9 best sand and water play tables to enjoy with your kids this summer and beyond

This is an incredibly versatile product, which our testers initially thought was a mud kitchen (in winter, it may well be). It arrived fully assembled, which was a huge relief, and the attractive grey wood is waterproof. It’s suitable for children aged from 18 months to eight years old and even the adults wanted to play with this one. Two robust plastic tubs are included with the product and there are handy knobs on which kids can hang tools and toys while playing. Our testers used this table as a sand kitchen, creating all kinds of ‘delicious’ treats for the adults.

Another reason we love this table is, if you don’t want to keep it outside during winter, you can bring it indoors to use as a craft table, complete with useful storage tubs and shelves.

This table is great for developing children’s sensory and fine motor skills. It has two really roomy sides that can hold 7.6l of sand or water and are deep enough to avoid cross-contamination (in theory, at least). 

We loved testing the plastic tables, because they are all so straightforward to put together, and this one was no exception. It all just clicks into place and you’re ready to go. There’s loads of space for the accessories to be played with, and our mini testers added many more toys, including marine animals and dinosaurs. One handy feature is that it comes with a drainage plug, as some of the tables can be heavy to lift when you need to tip out the water or sand.

This might look like a cute picnic table but it’s so much more. Lift the middle panel and you’ll find space for a sandpit and a water tray. The playing spaces aren’t as big or deep as others included in our line-up but, with an 18 months plus age recommendation, that shouldn’t be a problem. Our mini testers were really excited to use the table but sadly had to wait a bit longer for it to be assembled than with the plastic tables they had already played with. Once it was put together, though, it was soon filled with any and every toy our mini testers could find. 

We found a couple of drawbacks to this table, however, including the fact you can’t drain the water or sand from underneath. This means you have to either tip the whole table or use something to scoop it all out. It’s also bulkier to store and doesn’t come with a cover.

Available in hot pink or blue, as well as being a sand and water table, this design has a lid that can be used as a surface for crafting and more. Another fun feature is the inclusion of three cups and cup holders around the edge. These could be used for pouring water into the sand or for storing pens, if you’re using the table inside, although, beware, the cups do have a small hole in the bottom of each.

Our five-year-olds were able to reach the tower easily but it could be trickier for younger children, so, an adult may need to be on hand to help with that. Once the water is flowing, however, they’re sure to be transfixed. 

This is a really sweet sand and water table, which also helps keep the sun or rain off whoever is playing with it. The recommended age is 18 months and over, and it really is the perfect size for this age group – you can easily fit a couple of toddlers around it to play at the same time.

It is quick and simple to assemble, which is useful when you have impatient little people waiting to get stuck in. Among the 16 accessories are a helicopter, buckets and watering cans, which can easily be shared among siblings or friends. The table only weighs 4.6kg, so it is easy to move around and it can be broken down easily to put away.

This water-running product has it all, apart from the fact it’s obviously not strictly a water and sand ‘table’. It comes with 18 toy accessories, which meant little hands were kept busy with pouring water, digging in the sand and making sand animals with the moulds provided during testing. The recommended age is three to seven years old but, while it is a big product at 93.5cm tall, some children at the upper end of the range may find it a bit small. Freeport says the sandbox can be left outside year-round but you will probably want to store the accessories somewhere dry during winter. It needed assembling but this was pretty straightforward to do.

This is one of the more expensive products on our list but it’s solid and attractive and we really enjoyed playing with the water feature.

Fun for the whole family, this product is big enough to have a few children playing with it at the same time, without any squabbling. Those of us who are more particular about sand and water becoming mixed together will like the clear separation between the two containers (even if our little testers didn’t get the memo). It’s an attractive product to have in your garden and the rounded corners will give parents extra peace of mind.

It was a bit more time consuming to put together than other products on this list but it’s sturdy, and the two tables can be pushed together to make it smaller when tidying up. The product doesn’t include any toys with it and the price may put off some people. It comes with a liner for the water table but it is quite flimsy. The cover is useful for anyone who has inquisitive foxes to contend with in their garden, though.

George at Asda is known for creating very usable children’s products at excellent prices, and this table is no different. There is so much going on with the Hapello that our mini testers didn’t know where to start. There are eight watering gears on the vertical wall, plus a mini car and track, or slide and buckets, moulds and other tools.

The main drawback of this product is that the space for the water, sand and accessories isn’t very big. The quality is also not as high as some of the other items in this round-up. We enjoyed playing with it but it’s probably more suitable for the two to three age range, with parental supervision.

We’ve included this product even though it’s probably more suited to a classroom or childcare setting. It’s the simplest product on the list but that doesn’t mean it can’t create hours of fun. The tray – which measures 71cm x 51.5cm x 21cm and is sold separately in sets of four (£87.99, Shopedx.co.uk) – is a great size and depth for filling with anything from water and sand, to paint or other sensory toys. While it doesn’t come with any toys, slides or other gizmos, it still proved excellent for sandcastle building, potion-making and general fun water play with our five-year-old testers. Toddlers would probably prefer one of the more colourful and interactive products we’ve included in this round-up but they could easily fill this option with their favourite toys.

The tray stand can be used inside or outside but we kept it to garden-only use, to keep it as mess-free as possible. Other plus points for this product are the two wheels, for easier manoeuvrability, and the roomy shelf underneath for storing toys or other accessories.

Although this stand is currently sold out, you can sign up to be notified by email when it’s avilable again.