The 21 Best Water Toys for Kids (Because All That Energy Needs a Soaking)

There is room for three people on this 13-foot inflatable mega-yacht that has bungee cords to secure your water toys.

This 20-inch ball is filled with sequins, because kids appreciate something shiny in the sun.

Buy It ($30; $20)

We're getting a couple sets of these to have on hand for when the kids' friends come over, so that they can leave with a little souvenir...as long as they're willing to dive for the gems.

Buy It ($30)

Playing hide and seek in the sand is fun with gems, coins and something called a dinglehopper (aka fork).

Buy It ($20)

You throw these weighted eggs into the pool—and when divers retrieve them, they open to reveal tiny turtle hatchlings.

Windy? Fear not. This sprinkler has little pockets for sand to provide stability while it sprays refreshing water all over your kids.

Be that mom on the block who installs an over-six-foot-tall inflatable dinosaur that spits water. It's practically community service..

This castle comes with its own blower, so it's fast and easy to inflate—and it has a hose that creates a water slide to splash down into a kiddle pool. (Bonus: It's even a fun bounce-and-slide experience when you don't have water running.)

Three collapsible 30-inch rings float under the water and turn your pool into a fun obstacle course.

Buy It ($24)

It holds a lot of water (900 cc) and has a powerful stream that shoots up to 35 feet. So by all means, watch out when you're walking across the yard. (We're buying a set to let the tweens work out disagreements among themselves, aka a water duel at five paces.)

$29 at Amazon

The littlest tykes don't need a pool to have fun in a ship—this blow-up vessel is made for playing on dry land, with a built-in sprinkler up front.

Buy It ($103; $90)

The squirter has a line that feeds right into the pool so it never runs out of water. (We're buying two of these to let the tweens work out disagreements among themselves, aka a water duel at 5 paces.)

It's hoops with something extra—the hole your ball rolls out of determines how many points you get for your shot. Since the water will be swirling the hoop around, players are going to be surprised by how much luck comes into play.

The rotating windmill feature really brings the splashing, which, let's be honest, is what water tables are all about.

Buy It ($158; $71)

Suitable for strong swimmers of elementary school age and above, this four-piece set has players balance on two inflatable logs, while bopping each other with even more inflatable logs. So if you've ever wanted to be a suburban logger in a PVC jungle, you're in luck.

Buy It ($58)

Set these two water slides next to one another, and with more than 19 feet of runway, you can really have some heated aquatic sport.

Buy It ($74)

With four miniature footballs and a little pump to keep them inflated, this game lets kids keep passing from across the pool. (As they get older, an extra challenge will be to tread water while passing the ball.)

Buy It ($40)

Those little tendrils on the flower? They twist in wild, tickly ways as water jets work their way out, so expect lots of squeals from the kids.

We appreciate how this inflatable, low-profile volleyball setup is just the right height to challenge elementary school kids as well as adults.

Buy It ($60)

If a kiddie pool and a water table had a baby, it would be this aquatic extravaganza. It fills with water, and has a slide to splash from, a water sprayer, a fishing bucket, a ring float...and a padded floor for extra safety.

This reusable film camera has a waterproof housing, so you can teach the young 'uns that photography existed before the iPhone.