Kindergarten classrooms often have only one toilet in the room. When you realize that a classroom of 30 children all have to share one toilet you can quickly see the benefits of establishing safe, independent, toileting self-care skills.
If your child will be heading off to school for the first time, then here are some skills that may help them feel confident and comfortable while using a bathroom at school.
Some of these tips are very specific to a big classroom and some are just general things to consider when introducing a child to using school washrooms on their own. Despite the fact that some tips are very detailed my actual goal is not to expect a child to master each one before starting school, but rather to suggest that a child has opportunities to experience bathroom environments that are different than their own home. Build the child's confidence that they can handle new and different environments.
Roll up your sleeves.
Before the child even begins the bathroom process they should roll up their sleeves.
This may help avoid body fluids getting on the sleeves.
It also avoids trying to roll up the sleeves while their hands are possibly dirty from wiping or already covered in soap.
This is a good time to mention that those adorable long sleeve shirts with button cuffs may be a child's worst nightmare when it comes to dressing and self-care.
Knock on the door.
If a door is closed then knock and ask "Is anyone in there?" Pause to hear if someone answers before you open it
Answer "I am in here, please wait" if they are inside and someone knocks.
Classrooms are noisy so this is a good time to encourage a child to use their CONFIDENT voice.
How to open and close doors.
Even within one school building there can be different types of washroom doors. Children do not just use the bathroom in their own classroom. If they are in another part of the school (gym, library, music, recess ... etc) they may encounter other types of washroom set-ups.
There may be actual doors with knobs that need to be turned by the student to get in and out.
There may be stall doors that need to be pushed and then closed behind them once the child is inside.
Stalls may have locks that need to be turned to latch and unlatch.
Give your child experience with pushing stall doors open to go in and with pulling the doors inward in order to get out.
Show your child where to place their hands on the door to avoid pinching their fingers in the hinges.
Toilet seat
If you stand up to use a toilet: Lift the seat up.
If you sit down to use a toilet: Put the seat down
Public toilets often have seats that are a different colour than the bowl. eg. black seat and white porcelain toilet. If this is a child's first time seeing this type of toilet sometimes they believe the different coloured seat means it is a toddler style 'potty seat', so they lift it up and sit on the bare white porcelain because they want to be a 'big kid'.
Toilet paper - get it
School toilet paper holders may be different than what a child is used to at home.
Some stalls do have the single roll dispenser, but most have those large holders with multiple rolls.
Ensure your child has experience with being able to reach in to pull out and tear off an appropriate amount.
Sometimes the roll is a bit too far for the child to reach while sitting. Teach them to get the toilet paper ready first or to get off the seat and then wipe.
Teach them the difference between toilet paper and paper towels - a lesson that is good for the body and the bowl.
Toilet paper - use it
Wipe! Give your child lots of practice with learning how to wipe themselves.
This is one of those Goldilocks teaching moments. Too much toilet paper may clog the toilet. Too little toilet paper may not do the job. Just the right amount will be ... just right.
Flush - Every Time
Some children find school toilets to be loud and scary. It may be the echo of a large room or that it is a more powerful whoooosh than at home.
Some children find the handles hard to push/hold, especially if they have never tried to do it by themselves before.
Some children do not want to flush because they do not want anyone to know they used the toilet.
Some families have rules about flushing to reduce household water use.
Give your child opportunities to practice flushing public toilets so they develop the confidence they are strong enough to push the handle, feel safe hearing the loud wooosh, and learn that everyone flushes in public washrooms.
WASH HANDS
School washrooms have a variety of soap dispenser styles.
Give your child lots of practice using everything from a single pump dispenser to those industrial type ones on the wall.
Show them that one pump is usually enough.
Soap is for scrubbing! That means once the soap is on their hands they should rub their hands together over the sink, so the soap doesn't drip on the floor, before turning on the water. Get the soap in between their fingers, under their nails ... etc.
Water is for rinsing. Teach them how to rub their hands together under the tap to get the soap off.
Yes ... even if you cannot see anything on your hands you have to wash.
Yes ... both hands need to be washed.
Yes ... all the fingers on both hands need to be washed.
Dry Hands
Paper Towels
Paper Towels come from trees.
Model how to use a paper towel.
When it is a child's first time using paper towels they sometimes take large handfuls, squish them into a giant ball, then throw them out without actually drying their hands.
Electric dryers
Just like loud toilets, the electric dryers can be loud and scary.
Show your child how to activate the dryer.
Push button - Sometimes children think they need to smash the button - teach them to press the button gently and hold it until it activates.
Automatic - Show them how to wave their hand to activate it
Show your child how to rub their hands together under the dryer.
Let them know to not touch the vent or put their hands into it.
Show them that the dryer will turn off by itself.
Clothing
Ensure your child's clothing allows them to independently use the bathroom.
Sometimes those adorable overalls or super cute skinny jeans end up as urine soaked clothing because the child could not get themselves undressed in time or could not get the pants pushed down far enough to safely use the toilet.
Bathroom Habits
Helping your child develop safe bathroom habits may reduce the more common bathroom accidents or uncomfortable experiences such as ...
Fingers getting pinched in doors or locks
Soap getting splashed in the eyes
Falling on wet floors
Pain from touching the hot surface of an electric dryer
Wet clothes
Feeling scared from loud noises
Anxious about using a public toilet
Give yourself time for success
These routines need time, guidance, and positive, repeated experiences in order to become automatic good habits.
These are not skills that can be taught during a lecture while waiting for the bus on the first day of school.
These are lifelong skills that can be learned through support and fun participation.
Layer the learning: have the child do either the first or last step in the process. As they master each step increase their contribution to the process while you reduce yours.
Celebrate the successes. Reset from the last success if you hit a snag or leap-frog to the next step if that will be more helpful in the long run.
Establishing confidence and resilience
Despite the fact that I just listed some very detailed examples of bathroom scenarios in a kindergarten classroom, the goal is not actually to ensure your child can do these exact tasks. The goal is to prepare your child to feel confident that they can handle new and different things. If a child has only ever used their home bathroom, and if someone has always handled the zippers and buttons and socks for them, and someone else always turns the taps on and off, and if the bathroom is always open for them .... etc. then they may feel overwhelmed and their day may become all about a toilet and not about participating in class and playing with their new friends. So, in the months leading up to kindergarten take any opportunity you can find to introduce your child to new ways of doing the same thing.