Teaching children how to use the toilet properly can be a challenging task for parents and educators. Foremost, it suffers from the curse of “should”. Things we “should” do tend to be boring and unattractive in the short term! Particularly to children. Moreover, teaching toilet etiquette involves not only the physical skills of potty training, but also the social and emotional aspects of hygiene, privacy, and respect. These aren’t skills you develop over one crisp little lesson.
How can we make this process easier and more fun for everyone involved? Well, stories. Children (and even grown ups) are hardwired for stories. This is why every culture has their own myths that have been remembered and repeated for thousands of years! Stories engage our imagination, help us remember facts in context, build empathy for characters and situations, and best of all, aren’t preachy or boring.
Why Use Storytelling for Teaching Toilet Etiquette?
Aside from being fun, stories have many advantages for children’s development, such as:
- Enhancing their language and literacy skills, such as vocabulary, comprehension, expression, and creativity.
- Stimulating their cognitive and emotional skills, such as memory, reasoning, problem-solving, empathy, and perspective-taking.
- Fostering their social and moral skills, such as communication, cooperation, respect, and values.
When it comes to teaching toilet etiquette, storytelling can help children:
- Understand why it is important to use the toilet properly and keep it clean.
- Learn the basic rules and routines of toilet hygiene, such as washing hands, flushing, wiping, etc.
- Overcome their fears and anxieties about using the toilet, especially in public or unfamiliar places.
- Develop a positive attitude and self-confidence about their bodily functions and needs.
- Enjoy the process of learning and practising toilet etiquette in a fun and playful way.
What are Some Good Stories for Teaching Toilet Etiquette?
There are many books and resources that you can use to introduce and reinforce the topic of toilet etiquette with your children.
- Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi: This classic book is a great way to start the conversation about poop with your children. It shows that everyone, from animals to humans, has to poop, and that it is a natural and normal part of life. It also helps children overcome their embarrassment or curiosity about poop, and encourages them to ask questions and share their feelings.
- The Potty Book by Alyssa Satin Capucilli: This series of books follows the adventures of Henry and Hannah as they learn how to use the potty. It covers the different stages of potty training, such as getting ready, trying it out, having accidents, celebrating success, etc. It also includes tips and advice for parents on how to support their children along the way.
- Pirate Polly’s Potty / Pirate Pete’s Potty by Andrea Pinnington: These interactive books are perfect for children who love to press buttons and hear sounds. They feature Pirate Polly and Pirate Pete as they learn how to use the potty with the help of their friends and family. They also include stickers and a reward chart to motivate children to keep trying.
- The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business by Werner Holzwarth: This hilarious book tells the story of a little mole who wakes up one morning to find that someone has pooped on his head. He sets out to find the culprit, asking different animals if they are responsible. Along the way, he learns about the different shapes and sizes of poop that different animals produce. This book is a great way to introduce children to the diversity of nature, as well as to teach them about respect and responsibility.
- What Do You Do With a Potty? by Marianne Borgardt and Maxie Chambliss: This book is a practical guide for children who are ready to use the toilet on their own. It explains how to use the toilet step by step, from lifting the seat to washing hands.
- Potty by Leslie Patricelli: The book follows the inner dialogue and hilarious actions of everyone’s favourite Baby, winding up with an over-the-top look of surprise and delight that will have both parents and offspring laughing out loud.
- Potty Power by Eunice Moyle and Sabrina Moyle: This is a humorous potty-training book with a hip sensibility and a playful take on a toddler’s most important rite of passage. The book introduces two new potty pals, Super Pooper and Whizz Kid, that kids and parents will adore.
- A Potty for Me! by Karen Katz: This is a lift-the-flap book that follows a child as they learn to use the potty. Children will love following along and lifting the flaps to see the child play, sit on the potty, eat, sit on the potty, sleep, and then sit on the potty…until finally there is success.
- The New Potty by Mercer Mayer: The book follows Little Critter as he tries to help his sister make it to the bathroom, encourages her when she does well, or gets frustrated when she doesn’t.
- P Is for Potty featuring Elmo: This is a Sesame Street lift-the-flap board book with more than 30 flaps. Elmo tells little girls and boys ages 1 to 3 all about how to use the potty.
Are they teaching Toilet Etiquette at your child’s school?
Just as the family toilet can’t stay clean if someone in the family is careless with their toilet hygiene, the same goes for our public spaces. In schools, particularly preschools and playgroups where children are still learning how to use the toilet, this can create particular problems.
Teachers too, can use storytelling and other creative means to talk to kids about toilet hygiene. In fact, Harpic, India’s leading brand in the lavatory care segment, has been doing so for decades through creative and thought provoking advertisements and campaigns. Harpic has also joined hands with News18 in Mission Swachhta aur Paani which is a movement that champions the cause of inclusive sanitation, equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and the strong belief that clean toilets are a shared responsibility.
Under the aegis of Mission Swachhta aur Paani, Harpic partnered with Sesame Workshop India, an educational non-profit, to promote positive sanitation, hygiene knowledge and behaviours among children and families through schools and communities, engaging with 17.5 million children across India. There are lessons here that parents and educators can apply.
Learn more here, about how you, your family, and your school can help us move towards a Swachh and Swasth Bharat.
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