This $20 Toy Is One of the Best Things You Can Buy at Costco This Summer

Many parents struggle during the summer months when school (including preschool) isn't in session. The days are long, there's not much structure, and children have a tendency to get bored pretty easily.

Of course, you could throw a whole bunch of money at the problem and send your kids off to camp. But with the average cost of day camp coming in at a whopping $178.49 a day, according to the American Camp Association, that may prove difficult unless you happen to have a whole lot of cash in your savings account.

As such, you may need to find a way to turn your own backyard into a source of entertainment for your kids this summer. And one low-cost Costco splash pad could be your ticket to doing just that.

Hours of summertime fun on the cheap

Costco is selling an 11-foot splash pad for just $19.97 online (do note that Costco prices can vary by region and also differ between what you'll see online versus in stores). That online price also includes free shipping. The splash pad features ocean-themed graphics, a shallow wading pool, and gentle water sprays that attach to a garden hose for an easy, on-the-spot sprinkler.

The recommended age for the splash pad is 2 years old and up, but in reality, you're probably not going to get much mileage out of this purchase for kids over the age of 6 or 7. It's not that the splash pad can't accommodate bigger kids, but rather, that they're less likely to be interested for more than a few minutes, if that. But if you have children who are preschool- or kindergarten-aged, this could end up being a really good buy.

As a point of comparison, Amazon is selling a smaller splash pad for $34.99. (There's a limited-time coupon right now that takes the prices down to more like $30, but it's still higher than Costco's price.) And at Target, you might pay $109.99 for a 10-foot splash pad. So all told, Costco's offering allows you to bring home a larger splash pad and a lower credit card bill to boot.

Could Costco rescue your summer?

In addition to the above-mentioned splash pad, Costco offers a number of products that could help you keep your kids cool and busy this summer. You may, for example, want to invest in this spray pool. It's easy to set up and costs just $19.97. Again, this is an item that isn't going to appeal to or be suitable for older kids, but it could be a great buy if you have younger ones.

In fact, it pays to browse around on Costco online as well as check out your local store to see what summertime items the warehouse club giant has to offer. You may be on a budget, but that doesn't mean you have to resign yourself to bored and restless kids all summer long -- not when your Costco membership might really come through in a very big way.