Use your water table for more than just water! Our water table is one of the most used and versatile toys we have. We love it! It is so easy to transform to make it a new sensory experience for your little one.

Some of our favorite activities include:

-Ice Cubes-

Super simple way to have them explore melting and it’s perfect on an extra hot day. Even better is if you freeze some toys in an ice cube tray or small bowls. They can have fun using the water and other tools to "rescue" their toys from the ice.

-Painting-

We have used foam paint (shaving cream + food dye) to paint the water table. We also love to bring out watercolors and use the water from the table to paint. Have your child paint some of their water toys and then clean them off in the table!

-Pom Poms-

Throw them in the water for a new experience. When you are all done, squeeze out some of the water and lay them out to dry. They will be as good as new.

-Sand Table-

The water table does not have to be for just water. You can get a big bag of play sand at Home Depot for around $5. Or add rocks or leaves. The possibilities are endless. We bought a garden tool set to use with our sand but we also like to put in toy animals or dinosaurs for imaginary play. Add dump trucks and cranes to make a construction site. You can find little figurines to add at the dollar store!

-Bubbles-

You can use bath soap bubbles or add a few drops of dish soap before you fill it up. You can also use the bath color drops or food dye to add color as well.

-Water beads-

These are magic or kids and can be found on amazon. They will dry up when they are done and are easy to clean. Or you can add more water and reuse them.

-Make Foam-

You can make foam in your blender by adding 2 tablespoons of dish soap and ¼ cup of water. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes. You can add some food dye for some color too. We added measuring cups, drinking cups and a muffin tray to work on scooping and pouring. I like to buy some measuring cups and cartoon cups at the dollar store to use just for our sensory activities. Bonus- the recipe is simple and fun enough that your child may be able to help you make the foam!

-Legos-

Even older toys can seem like new when put in a new environment. Kids will love watching them float in the water and building in a new way.

-Rainbow Rice-

We like to make rainbow rice but just normal rice works too! Add measuring cups and cups to help them with fine motor skills. To make rainbow rice you mix 1 cup uncooked rice with 1 tablespoon vinegar and some food color drops. Lay the different colors on a cookie sheet to dry and wait a few hours. Then mix all the colors together!

-Car Wash-

Turn your water table into a toy or car washing station! Bring out toy cars or any toy that can get wet and have your kid wash them in the table! Bring out a cookie tray and towels to dry the toys and have a clean area for them to go. Have another bowl with some soapy water and scrub brushes for the washing!

-Pond Play-

Add some leaves, dandelions, rocks and other nature items to make a “pond” in the water. Some of the dandelions and leaves with float and you can add in some dollar store frogs and fish for some imaginary play.

-Sink or Float-

A classic science experiment is to see what sinks and floats. Gather some toys (or have your kids choose some) and before dropping them in the water table choose if they will sink or float. Some may surprise you! You can have a two cookie trays out to place the items in the two categories so they can see how many did sink or float!

Or simply bring out new toys for the water. We like to try out different (safe) utensils from our kitchen. Teachings them great fine motor skills. Have fun!

-Amber Sharapata

Fun Water Table Play Ideas