It’s finally the season to play with water! After being cooped up for months, families can finally get outside to play and explore to their hearts’ content. Water toys allow children a way to cool off, learn through STEAM related fun, play, and make the most of the outdoors whenever weather permits. They can turn an ordinary day into something exciting and bring forth the true feeling of summer water fun without requiring a pool or beach. We’ve got this summer’s best water toys for kids lined up for you to help your family have tons of fun with outdoor water toys. More:The 7 Best Sprinklers for Kids for Summer Fun
Our Top Picks
The Best Water Toys for Babies: The Best Water Toys for Toddlers: The Best Water Toys for Big Kids
What to Consider When Purchasing Water Toys for Kids
Before you start letting your dreams of summer water toy fun carry you away, here are a few things to consider before purchasing water toys:
Your Children’s Ages: Whenever water is involved, there are always safety considerations. Err on the side of what is appropriate for your youngest child to be on the safe side. Your Budget: Prices can range when considering water toys. Although many water toys are generally inexpensive, some of the more elaborate or long lasting toys can be surprisingly pricey. Are You Ready for Inflatable Toys?: There are so many fun water toys that require inflation first. When inflatable toys are on the larger side, you may want to consider purchasing an inflation device to save your sanity and your breath throughout the summer. The Size of your Outdoor Space: Some water toys naturally keep kids within a certain area. Others encourage taking up lots of space (Think: water guns). Depending on your children’s ages, space may be a consideration. Adaptability: Consider whether you are looking for a toy that can only be used in summer or whether you would like a toy that can also adapt to other seasons or being used indoors. For instance, a toddler water table set up can also be filled with sand or used as a sensory bin inside when filled with items like raw beans, raw rice, or play-doh.
How We Chose Our Favorites
We have chosen our favorite water toys for kids in 2020 using various trusted resources. We’ve based these choices in the personal experience of real parents and kids, the voices of experts, and through scouring many reviews on top websites. We’ve included some of the most helpful reviews of each water toy below.
The Best Water Toys for Babies
We love this water play mat because babies can safely play with water without getting wet. It checks all of the safety requirements for very young babies as your little one cannot fall into water, plus it’s both BPA-free and non-toxic. Your baby can experience a whole new world of tummy time with this mat and get to experience water play just like the big kids. We recommend this toy for babies who can easily hold their heads up. The Beast Reviews: “MAGIFIRE is a stylish sea-themed mat that benefits kids of all ages. The eco-friendly PVC used to make it is not only durable but also safe for kids. It is resistant to leaks and scratches too.”
These adorable bubbles spin, rattle, and float making it perfect for tiny hands who want to have some fun in the bath or in a kiddie pool. They will stimulate all of your baby’s senses, and little ones will enjoy watching the fun characters inside of the bubbles move around. We recommend this toy for babies at least four months of age.
The Best Water Toys for Toddlers
The Yookidoo Flow N Fill Spout will provide your little one nine months of age and up with so much stimulation. They can learn cause and effect as they turn the water spout on and off, experience sensory development, and watch the water run through three different places at once. There are spinning gears, tumblers and sprinklers, and you can even use the suction cup to affix this to the wall to make the most of baby’s baths. Burrito Buzz: “The Flow ‘N’ Fill Spout is so unique. The spout actually pulls up bath water and creates a fountain. The fountain can be pulled from side-to-side and there are three different cups that the water can flow into. Each cup has a different effect: one has a turning wheel, one has holes in the bottom to create a kind of sprinkler, and the other has an interior cup that pops up when it’s filled with water. The cups are easily interchangeable and surprisingly sturdy.” This inflatable splash mat is so much fun for toddlers eighteen months old and up. It is rimmed with little sprinklers and has a water sprinkling flower. It attaches easily to a garden hose and will keep your little one feeling refreshed without placing them in an actual pool of water. theZ8: “This sprinkle and splash water mat offers convenient playing for kids of different ages. It provides easy learning and also enhances strength for your kid. It delivers strength for their hands, neck, and back. Something else, the product provides enough water for your toddler, thus ensuring that they enjoy each moment.”
The Best Water Toys for Big Kids
This inflatable unicorn sprinkler is giant - approximately 87"L x 31.5"W x 63"H” - and will delight kids of all ages. Toddlers and big kids will love cooling off from a water spray coming from high up at the top of the unicorn horn. This sprinkler will be a big hit for water play, parties, and all around summer fun outdoor play. It comes with stakes so it won’t blow away on windy days. This Little Tikes water table helps toddlers develop early motor skills while having lots of water play outdoor fun. Little ones will love scooping up water from the pond and pouring it into the top waterfall tray. The put-and-place maze pieces allow kids to create new waterfalls for fun cause-and-effect STEM play. We recommend this for kids age 24 months and up. These water blasters look like foam pool noodles except they provide hours of water shooting fun. They are colorful and safe and can even float in the pool or the pond as kids play. These are fun pool toys for kids ages six years and up or for use as water toys to cool off with while running around the yard. Just make sure to have buckets of water handy so the water blasters can be filled. This giant water slide is not the slip and slide of our youth! At 31 feet long and over 5 feet wide, The Team Magnus Slip and Slide is equipped with double lanes for racing. It is easy to set up and extremely durable. Kids ages 5 through 12 will love taking water play to the next level. They will especially love the built-in sprinkler system and water blast zone. If you have a trampoline in your backyard, the Bobor Trampoline Sprinkler is the ultimate way to turn your yard into a waterpark. It is easy to connect the sprinkler to the trampoline net, and it will be safely out of the way while your kids are jumping. Bouncing on the trampoline becomes much more exciting on a hot day when you get soaked doing it. The sprinkler can also be set up around the yard if your kids need a break from jumping on the trampoline.
