What skills does my child need to have for school?

More than just going to the bathroom

By the time your child starts first grade, they should be able to use the restroom all on their own. That involves a lot of steps! Here’s a list of them:

• Knowing when they need to go to the bathroom and having the confidence to tell the teacher.
• Being able and willing to go to the bathroom on their own, even if it’s in the hallway.
• Take off your pants, leggings, tights, or dress by yourself.
• Sitting on the toilet. Sitting properly on the toilet to pee or poop.
• Wipe yourself, even after a bowel movement. You can wipe yourself at home, but the teacher won't do it for you.
• Pull up your pants, leggings, tights, or dress.
• Skip ahead.
• Wash your hands, dry your hands.
• Back to class.

So it's more than just going to the bathroom. You can practice this at home.

Wipe your own bottom and wash your hands

In elementary school, your child should be able to wipe themselves after going to the bathroom. That means tearing off toilet paper, wiping properly, and flushing. So practice this at home. Praise them for trying. Stay with them and remind them to keep wiping until the next piece of paper is clean.

Some kids prefer to wipe while sitting, others while standing. See what works best for your child. After wiping, your child will of course need to wash their hands. Many kids enjoy this, especially with extra soap. Make it fun and let your child play with the soap. Then smell their hands: mmmmm, they smell so clean. Rinse them off. And then a high five! Good job!  

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