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Once you know that your child is ready to potty train, one of the most important parts of potty training is making it worth it to “go” with activities for potty training.
This means not just rewards (which are useful, too), but also finding fun activities to keep your kid busy while they sit on the potty.
While a little extra screen time can be a fabulous motivator for your potty training toddler, it won’t work in every home or for every child. If you’re looking for screen-free activities to keep your toddler entertained and occupied on the toilet, look no further.
Here are ten easy and entertaining screen-free activities to keep your kid busy while potty training.
- Dry Erase Markers
Hear me out. Make sure that the back and lid of the toilet is disinfected, and then let your child sit backwards. Give them a set of colorful dry erase markers and let them draw and color directly on the toilet itself. It will be extra exciting to your child because, obviously, we don’t typically get to draw on anything except paper. For potty training, some rules can fly out the window. Unleash their imagination and keep them occupied long enough to successfully “go!” - Bubbles
This one has double the bang for your buck. Bubbles are fun for every child of course, but did you know that blowing bubbles can help relax the pelvic floor? It’s true! If your child has anxiety around potty training, bubbles may just be the trick you need. - Basketball in the Trash Can
You can make this a fun potty training activity with multiple benefits. Of course, it will engage your potty trainee in a fun game while they sit, but you can also have them practice unrolling an appropriate amount of toilet paper to use when they eventually learn to wipe themselves clean. Repeating the process of getting the right amount of TP over and over will help cement the habit for later. - Play Doh/Sensory Play
Get a small, lap-sized tray for your child to use for any number of sensory activities while they sit on the potty. They can use modeling clay, kinetic sand, slime, or any of their favorite sensory games. - Potty Only Books and Games
This one is a no-brainer, but as far as screen-free activities for your potty trainee, it’s also a classic. Grab some new-to-you books, games, or toys that are reserved exclusively for sitting on the toilet. You can raid the dollar store toy aisle, the thrift store, or Amazon, but don’t feel like you need to spend a million dollars on activities. Find them on the cheap and as long as they are new for your child, they’ll exciting and fresh motivation for your child. - Eye Spy
Engage your toddler in a game of Eye Spy. Take turns “spying” things in and around the bathroom or practice identifying and labeling colors, all while keeping your potty trainee distracted and relaxed on the toilet. - Food Coloring Science
What kid doesn’t love a science experiment? Drop a couple of drops of blue or red food coloring into the toilet water. Your child’s job is to provide the yellow to blend the colors to make something new. I can’t think of better motivation to “go” than science! - Shower Curtain Puppet Show
When your child is really hard to entertain and you need to level up your potty training game, you and your child can make sock puppets together and use them to put on a puppet show with the shower curtain as your stage. Hand and finger puppets are great, but your toddler will be dazzled and amused to see their very own puppet come to life during a show as they sit on the potty. - Splash in a Water Bin
Fill up a small bin with lukewarm water; if you’re feeling extra fun, you can put some color in the water or bubbles. Let your child kick around and splash in the water at their feet (be prepared to wipe up any spills. It’s just water!). Anecdotal evidence supports the old sleepover prank of dunking hands or feet in water to cause you to urinate. There is no hard data to back up the anecdotes, but it’s fun, harmless, and just might help your little one “go.” - Target Practice
For those moms who are a little wild and crazy, you can set up target practice for your child in the bathroom. There are a few ways to go about it, but my favorite is to use a little chalk or dry erase marker (depending on the materials available in your bathroom for drawing on), and give your child either a small water pistol or a Nerf gun to targets on the walls. You can keep it purely entertaining and draw small monsters or bugs, or make it educational and draw letters and numbers. Then, let your little one have at it! Just wipe away the targets when you’re done!
