8 Best Kids' Water Tables for Outdoor Sensory Play

The Heeler family floats around the lazy river or plays on a sand beach in the middle of this value-priced water table. The separate compartments allow for both water and sand sensory play, but you'll need to buy play sand separately.

This table comes with a lid to keep out debris between uses. Kids get all four family members—Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, and Chilli— each attached to a boat or a floatie. The table is low to the ground (19 inches high) and perfect for preschoolers.

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With this new Step2 model, there’s plenty of room for two toddlers. A unique "Coolbreeze MIsting Canopy" offers shade and sprays down water to keep kids cool as they play. Be sure they're dressed in their swimsuits!

The Sunshine Springs Splash Water Table won our most recent Best Toy Award. “We had another water table and my son barely touched it. He loves this, and the umbrella mist feature was a game changer for both of us,” said a parent. Another said, “It has a deep bowl that fills and drains easily, and its round design is big enough for multiple kids. It cleans easily and is very sturdy.”

Accessories include several scoops plus a mini dolphin and little fish toy.

This is for 18 months and up, good for babies who can stand up and young toddlers. There's so much going on, you can have a few kids playing together. The balls float down a lazy river. Ball Buddies (a train, a boat, a dump truck, and a helicopter) let kids transport the colorful balls around while engaging in imaginative play. The two-tier table also has room for vehicles to drive on the upper level.

This comes with a pair of toy tongs, so kids can hone their fine-motor skills using it as a way to pick up and move the balls around. Assembly takes a bit of time but goes faster if you use a power drill to make room for the screws. This is about three feet in diameter and has two levels, so it needs some space.

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If you don't have a lot of floor or yard space, this double-sided play wall allows you to go vertical. Kids can scoop water from the bottom lagoon and pour it into the top, then watch it cascade down through the spinners, chutes, and other accessories.

All the pieces can be moved from one peg to another, so kids will keep busy creating new paths and learning about gravity and cause and effect. (It's very STEM-friendly!) This doesn't come with any cute toy creatures but you can always float your own bath duck in the bottom water reservoir.

When the weather gets cooler, online reviewers say they place this in the bathroom shower for kids to play with (with supervision, of course). They also say the assembly is a little easier versus traditional water tables.

If you're looking for a water table for an older kid, the science lab-looking sensory table from KiwiCo is super cool. A clear panel gets mounted vertically. Kids can suction on and off the pipes and spinners, creating custom water paths. They can also draw with the three included paint crayons. (You might want extra; maybe these from Crayola.)

This can be used as a sand table, too. There are three height adjustments, so it can grow taller as your kid does. Online reviewers say this one is easy to put together, and fun even for big kids ages 5+.

The hitch is that it has wood components which are water-resistant but not as waterproof as plastic. The wood pieces can get cracked or warped, according to online reviewers, so be sure to store this under a roof and don't let water sit inside the table between uses. (Good advice even for plastic water tables!)

Pour water from the clear fishbowl down the slide to create a current for plastic critters to float on, then use the fishing pole and net to catch them. Catching the fish helps kids with fine motor coordination and counting—and gives kids a built-in game. There's also a launcher that's an entertaining way for kids to send the frog or other creatures sailing into the water.

This outdoor toy snaps together fairly easily. Take some extra time to install the drain plug to ensure a tight fit; pushing it through from underneath works best, according to parents who have used this. We like that this water table is a good value, too.

Pick a side: This table has a compartment that can hold up to 10 pounds of sand on one half and three gallons of water on the other, with enough room for a few kids to get in on the action. The lid, which helps keep the table clean between uses, flips over to transform into a roadway for toy cars. The lid has elastic ties to keep things securely shut, but our other favorite feature is the included umbrella to shade kids from the sun.

Due to the low umbrella height, this choice is best for toddlers and preschoolers rather than big kids. You might want to supplement with some of your own toys such as vehicles (none are included). When adding sand, be sure to buy sandbox-grade play sand that's fine-grained and soft for kiddos.

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