Summer Fun: Best Water Toys for Kids

There’s nothing like a day spent outside in the sunshine, splashing and playing. Maybe you have a swimming pool, maybe you don’t. Either way, we’ve been trying and testing all of the best water toys for summer fun in the sun.

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Best Water Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Spot It! Waterproof is perfect for stashing in your pool bag or purse. The cards are plastic coated so it’s okay if they get a bit wet during beach vacations or a day at the pool. This game is fun for most ages and easy enough for little ones to catch on, no reading required!

The Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond Water Table is a huge hit, especially for families with more than one child. Kids can play together or independently with the same toy.

With the threat of our city pools not opening for the summer or until much later in the summer, I knew we needed something to stay cool, so I bought a kiddie pool. Any kiddie pool will do, this is the one we picked and it arrived yesterday.

Toddlers love sprinklers and this adorable Melissa and Doug sprinkler makes everyone happy. Available in a flower or caterpillar design.

We love our summertime at the splash pads but just in case they don’t open this year, I’ve taken matters into my own hands and I bought a splash pad for our backyard.

Best Water Toys for Older Kids

UNO Splash Flip is the perfect accompaniment to your pool days and beach vacations. UNO Flip Splash deck has plastic-coated cards that are water-resistant, so the deck is great to take On-the-Go and play with a group of 2 to 10 players!

Bunch O Balloons has been a hit in our house every summer. The time saved from standing at the spigot and filling each individual balloon, priceless. Suggestion, buy 10x the number of balloons you THINK you need, you’ll need a whole bunch more. Another favorite part of Bunch o Balloons, these are biodegradable balloons! You don’t have to scout around picking up all of the little pieces!
My kids love any Slip ‘n Slide and their favorite lately has been the Banzai Triple Racer 16 Ft Water Slide-with 3 bodyboards. It’s nice because three kids can go at the same time (just use caution) and the bodyboards are a fun addition. My kids love sliding without the boards too!

Water fights are a daily thing at our house and I get a little frustrated with constantly refilling the water guns or having the hose turned on over and over. This summer we’re playing with these foam water sprayers and the kids can easily refill them independently with a bucket or from the kiddie pool!

Kids of all ages are going to love this Splash Out game. It’s a fun ball with a water balloon inside and you pass it around hot potato style until the timer runs out and pops the balloon all over the person still holding it. This particular version comes with a trivia component but regular old hot potato is fun!

This game of surprise is also a great way to play and get soaked, but you never know when! Hydro Zoom Ball has you using a cord with handles to send the ball back and forth between you and an opponent and at some point, the balloon inside the ball will pop, splashing the closest person!

Our water bounce house was a gift from a friend who was finished using it. Between their family and ours, we’ve had probably 6 good summers with it and we’re inflating it again this summer! My kids LOVE this contraption and it keeps them cool and busy for long summer afternoons.

Sure, you could use a regular old sprinkler on your lawn, but this wacky sprinkler is a lot more fun for kids of most ages! It’s unpredictable!