Are you searching for a backyard activity for your baby, toddler, or young child this summer? Water tables are perfect for summer fun!
Water tables don’t take up too much room, are easy to set up, easy to clean, and can provide hours of entertainment for your kiddos. Additionally, water tables are a great way to cool off on a hot day.
Popular Water Tables
Sure, water tables are plain old fun with water and water toys, but did you know you could use them in other ways as well?
Check out some other ways to play below.
Bubble Foam
You will need:
Step 1: Mix 2 parts water to 1 part bubble bath. For example: 1 cup water + 1/2 cup bubble bath
Some people use dish soap, but I decided to use something tear free because I knew my kiddos would get it everywhere- including their eyes!
Step 2: Add a little food coloring for color, then whip mixture with a hand mixer on medium-high for one minute.
Step 3: Transfer your bubble foam to your water table and let the fun begin!
We LOVE bubble foam! It is so fun to play with just the bubble foam alone, but you could add some other toys in the foam as well. Maybe you want to have a car wash and have your child wash toy cars in the bubble foam, or maybe they just want to search for toys in the bubble foam. Whatever you do with bubble foam, your kiddos are sure to have a blast with it!
REMINDER: Make sure to use tear free bubbles!
Water Beads
You will need:
- Water Beads
- Water
- Large Bowl
- Fine Motor Tools
- Cups & Scoops
Step 1: Follow the directions for your specific water beads. Place the designated amount of water beads and designated amount of water into a large bowl. Let them sit for a few hours or even overnight and let them grow!
Step 2: Pour your water beads into your water table with or without extra water and play away!
My children love water beads! I especially enjoy the water beads we purchased from Amazon as they came with some great fine motor tools to scoop and sort the beads. Water beads are a great sensory toy, and there are tons of ways kids can play with them. You could add some other toys in the water beads for children to find, you can sort beads by colors, or you can simply have children scoop and play.
CAUTION: Water beds are a sensory play toy that many young children enjoy using. With that being said, the American Academy of Pediatrics also warns that they can pose a huge life threatening risk when they are used unsupervised. Please always supervise your children while playing with water beads. You can learn more about water beads and their risks in the Instagram Post below.
Kinetic Sand
You will need:
Step 1: Empty kinetic sand and toys of choice into dry water table.
Step 2: Play!
My kids love kinetic sand and are entertained for hours whenever we take it out! There are so many ways to play with kinetic sand. We ordered some great toys from Amazon that came in categorized tubes of sea creatures, insects, dinosaurs, zoo animals, and farm animals. My son is really enjoying playing with the dinosaurs and he also puts his construction toys in the sand. My daughter enjoys building sand castles using her sand toys, but she also really loves to play with the zoo animals as well! The opportunities for play are endless with kinetic sand. An added BONUS it that is kinetic sand is not messy like normal sand would be.
These are just a few alternatives to water that you could use in your water table for summer play. The play activities are endless for water tables! Which type of water table play would your child enjoy the most?
