Best sand and water play tables 2022: Outdoor fun for toddlers and kids

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

Don’t be dejected by the reasonable price tag of the Dolu 3-in-1 activity, sand and water table. Superbly designed, this ticks all the boxes. Easy to assemble? Tick (in fact, it didn’t even require the instructions). Entertaining? Big tick; the added tower in the middle totally captured our tester’s attention – plus there’s even two little sailing boats included. Multipurpose? Absolutely, use it for sand, water or simply pop the lid on and you have a great colouring table. You will need to choose sand or water however, as they can’t be played simultaneously, otherwise you’ll end up with some soggy sand.

Our tester loved watching the pieces twist and turn as the water or sand trickled down. Recommended for two-years plus, our three-year-old was just big enough to pour the water in the top independently, so anyone smaller may struggle to use it on their own. The three cups are perfect vessels for little hands to pour sand or water in the top (although beware there’s a hole in the bottom of each cup) and great if there’s a couple of kids playing together.

Best: For multi-use

Rating: 8/10

TP Toys is a brand many parents turn to when kitting out their gardens; and for good reason, TP has been designing and manufacturing children’s play equipment for over 60 years. The early fun sand and water table has similarities to a mini mud kitchen, with a sand pit, slide out water tray, black board, plastic hooks and a handy storage shelf.

Sustainably made from FSC-certified timber, the quality is indisputable. Easy to assemble, it took around 30-minutes to complete and is the perfect size for our mini tester. We love the compact design of this table, and thanks to the wheels and handles our three-year-old tester was able to wheel this out independently (without any sand or water) and set this up in her own designated spot in the garden.

The blackboard is a sweet touch, and the three hooks are great for hanging up little buckets and spades. The sand compartment doesn’t come with a liner, so you’ll want to add a plastic tray or liner to ensure the sand doesn’t escape through any gaps. A brilliantly compact option, it’s a practical and playful choice and something which would make a drawing table, too. Our tester also found many uses for this… a shop, a café and a post office.

Best: For siblings

Rating: 8/10

If you’re looking for a discreet “toy” then the sandy bay wooden sand and water table from outdoor play specialists Plum Play is a smart choice. It’s worth bearing in mind that it’ll take around an hour to assemble, so if this is a gift for an excitable toddler, we’d recommend assembling beforehand.

All Plum Play products are designed with sustainability in mind – made from FSC-certified Chinese Fir wood, the quality was instantly recognisable. The design is smart; the nest of tables consists of two wooden activity tables which could easily be mistaken for planters. And as the smaller one neatly sits inside the larger frame, meaning it takes up a small amount of space, it’s a great option if your garden is on the bijou side.

You get two liners to attach to the frame, a smaller blue one to create a mini swimming pool – it was a matter of minutes before our tester got her Barbie dolls involved – and a darker one for the sandpit. You also get a protective cover which keeps the sand fresh. Our only slight niggle is that, as the liners aren’t removable, when it comes to emptying the water, you’ll need to lift the whole thing which is a little finicky.

Best: Attractive-looking table

Rating: 8/10

We have a lot of respect for multipurpose products, and Plum Play has created something practical and playful with its surfside sand and water table. Made from FSC-certified sustainably sourced timber, this sturdy picnic table makes for a comfy spot for little ones to either make a splash, build a sandcastle, or enjoy an alfresco lunch with their friends.

Assembly was a straightforward task, which took under an hour to complete. You need to attach the two liners provided, to create your undercover sand and water compartments – which are cleverly concealed with the centre panel.

Suitable for use from 18-months, there’s plenty of room for little ones to play together, and we commend the rounded bench edges to prevent any nasty collisions. Something to consider is if you need to replace the water, or sand, the whole unit needs to be tipped (or could be syphoned or scooped), which is no easy task. And again, you’ll need to recruit some beach or bath toys to keep young ones stimulated.

There’s something utterly adorable about miniature furniture, and when one is this well made you know that it’ll see you through plenty of British summers.

Best: For home learning

Rating: 8/10

Bring the joys of nursery home with this sand and water tray from Edx Education. This company has designed educational toys for schools in over 90 countries for the past 25 years, so it’s safe to say it knows a thing or two about creating fantastic learning resources. This sand and water trayset is the same as you would find in nurseries and early years settings, so as you can expect it’s designed for years of play and it was fascinating to see our three-year-old tester gravitate towards this product, given there are no bright colours or fancy gadgets.

The durability is second to none with its stainless steel frame and heavy-duty plastic tray and lid. The tray hones in on a child’s imagination, it’s much deeper than any of the others we tested, allowing kids to really get stuck in to exploring gravity, floating, sinking (and splashing!) while also providing plenty of space to build multiple sandcastles, destroy them, and build them again.

It’s designed for those aged 18-months and up, and you can choose from a 58cm or 40cm height depending on the size of its user, but we’d suggest going bigger for maximum usage. On a practical note there’s a handy plug release that makes it quick and easy to empty the water, or clean out.

To create the ultimate home-learning play station it’s worth considering an upgrade with the sand and water activity set (£23.99, Shopedx.co.uk), and you’re able to add the water play activity rack (£87.99, Shopedx.co.uk) which attaches to the frame of the tray to store all the accessories. We love that this is on wheels, so it can be moved about the garden to keep little ones out of the sun.

Best: For easy cleaning

Rating: 7/10

Renowned French toymaker Smoby has been in the game for almost 100 years, and with that comes a level of expectation when unboxing one of its wide range of products. The water and sand table is probably the most straightforward out of those we tested. Simply attach the four legs to the frame, slot in the red and blue trays and let the fun commence.

It comes with a little accessory pack which is certainly geared more towards the sand department – with a shovel, rake, two sand moulds and a little boat to bob on the water. We like that sand and water play can take place simultaneously as the removable trays are very much separate entities, but we did have to rope in extra toys to keep the attention of our three-year-old tester. By having two removable trays, cleaning, changing water or sand is also a simple task.

There’s a thoughtful slot in the middle to add a little umbrella, and sand is kept in good condition thanks to the lids. It feels super sturdy, and the durable plastic is anti-UV treated to help with lifespan. Suitable for children aged 18-months to six-years-old, it stands at 46cm which suited our “threenager” but would feel a little small next to a child much bigger.

Best: For entertainment

Rating: 7/10

The foamo 3-in-1 water table from Little Tikes wouldn’t look out of place in Willy Wonka’s factory. Bubbles are a child’s best friend, and they’ll be surrounded by them in moments with this play table which is suitable for kids aged two and up. Simple to assemble, it’s worth flagging that you’ll need to purchase batteries as they’re not included (2 x D and 4 x AAA) – the batteries power the bubble machine at the top and the foam machine motor which is discreetly screwed at the base of the table.

Given the battery-powered nature, this water table certainly provides entertainment; as the centre tower fills up with foam, overflowing out of the openings, while the bubble machine creates the more conventional bubble. Our little tester enjoyed navigating the hand pump which creates even more bubbles, the Ferris wheel which scoops up bubbles as it’s turned, and the foam clapper. There’s also a small jug to collected water or serve a cup of foam. Bubble solution isn’t provided, but washing up liquid does the job nicely. And while this has no use for sand, the foam and bubble bonanza will keep young kids coming back for more.

Best: Compact table

Rating: 7/10

This sand and water table from Ecoiffier is certainly the most compact of those we tested, and while it’s not neat enough to take for a day down at the beach, it certainly won’t take up much space in your garden. Small but mighty, this gives all the thrills and spills just on a slightly smaller scale, and we were surprised how many additional pieces it comes with given the price tag. With eight additional accessories, little ones will enjoy a sieve, sand mill, spade, rake, bucket, watering can and two sand moulds.

Layout wise, there are three different compartments, which sit on two legs. We did find the sand sections at either side too small to make much headway with, however it may suit a younger child who are often fascinated with the novelty of simply running their fingers through sand. Young ones will love watching the water travel down the castle, with the brightly coloured cogs spinning along the way. It’s great that all the pieces are separate, doubling up as fun bath or beach toys. Our three-year-old tester needed to kneel down to interact with this, but this wouldn’t be necessary for an 18-month-old.