Toilet Targets

Turn potty training into target practice to liven up the routine.

How it Plays

Before your son uses the toilet, scatter a handful of Cheerios or other puffed cereal into the bowl and tell him the object of the game is to sink the Cheerios. (Note: This game works better in regular toilets than in portable potties.) A fun alternative, particularly for girls, is to put blue food coloring or dye tablets in the water, then watch it turn green after your child urinates. (Red coloring works well too, though the transformation to orange is a bit less dramatic.) You can also use a blue felt-tip pen to draw a target on a square of toilet paper, which your child can then try to turn green.

What You'll Need

Coordination is certainly involved in learning to hit a target, but the larger concept at work here is cause and effect. Your child is learning that he can make something change, which is a very powerful idea.