10 Best Water Tables, According to Parents and Experts (2024)

Just scoop some water from the lower table and pour it into the upper tier to watch the water fall down like rain. The rainfall adds a sound component to the sensory experience of water play and it's also a cool visual. There's plenty of cause and effect to learn too as the cascading water sets off a pinwheel or fills the bucket until it tips.

This set comes with 13 accessories, including several scoops and three toy creatures, making it a fun one to take out for siblings and play dates. Some parents struggle a bit with the assembly, others say it is easy, so our best advice is to give yourself some time to put it together, just in case. (Phillips-head screwdriver required.)

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Save money and space with this water playset which you can simply sit on the ground or on your toddler's plastic play table. Your kid can float boats through the channels and roll a truck along the roadway. "We kept this at their grandma's house and pulled it out onto the grass during the summertime so the kids could play," said one of our consumer testers. "It was easy for my mom to stash indoors when we weren't there."

Initially you'll have to install all the little gates, the paddle and the toy crane by popping plastic pieces into place. There isn't the big "wow" factor you get from some of the other water tables, but if your child is into vehicles, this definitely scratches that itch.

If you don't have a lot of floor or yard space to devote to a water table, this double-sided, 33-inch-high 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 shower for kids to play with (with supervision, of course!).

This version comes together a little more easily than other water tables. Hint: For many Step2 toys, the brand intentionally does not pre-drill the screw holes, you're trusted to best align the pieces and use a little downward pressure with either your screwdriver or a screw to get the hole started. If you prefer you can use a small nail and a hammer to create the starter hole. Tap each screw with a hammer to start a hole before you turn each screw into place.

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With things to turn, crank and pour at ever angle, big kids ages 5, 6 or even 7 will find something to love about this water table — and toddler friends and siblings will watch and learn from their antics, joining in to capture the floating balls from the lazy river. The balls each have a funny animal face, and when dropped into the funnel, they spin down the corkscrew chute. Some reviewers say the balls can get stuck, and if a kid tries to send some other toy down the spinner, it's likely to get jammed and you'll need to rescue it.

Kids turn the Ferris wheel to try and scoop up the balls or use the spinner to make waves. This is one water table our testers never seemed to tire of, and the low price makes it a nice value. Assembly takes less than 20 minutes and does require a screwdriver to get all the pieces tightly in place.

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, counting and more. There's also a launcher that's an entertaining way for kids to send the creatures sailing across the water table.

This water table snaps together fairly easily. Take some extra time installing the drain plug to ensure a tight fit; pushing it through from underneath works best, according to parents.

Some Montessori educators and also the National Association for the Education of Young Children recommend water play for young children for everything from sensory exploration to grasping scientific concepts. To inspire open-ended play and spark their imaginations, this large sand or water table is essentially a blank slate: Add your own toys, tools and either sand or water to DIY your own water table and let your kid come up with their own idea of fun.

Though it has a large play area, the thin legs make it lightweight enough to move around. It adjusts from 18" to 21" to 24" high to match your preschooler's height. At 7 inches deep, it lets kids really dig into sensory experiences. If kept outside, you'll want to take the bin off when not in use so it doesn't collect debris, or invest in the top to cover it.

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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. Even the lid, which keeps 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. (It's still a good idea to slather them in a kid sunscreen, though.)

This one is easy to put together. Due to the umbrella height, it's better 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 play sand that's fine and soft for kiddos.

There's so much going on with this water table, you can easily have a few kids entertaining themselves at the different stations simultaneously. The balls float down a lazy river, and Ball Buddies characters (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.

Also unique: There's a pair of toy tongs that comes with this, and kids can hone their fine-motor skills using it as a way to pick up and move the toys around. Assembly takes a bit of time but goes faster if you use a power drill to make room for the screws. This takes up about nine square feet and has two levels, so it's the largest water table on our list.

This new-to-2023 Target-exclusive version of our best overall pick comes in more neutral colors to keep your deck or patio looking less like a playroom. It was designed with a basin that looks a bit more like corrugated metal and legs that resemble wood, but all the pieces are plastic that can be hosed off and won't rust.

Like the brand's other Rain Showers tub, the primary appeal is pouring water into the top and watching it rain down below, filling up the basin and sending the pinwheel spinning and the animals floating. This table also has a little catapult so kids can fling a toy critter into the water. At just over 17 pounds, it's the heaviest on our list.

Since this is its first summer on the market, this new offering from Little Tikes merits testing from our Good Housekeeping Parenting Lab and real-life kiddos. It lays right on the ground or lawn, then folds up for easy storage. You can also attach a hose to this water table for a sprinkler effect that sends water about a foot in the air, adding to the fun. Hooking the hose up also keeps you from having to endlessly refill the playset with water as kids will undoubtedly splash some out.

We expect kids to also want to step in this or even sit in it to splash around and look forward to collecting notes from our consumer evaluators.

We look at toys in the Good Housekeeping Institute Lab and also test toys in homes with families. In the past five years, we've tested 15 different water tables to come up with this list of our 10 favorites, and testing is ongoing with the new water tables coming out this year.

We gave each water table a rating for how easy it was to put together and how simple it was to clean. Importantly, we also let the kids show us just how fun each table was! Finally, we graded each water table on how easy it was to store.

Just so you have no regrets, think about the following:

✔️ Size: Exactly how big of a water table can your deck, patio or yard handle? The traditional water tables that kids stand up to use tend to be large items that take up a lot of real estate, but there are smaller options that are thinner and vertical. Others lay on the ground and can later fold up for storage. Keep in mind that these often will still be fairly long, however.

✔️ Style: Water tables are usually made of plastic and tend to be colorful. If you prefer something that will blend in better with your backyard or patio decor, there are a few choices with more muted tones or fewer colors.

✔️ Features: Every water table should have a drain plug so you can empty it before you put it away. A cover, lid or umbrella are great to keep the water table protected from collecting debris but will add to the price.

✔️ Toys: Scoops, chutes, spinners, little characters and other toys may not come included. In general, the more, the merrier. If you've decided on a water table that comes with fewer frills, you can always supplement with your own bath toys, like this Munchkin fishing game.

Water tables have two big issues: They're mostly used outdoors, so they collect leaves and bugs, and they're, of course, filled with water, which can foster mold growth. It's a good idea to clean and disinfect the table and its associated toys regularly.

Start by draining the water table after each use, which is not only important for safety, but helps keep everything cleaner. Always read the manufacturer's instructions for specific cleaning recommendations regarding your product, but in general you can also:

• Hose down the entire water table, with the drain plug unplugged, to remove debris when needed, perhaps each time before you refill the table for play if the table stays outdoors and isn't well covered.

• Whenever needed—after each play session, or more like once a week if the water table doesn't see a lot of play—fill a bowl with water and a few drops of dish soap, dip a sponge in and use the sponge to wipe down the water table. Rinse it clean with the hose. Alternatively you could use disinfecting wipes or a spray bottle with all-purpose cleaner and then rinse the table clean.

• Run plastic toys and accessories associated with the water table through your dishwasher on the top rack.

• Clean small, hard toys prone to mold with a solution of 1/3 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water. Let toys remain wet for 6 minutes, then rinse and air dry. "Whenever you see mold, a bleach solution is best. That's why they put chlorine in swimming pools," says Home Care & Cleaning Lab Executive Director Carolyn Forte. "If you clean, air-dry and then rinse the toy thoroughly with fresh water, there's no problem using bleach." If the mold doesn't rinse clean, it's time to toss the toy.

• If the water table is stocked with sand, regularly change the sand out, too. And be sure that you always buy sand designated for play.

• Cover the table as best you can when it's not in use. You can use any weather-resistant tarp or some enterprising companies have made coverings for water tables. Keep the playset out of the sun, since sun can bleach and damage plastic toys.

For more than 100 years, the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have tested consumer products for safety, ease of use and value. Our staff of engineers, trained cooks, chemists and product experts of all sorts regularly publish lists, such as the best air fryers tested by kitchen pros and the most comfortable air mattresses.

This article was originally written by Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor Marisa LaScala, a pop-culture enthusiast who is also able to test toys with her young daughter. LaScala has researched and written dozens of age-appropriate toy lists for GH, such as the best toys and gifts for 1-year-olds.

Contributing writer Jessica Hartshorn most recently updated this guide. She's also worked at Parents magazine, where she covered the toy market, and she loves to write about fun kid things like the best bubble machines.