With the warm weather here, and summer just around the corner, it’s undeniable that your kids are going to want to be outside. When it gets really hot out, they’re going to want to get wet to help them cool off from the hot summer sun.
Sure, you could pack up all of your kids (and maybe their friends) and head to the pool, the lake, or the beach — and you’ll undoubtedly do that at some point this summer. But what about when you want to be around the house? There are numerous ways for your kids to get wet right in your own backyard, and they’re going to love it just as much as going to a pool.
Here are the 17 best backyard water toys for Summer 2022, ranging from water slides to backyard pools to sprinklers, and everything in between:
How many times during summer have the kids been at home and complained about being bored? If you answered “I have no idea!” or “too many”, have we got the trick for you.
The Action Air Inflatable Waterslide is the perfect remedy for boredom. Kids will always love playing with water on a warm summer’s day. It’s built into their DNA. But water guns only last for so long. Waterslides, however, are hours upon hours of endless fun.
On the safety side of things, this waterslide is approved with CPC (Children Product Certificate) and has satisfied CPSC tests, meaning it’s super safe. Just keep in mind, as per the safety feature, this waterslide does leak air. That’s intentional as it stops the slide from becoming overinflated and either becoming too hard to fall on or suddenly burst.
Yeah, it’s weird saying “air leakage” is a good thing, but it really is.
Jumping in a little deeper, there’s an area to hook up the hose and this slide comes with an air blower with GFCI safety plug.
As for features, we’ve got a stylish shark slide, climbing wall, water blaster, and a ring toss area. It’s got everything a child could need to stave off boredom!
If you already have a kids pool in your backyard, then you might want to check out these incredibly awesome Pack of 4 Inflatable Light Sabers from Megasummer. It comes with four inflatable sticks that look like lightsabers, with two being blue for Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and a further two in a Sith red. What’s more, each of the hilts is detailed even though these are affordable inflatable toys. Don’t you just love little details like that?
If you’re looking for something to supercharge the pool experience, these are perfect.
This giant rainbow arch sprinkler is absolutely perfect for outdoor water fun right in your own backyard. You simply blow it up and attach your garden hose to it, and then the cool water comes out of the top so that your kids can run through the streams of water.
It’s made with heavy-duty PVC, and it has a high-quality and colorful design that your kids will absolutely love. It’s great for pool parties and summertime fun in your yard, for sure.
Bonus points if you place a slip n slide through it!
Can’t decide between a bouncy castle or a waterslide? Why not both?
That’s what the Costzon Inflatable Bounce House is. It’s a bouncy castle with a waterslide on the side. It’s the best of both worlds!
Before we jump into it, Costzon is a brand I see a lot of when researching, and for the most part, they’re a trusted company.
So. Nuts and bolts. This thing is made from heavy-duty Oxford material, which is music to my ears as that type of material is wear-resistant.
In terms of size, we’re looking at 138 x 110.5 x 75-inches. In short, it’s big!
If you’re worried about how long this takes to inflate or deflate, don’t be. It’s all nice and simple. It’s recommended you use a 480W air blower, which, alas, isn’t included. Boo.
Recommended Ages: 3 Years to 10 (max weight is 99 pounds)
Nothing beats a giant waterslide, especially if you have a small hill in your backyard to make it even better! The WOW Super Slide measures in at a whopping 25 feet in length and 6 feet in width. It’s made of extra-thick, heavy-duty PVC that’s more than twice as thick as most of the best water slides for sale, and there’s no need to add soap because it’s super-slick already.
It comes with two Super Sleds that measure 36″ x 24″ that’ll help soften the impact with the ground and keeps your kids from sliding on their bare skin as much as possible. The WOW Super Slide also has a unique connector at the ends of it so that you can connect it with more than just one, making your slide as long as you’d like it. It also has sidewalls that are 8 inches high, keeping the water (and your kids) on the actual slide.
Going to the pool simply isn’t always an option. Whether you can’t leave the house because you have housework to do, or you think the public pool is too overcrowded to enjoy, there’s a great, relatively cheap above ground pool you can throw in your yard that’s easy to maintain.
It’s the Intex Intex Prism Frame Pool Set, which is a round pool that’s 12 feet in diameter and measures 30 inches tall. The filter pump is a 110-120 volt pump, and it filters 530 gallons per hour. It’s easy to install and super easy to maintain.
Little Tikes makes quality toys, and it’s why you’ll frequently see a Little Tikes toy in various lists here at Heavy.com. So, it should be no surprise that Little Tikes has one of the highest-rated backyard water toys on the market, with this L.O.L. Surprise Inflatable River Race Water Slide with Blower coming in at a whopping 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 509 reviewers on Amazon.
It has two big slides with a pool at the bottom, and there’s a climbing wall in the center with a bouncer at the foot. So, it’s a climber, bouncer, slide, and pool all in one, and it comes in at a decent price — not bad for something your kids are definitely going to get their use out of.
What’s more, it has a cool dump bucket in the center that spills water onto those climbing the rock wall! It supports up to four kids, and it has a weight limit of 350 pounds. It measures 12′ x 12′ x 8′.
For the younger crowd, check out the Intex Dinosaur Play Center. It has a palm tree sprayer, a waterfall, a slide, and a pool all-in-one. It’s relatively cheap, coming in at $57. It holds 57 gallons of water, and the landing mat has extra padding on it for safety. It also has a dinosaur that spits balls out of its mouth for an extra bit of fun. It’s colorful, and it can easily hold three young kids.
Step2 really is one of the best out there when it comes to kids’ toys. Just take the Step2 Car Wash Splash Center. This thing has everything a young child could want.
It ticks all the boxes. Elements for younger kids to interact with, plenty of space to splash about, and a fun little island to role-play adventures. I wouldn’t say this is a STEM toy, but it’s got things to help with their development, which is important at that age. You don’t want your little one just banging stuff together for no reason. Play is about them exploring how things work and training their hands and eyes.
But enough about that, this splash center also comes with a rather ingenious feature: It’s got a sun umbrella built into it, meaning they can play outside without the sun getting in their eyes or burning their skin (still use sunblock, though). Smart or what?
Melissa & Doug toys are also popular, especially among the millennial generation of parents. They have a couple of cool outdoor toys available, and one of them is a hose attachment that creates a sprinkler. It’s the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Pretty Petals Flower Sprinkler Toy, and it’s highly rated on Amazon, sporting a 4.2 out of 5.0 from over 50 reviewers. It features 12 flowers that each squirt water. It’s made out of durable plastics, and it helps to promote outdoor active play as your kids run and jump through the streams of water it creates.
Waterslide? Bah! That’s too tame. This thing is an entire waterpark!
Splash area, climbing wall, and slide. But not just one slide – oh no! -this thing has two.
This beast is so large, there’s actually space for five to six children, so long as you keep the 350 pounds weight capacity in mind.
This thing isn’t style over substance, either. On the safety side of things we’ve got anchor stakes, so it’s firmly secure, mesh netting, and the whole thing is made from a thick material. The slide and jumping areas are even thicker than the rest of the bouncer. Don’t you just love when companies think of everything? It even comes with a 750w blower!
Sure, this thing is pricey, but given this will last several summers, year after year, it’s a solid investment if you’re looking to spoil the kids and keep them entertained.
If you’re looking for some awesome water fun with your toddler this summer, check out Step2’s Waterfall Discovery Playset. It’s a double-sided wall containing water maze pieces and a water basin at the bottom so that your child can scoop up the water and pour it in the top to watch it make its way down to the basin again.
The water will rush through spinners and funnels and doohickeys, and the maze pieces can all be rearranged for a new configuration. It’s super simple for your kids to use, and it’ll keep them entertained and having fun for hours!
Want to add some water fun to your backyard for super cheap? Check out the awesome Sprinkler Pad and Splash Play for 1-5-year-olds. Simply screw your hose into it and create a fountain-like sprinkler for your young ones to play in.
It comes with a 68-inch super-large sprinkler mat that has a Seaworld theme. It’s made with high-quality, heavy-duty PVC material. It’s easy to use and under $30 – virtually a no-brainer this summer.
If you’re not looking to drop $750 right now, sometimes even the simplest toys can provide your kids with hours of fun. For instance, the Little Tikes Beach Ball Sprinkler, which is a giant 88″ beach ball that shoots water out of it. It provides hours of wet summertime fun for both boys and girls, and it’s quick to inflate.
Filling individual water balloons for a classic backyard water balloon fight is a thing of the past. With Bunch O Balloons’ Instant Water Balloons, you can fill up 100 water balloons in just 60 seconds with a standard garden hose.
This set comes with 3 bunches. Each bunch of balloons has 35 water balloons attached to it.
They’re super easy to use, and you and your kids will be on your way to an epic water balloon battle in just a minute.
As a side note, if you’re planning any summertime parties, you might want to check out the Bunch O Balloons Party Packs.
The great thing about this toy is it you can play with it even when there’s no water. So when the skies open, you’ve got something for them to do indoors. Handy!
Because this is Step2 we’re talking about, this play table is nice and easy to use, which is great news for younger kids. There’s a chunky handle on the side to move the balls up into the slide. Likewise, the smaller flipper for solo balls is also nice and easy to use.
This whole set also comes with 10 balls for kids to play with. So yeah, everything you could possibly need is in the box. There are no hidden extras or anything you need to buy separately. Nice!
Even though the Step2 Waterpark Arcade is designed for toddlers, you just know the whole family is going to get in on the action.
So, what is this? You know the duck gallery game? Where you need to shoot down plastic ducks? Imagine that, only with a hose. Sounds fun, right?
The Waterpark Arcade features a host of different targets for kids to blast down. And yes, there be ducks.
What I love about this set is even though you’ll be using a regular garden hose, this toy comes with a child-friendly extension to attach to the hose. That’s great because it means younger kids have something that’s designed for their hand size.
Toys like this are really great for developing a child’s motor skills as they grip and release the hose-blaster to shoot. It’s splashy, watery fun AND it’s beneficial! What’s not to love?
