Solving Potty Training with Puzzles

When potty training our two boys we tried having them earn m&m’s and using sticker charts, but they kind of lost interest.  So a friend of mine, who is a special needs teacher, asked me if the boys liked to do puzzles.  She suggested a strategy that she uses in the classroom.  Figure out what they are interested in and then take an image of it, cut it into pieces and each time they complete the task, in this case using the potty, they earn a piece of the puzzle.  Once the puzzle is complete they earn a reward.  Start by dividing the picture up into a few large pieces so they start off by quickly earning their reward and as they make progress cut the pictures into more, smaller pieces so they take longer to earn.  Since I am good at drawing, I just took a matchbox car or toy model airplane (these are what interested my guys) and drew a picture of it and cut it up. If drawing isn’t your strong suite you could take a photo and print it out and then cut it up, or do a google image search or search for a “coloring page” of that character or object.  We also used puzzles of ice cream sundaes and the Chuck E. Cheese logo or the front of a movie dvd case to earn a family outing or movie night. There is an element of surprise as the child unveils their surprise one puzzle piece at a time.  Eventually both of my boys had earned a handful of prizes and got into the habit of using the bathroom without needing to be rewarded.  We also tailored the reward system for what they needed to work on, for example at first it was using the potty, when that was mastered we gave them a puzzle piece only after they had “flushed and washed”. 

Another friend with older children advised, “Do whatever it takes!”  Some parents don’t want to bribe their children for doing something they should do, but in our experience using rewards encouraged them and celebrated their achievement, and they didn’t expect prizes forever.  Eventually, the seemingly impossible task was completed, they were fully potty trained!

Materials:
paper
scissors
image
tape
envelope

Instuctions:

1.       Create or print out an image of their reward. 

2.       Cut it into the desired number of pieces. 

3.       As you cut up the picture, trace the outer edge of the puzzle pieces onto a blank piece of paper to act as a guide when your child is putting together their puzzle. 

4.       Tape the blank paper on the wall in the bathroom with painter’s tape that can easily be removed later and keep the puzzle pieces in an envelope in the bathroom along with some tape so you’ll have everything accessible when they earn their puzzle pieces.