etc) are either far or require stronger swimmers than most 4.5 year olds generally are.

I would pack a couple of buckets and spades, some inflatable toys for the pool (or head to walmart when you get there) and keep it low key and local. Most of the things I have done and places I have been in the area are a long way from Cancun, or not especially kid friendly. At that age, many kids are happy to make their own fun, paddle, swim, etc. You might also want to embrace the siesta, heading in to the room after lunch for a spell out of the sun. If they will nap, great, if not, you might want to bring some games, books or electronic entertainment.

One option for a day trip that I would say could be fun would be to take the ferry over to Isla Mujeres. There is a small, but nice turtle sanctuary, lots of places to eat and drink, and you can rent a golf buggy to drive around in, which the kids might enjoy (I recommend that an adult hang on to the children just in case of sudden stops etc.)