Water Play Ideas for Toddlers

When the weather is warm, there isn’t anything more fun than water.

Kids can splash, swim, and have loads of fun while they’re playing. You can keep it simple with a small bin of water (or even the bathtub). Or, you can have fun with one of these water play ideas for toddlers.

I selected these activities for toddlers because they were fun, simple, and appropriate for your 2 and 3 year olds. But, it’s very important to supervise your child carefully while playing with water. In addition, some of these activities use small items. You know your child best, so only choose an activity that is appropriate for them.

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What is water play?

What exactly is water play? Basically, it’s a fun and open-ended sensory activity that uses water.

You can incorporate all sorts of learning activity into water play such as fine motor, scooping and pouring, color mixing, counting, etc.

It’s fun, sometimes messy, and can be done inside and out!

Are you ready to have some fun?

Water Sensory Bins for Toddlers

Get out the rubber duckies for this fun Pond Sensory Bin from In Our Pond.

Add lemons to the water for a fun Lemon Sensory Bin from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Play with letters in water with this fun Alphabet Sensory Bin from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds. These awesome letters and numbers from Little Tikes are perfect for using with water!

Combine flower petals with water for this Flower Petal Sensory Play idea from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Add some sharks to water for this fun Shark Sensory Bin from Mommy’s Bundle.

Have fun scooping with this fun and simple Scooping Blocks Sensory Bin from My Bored Toddler.

Play with sand and water with this fun Ocean Sensory Bin from Fun Learning for Kids.

Practice sorting colors with this fun Color Sorting Water Bin from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds.

Large plastic bins are perfect to use for indoor water play. Try a plastic underbed storage bin. It’s shallow, for easy access and has a lid so an adult can move it with minimal mess. Put a large beach towel underneath to soak up any spills.

Outdoor Water Fun for Toddlers

Have fun painting with water with this low-mess and super-fun outdoor activity from Mama Smiles.

Get out the hose and spray at targets with this fun idea from Busy Toddler.

Water the alphabet flowers with this fun driveway activity from Fun Learning for Kids.

Get out the water sprinklers and have some fun using these tips from Rhythms of Play.

Throw some fun Sponge Water Bombs with this fun idea from Messy Little Monster.

Paint your driveway with water with this fun idea from Hands On As We Grow.

An outdoor water table is a great investment for water play. You can choose a simple water table or a fun, themed water table like this pirate ship.

More Water Play Ideas for Toddlers

Keep it simple with some pouring and scooping with our water play for toddlers idea.

Exercise your fine motor skills with this fun Pom Pom Squeeze Water Play idea from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Add some ice to water for this fun scooping and transferring activity from Busy Toddler.

Try some simple science when you see what will sink and what will float with this fun idea from Rainy Day Mum.

Practice pouring with this fun Pouring Station idea from Busy Toddler.

Go Fishing for Numbers in the water table with this idea from Buggy and Buddy.

This toy washing station from Busy Toddler is always a popular and fun idea!

Experiment with a simple Water Wall with this fun idea from There’s Just One Mommy.

Scoop and pour these fun edible water beads from The Art Kit.

Save your bottle caps for this fun Bottle Cap Soup idea from School Time Snippets.

Float some Sponge Sailboats in water with this fun idea from Easy Peasy and Fun.

Grab some squirt bottle so you can Squirt the Numbers with this fun idea from Days with Grey.

Which of these water play ideas for toddlers do you want to try with your kids?

You may also like one of these fun toddler activities:

Cardboard Roll Stamping for Toddlers

Easy Umbrella Craft

Ice Play for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Let’s Go on a Listening Walk

My recommended resource for toddlers

Do you enjoy doing activities with your toddler? Grab your copy of PLAY from Hands On As We Grow for fun and simple activity that you can do.

It’s so great to have activities ready to go, isn’t it?

Check out this fun set of activity plans here.

Do more activities with your kids!

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.