Water holds an irresistible attraction for children. Just watch kids as they conquer force with the aid of gravity. They become captivated as they engage in rhythmic activities enhanced by water toys with hypnotic effect. Water is one of few media easily available to both urban and rural kids. Water play offers a wealth of sensory pleasure and learning foundation STEM skills and concepts. When children are given the opportunity to freely engage, they experience the satisfactions of mastery and achievement.
Srinivas Bandari
Summer is almost here and while we do not know how long restrictions will be in place, due to the pandemic, water toys are valuable resources parents may invest in. Parents may use the backyard for their kids to have fun and support learning. I am happy to present to parents and families the best water toys for kids summer backyard fun and learning.
Benefits of Water-Play
- Children learn to engage with form and texture and children handle it as they wish
- Water is easy to explore through play
- Water play allows children to engage in a variety of activities
- Provides sensory experiences offering learning by doing
- Children are always enthused and want to engage, very appealing
- Water play offers children satisfaction, relaxation and releases tension
Water -Play: STEM Concepts/ Skills
Parents and families should always give children the opportunity to engage in water play to the point of total satisfaction. Much learning takes place with exuberance and joy on display. How does STEM relate to learning taking place during water play? By providing water toys, this increase children’s opportunity for self-discovery, exploring and experimenting with sensations and movements. Children make discoveries about the effect of force or manipulation on water. They see this through floating, sinking, motion of stirring, blowing, sprinkling, pouring and swimming.
Children ultimately learns the basic concepts of the effects of pressure, forces, resistance and use the knowledge they derive through their experiences to gain understanding of the world and how things operate. As children get older and are introduced to advance STEM subjects they will be able to feel confident and relate to subject matter as the basic skills and concepts are already learnt. This set them up on the road to succeed in STEM.
Jeremiah Lawrence
It is through these experiences that children’s meta- cognitive skills will be expanded to stimulate multi -sensory investigation of the physical world and other substances. Therefore, parents and families are encouraged to give children the time, resources and opportunities to explore through water play to spark exploration, discoveries and innovations. Let us go now and find the best water toys for your child.
Disclosure-This page contains affiliate or referral links which lead to products I may receive compensation for if you decide to click through and buy anything. I receive a small commission that helps me maintain this website. This is at no extra cost to you. The information in this post is based on research and professional experience. I am not paid for my opinions, suggestions or recommendations. I take the time to research the best resources and make them available to you. I never recommend poor-quality products or create false reviews for sales. You are free to make your own decisions when purchasing.
Top Water -Toy Recommendations
Inflatable Tire Run with Sprinkler
Dash and splash through 8 inflatable tires on this one-piece sprinkler!
Easy-to-see black tires on a blue base
Over 14’ long!
Central sprinkler sprays water to the left and the right!
Can also be used without the sprinkler effect for year round tire run fun
Made to outlast even the most active play
Designed with holes for four ground stakes (included)
Connects to a standard garden hose
Inflate tires from a single air nozzle (pump sold separately)
Just set it up and play. Keep busy (and cool!) all summer long with this exciting and unique backyard sprinkler.
Giant Inflatable Rainbow Arch Sprinkler
Picture the ultimate summer kid-pleaser: a giant, inflatable sprinkler!
This arched rainbow of cool water and brightly-striped color is anchored in white clouds designed with pockets to hold sand or water for increased stability (sand not included).
Inflate the heavy-duty vinyl sprinkler in your own backyard and safely attach a standard garden hose to the inner curve of the rainbow to create a continuous summer shower of watery fun.
Fountain Splash Pad Sprinkler
Splish, splashy fun for the little ones with Fountain Splash Pad Sprinkler
Features 60” diam. Splash pad with colorful printed fish and cute scalloped edge
Shallow inflated rim keeps water contained
Water shoots from rim of pool for a gentle fountain
Connects easily to a standard garden hose
Perfect for cooling-off on hot days.
It’s a great way to get younger kids engaged in active water play!
Ultimate Dual Water Slide Sprinkler, Splash Pool, and Two Speed Boards
Super long 25’ Ultimate Dual Water Slide
Wide enough for two kids to slide at once.
Sprinkler in the middle keeps kid soaked all the way through.
Blue and green slide includes two inflatable speed boards and four ground stakes
Inflated sides keep water contained for slippery fun
Easy set up—connects to a standard garden hose
Inflates and deflates easily (pump sold separately)
Take a long, wet ride on this super long Ultimate Dual Water Slide!
Inflatable Super Backyard Water Slide
Turn your backyard into a wet and wild wonderland with this inflatable slide.
Simply connect any garden hose to create a slippery mist on the slide and slip on down!
Feature handles to hold onto as kids climb up the step in the back.
Inflates and deflates quickly so you can set it up in a jiffy and store
it easily between uses.
Works great on grass, or place it poolside for kids to slide right into the water.
Water-weighted base keeps it steady as they go! Holds up to 150 lbs.
Other posts of interest :
- The Best Outdoor Resources for Your Child’s Fun and STEM Learning
- Best Parenting Resources for STEM Awareness
- Building Children’s STEM Awareness Through Coding
- Best Craft Kits for Kid’s STEM Awareness
Take-A- Ways
Water holds an irresistible attraction for children. Water play using water toys give children opportunities for experimentation and exploration. Children are always enthused and want to engage since it is very appealing. Water play offers children satisfaction, relaxation and releases tension.
Water play offers a wealth of sensory pleasure and learning foundation STEM skills and concepts. It is through these experiences that children meta- cognitive skills will be expanded to stimulate children multi sensory investigation of the physical world and other substances.
These recommended water toys are valuable resources parents may invest in. Do it for your child now and you will reap the benefits later.
This post was especially written for parents and families to support children’s development through water play using to water toys. I hope after reading you are better able to choose water toys to support children’s play and learning. Please feel free to leave your opinions, ideas, comments, and questions relating to this post. I am more than happy to respond to you in a timely manner.
I welcome you sharing your child’s backyard water play experiences using these suggested resources. Thank you for stopping by and have fun engaging your children!
Tracy-Ann Morgan, PhD, JP
