“At the Sea-Side” is a quick snapshot of a child’s experience at the beach. Most critics argue that this is the primary meaning of the poem. Stevenson opens by introducing the reader to their first-person speaker. The poem begins: “When I…” (Line 1). Readers know that they will be getting a firsthand account of whatever experience the speaker is about to relay. The speaker sets the time and place for the reader. The usage of the past tense verb “was” (Line 1) signals to readers that speaker is relating a memory; it has already occurred. In addition to conveying time, the speaker sets the scene of the memory; it takes place “down beside the sea” (Line 1). The directional word “down” gives readers a sense that they are observing a situation from above, from a higher vantage point. “[B]eside the sea” (Line 1) sets the memory along a shoreline.

In the second line, the speaker states that they are given a “wooden spade” (Line 2). A spade is a tool like a shovel typically featuring a squared-off end as opposed to a curved one. The shape is reminiscent of small shovels children use to fill buckets in sandboxes.