Explicit practice: Guidelines for Toileting at home

As the school year approaches, encourage your child to be independent in the bathroom! One of the best ways to help your child build independence and confidence in the bathroom is through explicit practice and encouragement.

Remember, even though your child may have some difficulty with the task at the start, it is not about getting the perfect result each time! Instead, focus on encouraging and reinforcing their efforts! The more confident your child feels about a task, the more likely they will be to take greater risks and be more independent.

Tips & Tricks:

1. Visual and Verbal Cueing: Visual and verbal cues are great tools that can be used to teach/reinforce toileting skills to your little one. We suggest printing out a copy of these visual cues for toileting (in either standing or sitting) and placing them in the bathroom at a height where your child can see. This way, every time your child goes to the bathroom, they will be reminded of the toileting routine and will start to store these steps away in their memory! Once your child is showing greater independence with these skills, try reducing verbal cues and transition to only visual cues.

2. Sing-a-long: Songs are another great way to reinforce toileting skills. Encourage your child to sing songs like the Alphabet Song or Happy Birthday while they wash their hands - these are two great songs that will help ensure your child is thoroughly washing their hands for good hand hygiene.

Bonus suggestion:

Try role-playing the steps of toileting using toys/stuffed animals!

Videos about toileting

Below are some videos that may be helpful in encouraging your child to be more independent in the washroom: