I purchased this for my 18 month old daughter but she hasn't been able to get near it -- my 6 and 7 year olds and their friends have been dominating it. I was suprised by how much they've played with it considering we bought a new swingset at the same time. They love mixing the sand and the water, making rivers, castles, etc.  It's a complete mess -- they do get covered in sand and water -- but they love it.  It's like a day at the beach without the jellyfish.I agree with the review about adding a hole to the sand side -- that would be very nice.