Looking for ways to keep your toddler engaged with their water table all summer long?? Check out these find 40+ fun and easy ways to keep your water table fun and interesting for your toddler and preschooler. Great water table ideas to beat the summer heat!
Water Table are the BEST
Water tables are a fantastic tool to keep little kids entertained during the summer months. These interactive play stations provide endless hours of fun and engagement. Little ones can splash, pour, and explore with water, which is both refreshing and exciting for them. Water tables offer a safe and contained environment for sensory play, allowing children to experiment with different water movements, discover cause and effect relationships, and engage their senses through tactile exploration.
Whether they’re using cups and scoops to pour water or floating and sinking objects, water tables provide endless entertainment and sensory stimulation. The joy and laughter that come from splashing and playing with water make water tables a go-to activity for keeping little kids happily entertained throughout the summer.
Toddlers and Water Tables
I first got a water table for my daughter when she was two years old. I bought it second hand not sure how much she would play with it. Boy was I wrong. It was such a hit that I wish I had gotten it a year earlier. When she was three I bought a new one because our old one had been left out all winter and was dirty beyond repair. It has been the best summer backyard toy hands down.
She played with it everyday when we first bought it. But after a while like everything her interest in it started to decrease. So I came up with a bunch of easy and fun things to include in our water table in order to extend its play life over the summer.
I included lots of pictures to help you as well as a list of most of the supplies you’ll need. This is your best resource this summer if you have this water table!
Ok let’s get started.
How to Choose the Best Water Table
If you are looking to purchase a water table for your little one there are few things to keep in mind:
- Play Accessories
- Size
- Drainage & Shelter
- Clean Up
Check out my post of The Best Water Tables for Hours of Outdoor Play for tips on choosing the best water table for your child.
Amazing Water Table Ideas
1. Pom Pom Water Table
A Pom Pom Water Table is all about fun and color, letting kids scoop, pour, and float bright pom poms in water. It’s a playful way to boost fine motor skills while keeping them entertained.
2. Ice Cream Water Table
Pretend play and sensory play collide with this adorable ice cream shop setup. Kids scoop, pour, and “serve” shaving cream-based ice cream treats for endless outdoor fun.
3. Frozen Pom Pom Water Table
With a Frozen Pom Pom Water Table, kids get to play with icy, colorful pom poms that melt in the water. It’s a cool twist on regular water play that’s both fun and sensory-rich.
4. Cotton Pad Art Water Table
A Cotton Pad Art Water Table lets kids dip cotton pads in watercolor and watch them float and blend into beautiful patterns. It’s a chill, artsy activity that turns the water table into a floating canvas.
5. Sponges Water Table
A Sponges Water Table is perfect for soaking, squeezing, and splashing with different-sized sponges. It’s a simple yet super fun way for kids to explore textures and play with water.
6. Rock Pool Water Table
A Rock Pool Water Table transforms your water table into a mini tide pool with smooth stones and water. Kids can have a blast pretending they’re exploring a real rock pool right in their backyard.
7. Garden Water Table
Wait what?? A water table without water?!? Hear me out! A Garden Water Table mixes gardening and instead of water you can use dirt, letting kids water toy or real plants, scoop soil, and float little garden tools. It’s a fun way to get them into gardening while splashing around and having a blast.
Watch the Garden Water Table in action on Youtube!
8. Water Table Kitchen
A Water Table Kitchen lets kids play chef with cups, spoons, and bowls, mixing and pouring water like they’re in their own mini kitchen. It’s great for imaginative play and water fun all in one.
9. Ice Water Table
One of my favourite ways to play with a water table has to be ice. It is easy to clean up and a great way to keep little ones cool! It’s all about experimenting with melting ice and feeling the cold water. It’s a refreshing way to beat the heat and adds a fun sensory twist to water play. Cool off with an ice water table that’s perfect for sensory exploration and beating the heat!
Supplies Needed
- Ice cubes (plain or colored)
- Water table
- Water (optional)
- Small scoops, spoons, and containers
How to Set Up
- Add Ice: Add plenty of ice cubes to the water table. For extra fun, use colored ice cubes by freezing water with a few drops of food coloring.
- Add water (optional): Fill a large water table with a small amount of water. If you are doing this on a really hot day you may not need to as the ice will start to melt right away added water to the water table as it melt.
- Include Tools: Place small scoops, spoons, and containers around the bin for scooping and pouring.
- Play Time: Let the kids explore the icy water, feeling the cold, scooping up ice cubes, and watching them melt.
This activity is a refreshing way to engage in sensory play and keep cool on a hot day.
10. Water Table and Funnels
This is so simple and so fun. Just grab a few funnels and let them play. The smaller the funnel the better, that way the water flows through it slower. You could also add come plastic cups or containers.
11. Vegetable Washing
For Vegetable Washing simple dump some plastic play food into the sensory bin add some dish soap and a whisk and let their imaginations take over. I would make sure that the play food is either small enough to fit down the center water slide or too big to even fit. This will save you having to dislodge stuck play food later on.
12. Magnetic Eggs Fishing
Plastic Easter eggs with small magnets, coins or counting chips inside. Think Magnetic Easter Hunt but in water!
13. Playfoam Boats Water Table
Get ready for some squishy, floaty fun with a Playfoam boats sensory bin that combines creativity and sensory play!
Supplies Needed
- Playfoam in various colors
- Toothpick
- Foam cut in the shape of a sail
- Water Table
- Water
- Optional: small toy figures or ocean animals
How to Set Up
- Create Boats: Shape the Playfoam into boat-like structures. Create the sail using a toothpick and the foam sail taped to the top. Stick it in the playroom boat.
- Fill the water table: Fill your water table halfway with water.
- Add ocean creatures: If you have small ocean creatures animals, place them in the water or on the Playfoam boats for added fun.
- Float and Play: Place the Playfoam boats in the water and let the kids enjoy floating them around, creating stories, and exploring the textures.
This simple setup provides hours of imaginative and tactile play, making it a perfect activity for a summer afternoon.
14. Dandelion Water Table
A Dandelion Water Table is all about picking dandelions and letting them float and swirl in the water. Kids will love making wishes and watching the flowers dance on the surface.
15. Giant Water Beads
So simple but so much sensory fun! Grow your giant water beads over night so that they are ready for play the next day and add bubble for the ultimate sensory water experience! Water beads are not edible and can pose a serious choking hazard or internal blockage if swallowed. They should only be used under close adult supervision and are not recommended for children under 3 years old or any child who may put items in their mouth. Always store water beads out of reach of young children and pets, and dispose of used beads properly—never pour them down the drain. A great alternative are taste safe water beads.
16. Spray Bottle
This was as simple as handing her a spray bottle and letting her spray water all over the water table. It entertained long enough for me to get some gardening done and bonus she was able to work her fine motor muscles!!
17. Pom Pom Bubbles
Combine the softness of pom poms with bubbly water in this colorful water table activity. Great for fine motor scooping and simple color sorting with a playful sensory twist.
18. Ice Kitchen Water Table
An Ice Kitchen Water Table lets kids play chef with icy ingredients, mixing and stirring cold water and frozen treats. It’s a refreshing twist on pretend kitchen play that’s perfect for hot days.
19. Outer Space Water Table
An Outer Space Water Table takes water play to another galaxy with toy astronauts, planets, and stars. It’s a stellar way for kids to explore space right in their backyard.
20. Beach Water Table
A Beach Water Table brings the seaside to your backyard with sand, water, and seashells. Kids can dig, splash, and pretend they’re at the beach.
21. Water Bead Water Table
I know water beads are very controversial and I am in no way advocating them. In my experience, they are super fun and my kids loved them. They do pose a chocking hazards and should never be used with kids under 5. If you are comfortable with using them and your kids are old enough to understand that they should not be ingested then they are simple divine!
22. Water Balloon Sensory Bin
Water balloons bring big fun to this water table activity! Whether it’s for squishing, popping, or tossing—this one’s a summer favorite that kids can’t resist.
23. Floating Rainbow Balls in the Water Table
Floating Rainbow Balls in the Water Table is all about colorful, bouncing balls that float on the water’s surface. It’s a bright and cheerful activity that will keep kids entertained for hours.
24. Dish Washing Water Table
A Dish Washing Water Table lets kids mimic washing dishes with bubbles, sponges, and toy plates. It’s a playful way to get them involved in pretend cleaning.
25. Washing Farm Animals Water Table
A Washing Farm Animals Sensory Bin lets kids clean toy farm animals in soapy water. It’s a fun way to mix pretend play with sensory exploration.
26. Colourful Ice Boats
Colorful Ice Boats are a creative twist on water play, with frozen, dyed water shaped into boats that float and melt. Kids will love watching the colors blend as the boats sail.
27. Nature Cutting Water Table
Turn the water table into a scissors skills activity! Add nature and scissors for your toddler to tear or preschooler to cut. Then… add water and turn all the cut or torn up nature into a nature soup!
28. Painting Ice Water Table
Dive into a colorful and chilly adventure with an ice painting water table that mixes art and sensory play!
Supplies Needed
- Ice cubes
- Water table
- Water (optional)
- Watercolor colors
- Paint brushes
How to Set Up
- Fill the Bin: Fill water table with ice.
- Provide Tools: Place water color paint and brushes in the water table. Lightly spray the paint with water to prepare the paint.
- Painting Time: Let the kids paint the ice cubes with the paint brushes. As the ice melts the colors will melt and combine. Watch the colors blend and create beautiful patterns.
This ice painting water table offers a unique, sensory-rich way to explore art and stay cool on a warm day.
29. Bubble Wrap Water Table
Get ready for a popping good time with a bubble wrap water table that adds a new twist to water play!
Supplies Needed
- Bubble wrap
- Water table
- Waterproof tape, small rocks, or other weights (to hold bubble wrap down, optional)
How to Set Up
- Cut the Bubble Wrap: Cut the bubble wrap to fit the bottom of your plastic bin or water table.
- Secure the Bubble Wrap: Place the bubble wrap at the bottom of the water table.
- Fill with Water: Slowly fill the water table with water. The bubble wrap will float the surface.
- Play Time: Let the kids explore, squeeze, and pop the bubbles underwater for a fun and tactile experience.
This activity combines the sensory delight of popping bubble wrap with the refreshing fun of water play, making it a hit for kids of all ages.
30. Nature Water Table
Bring the great outdoors to your backyard with a nature water table that’s perfect for little explorers!
Supplies Needed
- Water table
- Nature items collected from the backyard or park (leaves, twigs, flowers, small rocks, etc.)
- Scoopers
- Cups
How to Set Up
- Gather Nature Items: Collect a variety of natural items from your backyard or a nearby park. Look for leaves, twigs, flowers, small rocks, and anything else that catches your eye.
- Fill the Water Table: Fill the water table or large plastic bin with water.
- Add Nature Items: Place the collected nature items into the water table.
- Include Tools: Add scoopers and cups to the table for extra play options.
- Explore: Let the kids explore the natural items in the water, scooping, pouring, and creating their own little nature scenes.
31. Mystery Water Table
Turn water play into a mysterious adventure with a mystery water table full of hidden surprises!
Supplies Needed
- Water table
- Water
- Food coloring
- Cornstarch
- Small plastic toys
- Scoopers
- Cups
How to Set Up
- Prepare the Water: Fill the water table or large plastic bin with water and add a few drops of food coloring to create a colorful, mysterious effect.
- Mix in Cornstarch: Add a small amount of cornstarch to the water and stir until it dissolves. This will create a slightly thicker, more opaque water texture.
- Hide the Toys: Submerge small plastic toys in the water. The food coloring and cornstarch will make it harder to see them, adding to the mystery.
- Add Tools: Place scoopers and cups around the water table for kids to use in their exploration.
- Play and Discover: Encourage the kids to scoop, pour, and search for the hidden toys in the mysterious water.
32. Ice Rocks Sensory Bin
Cool down outdoor play with this refreshing ice rocks water table activity! Kids will love exploring the colors, textures, and temperature as they melt and scoop icy treasures.
33. Soap Fluff Sensory Play
This bubbly water table activity creates mountains of soap fluff for little hands to squish, swirl, and pour. It’s perfect for sensory seekers who love soapy fun without the mess of paint or glitter.
34. Dinosaur Small World
Turn your water table into a prehistoric land filled with dino-sized splashes! This small world setup invites kids to dig, pour, and imagine through interactive water play.
35. Frozen Lego
Add frozen LEGO blocks to your water table for an exciting melt-and-build experience. Perfect for combining STEM and sensory in a super engaging way.
36. Caps Kitchen
Recycle your bottle caps for this open-ended water table kitchen where kids can pretend, pour, and mix. A perfect imaginative play idea that also works on fine motor skills.
37. Paint Water Table
Water, washable paint, and a few brushes turn your water table into a colorful canvas. It’s process art meets sensory exploration with zero pressure on the final product.
38. Stone Washing
Let little ones “wash” stones in the water table for a satisfying scrubbing and sorting activity. This calming and practical sensory play idea never gets old.
39. Megablok Washing
Dump those Mega Bloks into the water table and let kids go to town with brushes and soap. It’s fun, functional, and encourages independent cleanup too!
40. Flower Sensory Bin
Floating flowers, scoops, and petals create a calming spring-inspired water table setup. A gentle and visually beautiful way to explore nature and water play.
41. Lego Water Table
Bring building bricks into water play with this interactive LEGO water table activity. It’s perfect for imaginative storytelling, STEM play, and splashy fine motor fun.
42. Letter Fishing
Foam letters and a slotted spoon or spatula. Have your little one spoon out the letters and match them to letters written with sidewalk chalk on the ground or just scoop them out and identity them.
43. Water Table & Popsicles
I don’t use real popsicles for this activity but food colouring and water popsicles made using popsicle molds.
44. Water and Shaving Cream
I didn’t use our water table for this activity but it would work even better in a water table. Add water, shaving cream, bowls, spoons, whisks, pots and pans for a super easy sensory activity.
Looking for more fun outdoor water activity ideas? Check out these amazing post with more ways to play with water for kids of all ages!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
WILL YOU TRY ANY OF THESE WATER TABLE IDEAS WITH YOUR KIDS THIS SUMMER? Pin it for later!
Wonderful ideas! Thank you!
You are most welcome! I’m glad you like them!
Hi Mandisa! We love our water table, but it’s slowly starting to lose its appeal, so I was so excited when I saw this post on Pinterest! Unfortunately, I’m only seeing 8 different activities listed, which were all great! Do you have 21 activities listed and I’m just missing something?
Thanks,
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for your message! In my post I listed 8 activities and then provide 13 links for activities that work well with a water table. It may not be clear in the post so I have changed it. But the links take you to other activities that work well in a water table. Simply swap out the sensory bin for your water table!
If you have any more questions just message me!
Mandisa