15 Fun Ways to Play with the AquaPlay Water Canal Set (Tested on a Tiny Balcony!)

Trying to entertain my 4-year-old neurodivergent little man—who needs purpose in every play—has taught me more about creativity than any Pinterest board ever could. He’s obsessed with sea creatures (toy dolphins on car garages, anyone?), and I was on a mission to find a toy that combined water, movement, and build-it-yourself fun. Enter: the AquaPlay Water Canal Set. It’s like a train set, but with boats and water—and it’s been a massive hit for both of us.

Here are 10 ways we’ve played with it on our small Sydney balcony and more recently on our ground-floor apartment decking. Each one has been little-man tested, little-woman tested and mum-approved. (And yes, I may have added a few affiliate links scattered around this post—thank you for supporting Balcony Bubs!—but I only ever share what we truly love.)

1. Set It Up As It Comes

Image: First proper setup. Little man would rather sit in it to play!

We bought our first AquaPlay set as a Christmas present. In true Aussie style, it was over 30°C, and we thought we’d be clever and set it up on Christmas Eve. Spoiler: it took longer than expected. Each red clamp has two foam seals that need to be applied by hand—worth it, but not ideal at midnight with a sleep-resistant child!

Once built, it was magic. The boats, the characters, the water—it all came together. My little man didn’t even need to “play properly.” He walked around the canal, sat in it, and explored it his way. The durability? Incredible.

2. Connect Multiple Sets for a Mega Canal System

Image: At this stage we had two sets and connected them together.

We now have three sets. Yes, three. They nest inside each other like Russian dolls, so storage is surprisingly easy. I treat it like a personal engineering challenge—how complex can I make the canal system today?

My son loves helping build it, especially when we “design it like a dolphin rescue centre” or “a sea creature race track.” It gives him a sense of control and purpose, which is gold.

3. Ocean Rescue Mission

We swapped out the boats for toy dolphins and whales. Suddenly, the canal became an ocean rescue centre. We used the crane to “lift” injured sea creatures and floated them to safety. This kind of purposeful play kept him engaged for as long as I could keep finding sea creatures who need rescuing!

4. Robotic Fish Races

Image: Zuru Robotic Fish

This one was a game-changer. We added small robotic fish that actually swim around the canal. Watching them navigate the twists and turns was mesmerising. We held races, timed their laps, and cheered them on like they were Olympic athletes. It added a whole new layer of excitement and movement. Zuru now make a robo sea turtle, which is adorable. Please stay vigilant with these though as they contain button batteries!

5. Floating Snack Delivery

One hot afternoon, I popped a few strawberry pieces into a clean boat and sent them floating down the canal. Instant giggles. He loved “rescuing” the snacks and munching them mid-play. Bonus: he stayed hydrated and fed without leaving the fun.

6. Bubble Factory Fun

We added a splash of eco-friendly washing-up liquid to the canal—especially fun if you have a set with a water pump. The pump creates frothy reserves that can become “bubble factories.” Boats collected bubbles and delivered them to toys stationed around the canal. It was a sensory delight and a great way to explore cause and effect.

7. Colour Sorting Station

Image: Adding brightly-coloured ball pit balls to float around.

We added some coloured balls from our ball pit which fit perfectly and float around. If you have a set which includes the current paddle, you can make all the balls move around the canal simply by turning the paddle, very fun to watch! My little man loved sorting things and lining things up, so he would enjoy sorting the coloured balls into long lines or grouping them around the canal.

8. Build-a-Bridge Challenge

Image: Daddy and daughter bridge creation made out of duplo blocks.

We used Duplo blocks, recycled cardboard, sticks and gummies, you name it, to build bridges over the canal. Then we tested which boats could fit underneath. As kiddos got older we even looked at opening bridges, or lift up bridges and suspension bridges, still using mostly duplo (builds larger structures quicker than lego and great for my little-man's limited fine motor control).

9. Frozen Ocean Adventure

Image: Penguin stuck in frozen ice (made by popping penguins in a cupcake tray with water and putting in the freezer over night).

We froze small sea creature toys in ice cubes and added them to the canal. Watching them melt and “free the animals” was a sensory delight. Both my kiddos loved the cold water on a hot day, and it sparked a lot of attempted speech "cold", "hot", "free" from my little man, which melted my heart.

10. Night-Time Glow Play

One evening, we added waterproof glow sticks and fairy lights around the balcony. The canal became a magical night-time harbour. With warm water, it became a calming, beautiful, and lovely way to wind down before bed.

11. Floaties Play

Image: Mini rubber rings or inflatable rings used with penguins to float in the canal.

This started with a toy Dora the Explorer swimming set which included a mini inflatable ring. Both my kids loved the idea of sending her floating around the canal, and their other toys. I wondered if you could purchase these rings separately and you can! I bought a bunch of them so we could use them to turn the canal set into a water play resort and the toys could enjoy floating around a lazy river. You can find the ones we got here. (Affiliate link).

12. Dinosaur Island

Image: Toy dinosaurs turning the canal set into a dinosaur resort.

My daughter loves dinosaurs! Together we set up the canal to have dinosaur "islands" where different dinosaur species can roam. She enjoys floating the baby dinosaurs around to find their "mummy and daddy" dinosaurs.

13. Using Warm Water

This might seem like a no-brainer, but being from the UK and the way I was brought up, paddling pools and water toys used cold water only, so the concept of using warm water to keep my kids engaged, even on colder days didn't occur to me. Thankfully, daddy came to the rescue and used warm water to fill up the canal. My little man was over the moon and keen to play for longer and even on colder days. Well done dad!

14. Build a City

If you also have toy cars or train sets etc. why not build a whole city which intertwines with each set. Have train and road bridges going over the canal, and if you have the canal set which includes the car and crane port, cars can deliver goods and they can be loaded onto boats to be transported. A tight squeeze on a balcony, but so worth it!

15. Decorate for a Celebration!

Decorate the canal set for a particular celebration such as Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Lunar New Year...

We had a lot of fun making a Halloween Ghost canal, where toys would go round on boats as if it was a ghost train or theme-park ride. Made me wish I had a go pro or similar small video camera to take videos as the boats went round to see what it would look like from the little boats!

Final Thoughts

If you’re parenting in a small space, especially with a child who needs a bit more purpose and sensory input in their play, the AquaPlay canal set is a gem. It’s not just a toy—it’s a whole world of possibilities. And yes, I may have a few affiliate links scattered around this post (thank you for supporting Balcony Bubs!), but I only ever share what we truly love.

Looking for your own AquaPlay adventure? Check out the sets we’ve used :