Indoor & Outdoor Water Table Activity!

Written on March 21, 2023

by Jordan Engdahl

Let it Rain! Let is Snow! Let it be messy! …. In the house!

Are you ready for it? 

If it’s winter, and the only option is to play inside, bring the mess indoors!

Disclaimer… this activity is only available on days that you’re able to control your patience. Haha!

I have also included different ways to use your Water Table outside as well! If you do not have a “Water Table,” don’t fret! Take a large bin or bowl and use it the same way! Just like a sensory table.

It melts when you squish it!

For SUMMER months, bringing the water table outside is the perfect way for your kids to cool off and get some energy out without having to get the whole pool out. 

For WINTER months, bring the water or snow (if you live in colder states) into the house! Even though it sounds like a crazy mess, it is so much fun and keeps the children occupied for a little bit longer!

You may have to supervise this just a little extra and model some rules of keeping it in the tub as much as possible. But hear me out, because they are going to have a blast with it! 

Bringing this activity inside will be such a fun experience as they think they’re doing something SO COOL! Water and snow don’t, normally, belong inside! “What are we crazy adults thinking?!”

So get ready, because the more kids you add to the table, the more splashing is going to be happening outside of it. 

Ways to use your Water Table INSIDE:

• Fill with water (only a couple inches), put on a hard floor that can get wet, but add many towels underneath it

• Find different areas to put it in your house: large showers with doors/bathtubs

• Fill with clean snow (as they most likely will try to eat it)

• Fill with ice cubes & shovels/buckets to scoop (Beware, these can be a Choking Hazard) 

• You can even fill it with “dry” materials as well! Pom poms, beads, blended Cheerio sand, rice or beans, water beads, cooked spaghetti, dry pasta, the ideas are endless! This is a great way to turn the table into a magical Sensory Table. Put the base in and then add other small toys or spoons and buckets to play in it. Pinterest is a great resource for this!

Ways to use your Water Table OUTSIDE:

• Fill with water and beach toys

• Fill with water and sponges

• Fill with water, but put the Water table in a blow up pool, can fill a couple inches (two in one!)

• Fill with sand (this is a bit of a messier clean up)

• Fill with whipped cream or shaving cream (reminder that children like to put stuff in their mouths though)

• Fill with Bubble bath soap

• Put child kitchen dishes/hard toy animals in there and let them “wash” them

• Fill with water & seashells to explore 

• Freeze small toys into ice cube trays and let them try to melt them in the table

• Let them play with it in the rain even! (If there’s no threat of a storm)

• If it’s a snowy winter, bring the table out and play with the snow as messy as you want. (Sometimes my toddler doesn’t know what to do in the snow outside yet, so giving them an actual object to play with helps open up their imagination)

*You most definitely can do the same activities inside and outside. It just depends on the mess you are willing to clean up that day!

You can put SO many different items into these tables to make experiments, learning experiences, or for pure play time. A great idea would be to look on Pinterest for more ideas! 

While bringing these activities inside, in the winter, can be a great way to get through the cold season, many of the activities will be a BLAST for children to do out in the yard, where they can make as much of a mess as possible! 

Just strip them down, put them in a bathing suit, or just change their clothes afterwards! If it’s just water, it not going to ruin any clothes! But, don’t forget the sunscreen outside!

Developmental Aspects

Imagination

Fine motor

Gross motor

Hand eye coordination

Learning textures and temperatures

Remember, activities like these can always be adjusted based on the child’s interests or sensory levels enjoyed. You know what your child likes best, so add in those things they love and enjoy! 

Gloves! A great way to accomodate sensory issues.

Have Fun! …. And don’t come back here complaining about the mess you might’ve had to clean up… just kidding! But, enjoy the experience! 

Enjoy this photo of Mojo begging hard for that snow! And Rilynn enjoying a nice refreshment!