Toddler Sensory Play: Water Table Activities We Love

We really prioritize spending time outdoors. There are so many great benefits for both parent and child. Sometimes you just want to stay home instead of going to the playground, so it’s great to have loads of outdoor activities your child enjoys. We love to kick a ball in the yard, take a nature walk around the block, or set up our plastic pool. 

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We also decided to order a water table this year, hoping our daughter would enjoy having somewhere to cool off without setting up the pool. She’s absolutely obsessed with the sand + water table we picked from Step2. I chose this one because it comes with an umbrella and a cover. The cover has been super helpful for keeping it clean all summer. I also love that the table is split into two sides to allow sand, water, and other activities. We’ve found some fun ways to take advantage of the separate sides and I want to share a few of our favorite sensory water table activities we’ve done (or plan to do) this summer. 

Shaving Cream & Pom-Poms

We filled both sides with water, sprayed some foam shaving cream on one side, and then sprinkled pom-poms on top. My daughter spent at least 10 minutes picking the little pom-poms off, dunking them in the water, squishing the water out on the sidewalk, and filling up the little bucket that came with her table.

Cups & Buckets

My daughter’s favorite thing to do with water is fill up cups, buckets, or anything else she can find. Some days we bring out different-sized cups and she takes turns filling them and dumping them all over herself. She also likes to sneak a few drinks too.

Rock Car Wash

My daughter invented this activity all on her own, so it’s one of our favorites. We collect all the rocks (or pieces of cement) we can find, stack them on the edges, and she dunks them, puts them in her bucket, and runs them through the sieve from her kit. It’s super easy!

Water & Sand

This is simple and the main purpose of the table, but we haven’t gotten around to adding sand yet. I think it will be great when it starts to cool down a bit and we don’t want to do water play. Our sand/water combo table comes with so many fun sand toys that she’ll enjoy.

Sponges

We cut up a few sponges and use water on one side while she squeezes water into the other. She also loves putting them on the cement, squishing them, and watching the water come out. It’s so cheap and quick!

Bubbles

This was another easy idea—we filled some bowls with dish soap and warm water, then “frothed” the bubbles with our milk frother (a whisk would work too). The bubbles lasted the entire time we were outside. Such a fun little hack we discovered!

Other fun ideas we’ve pinned:

Check out my Kids board on Pinterest for even more ideas!

Another super popular water table is this two-level water table. I’m sure you’ve seen this one all over social media—it’s everywhere this year! I’m also eyeing this water maze. My daughter would love watching the water (especially if you had some buckets of different colored water to choose from) flow down.

We’ve had so much fun experimenting with different activities, and I love how easy a water table makes outdoor play. If you’re looking for simple ways to keep your little one entertained this summer, a water table has been one of our best purchases.

Do you have a favorite water table activity? Share it in the comments!

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Our Water & Sand Table– Love the umbrella + cover combo to keep it clean.

Viral Two-Level Water Table (+cover)– The cover is so worth it to keep out bugs and leaves.

Water Maze– Fun alternative to a typical water table.

Water Pump Table– Kids would love pumping/pouring.

Splash + Swim Pond– Best of both worlds: pool+ water table in one!