5 Potty Training Games To Make Potty Training Fun

Written by Fiona Peacock

Published on September 12, 2023

• You can make the potty training process fun by playing games and staying positive (even when your child pees on your favorite rug). 
• Potty training games can be educational, entertaining, or both. 
• Fun potty training games can be used to encourage frequent toilet trips, speed up the journey, and teach good hygiene. 

Once your child has mastered potty training, you’ll be free of the diaper bag. No more lugging around a heavy bag full of diapers, wipes, and portable potty seats. Instead, you’ll simply be able to grab your kid and head out into the world. No more navigating gross baby changing rooms or dealing with diaper explosions in public spaces. Freedom.

Potty training is not a stage many parents look forward to. In fact, some choose to delay it because they dread the stress and the inevitable accidents. Potty training doesn’t need to be stressful, though; it’s perfectly possible to turn it into a positive experience for you and your child. 

Potty training games are a fantastic way to add a sprinkle of fun into this developmental stage. There are lots of games out there you can use to entertain your child as they potty train, so you’ll be sure to find one your child will love.

Potty Training Game Ideas

Here are some of our favorite potty training game ideas. Try one or all of them out to see what works for your child.

Game 1: Scavenger Hunt

This interactive potty training game is a fresh take on a popular childhood game. Young children love scavenger hunts, whether they’re at the local park or in the playroom.

A scavenger hunt in your bathroom is a great way to teach your child about hygiene as they begin potty training. A potty training scavenger hunt is the perfect way to introduce your child to the potty training essentials they’ll need while learning to use the toilet. 

You can be professional and print off a sheet so your child can tick things off as they find them or simply shout out the items your child needs to find.

Include items like toilet paper, soap, and hand towels. If you’ve purchased any new kit for potty training, a scavenger hunt is a fun way to introduce your child to their potty training supplies. As your child finds each potty training tool, discuss how it’s used and why it’s important. 

Game 2: One Parent Show

Potty training doesn’t need to be serious business. Instead, you can giggle and howl your way through your potty training adventure. If you’re struggling to keep your child entertained on the potty for long enough to fill it, you may need to go big. 

Break out your jazz hands and get ready for a one-parent show. You can do impressions of TV characters and family members at your child’s request, act out different animals, or instigate a sing-a-long of your child’s favorite songs. Your kid will love watching you be silly. 

Note to reader: This game is probably best suited to home rather than public bathrooms.

Game 3: Potty Race

It’s not always easy to convince your busy toddler to go to the potty, especially if they don’t think they need to go. One way to battle this is to make potty trips fun, so turning a potty trip into a race is a great thing to try. 

When you first start potty training, you should take your kid to the potty every hour, even if they haven’t said they need to go. This will help to avoid accidents and hopefully protect your carpets.

To make it fun, yell “Potty race!” and see who can get to the potty fastest. Encourage your child to do the same when they need to go. If you have a competitive little one, they’ll love this game. 

Game 4: Potty Training Dolly

One fun way to teach your child more about potty training is to potty train one of their toys. You can choose a favorite dolly or cuddly bear and get them a toy potty to use. Give your kid the role of potty trainer and encourage them to help their toy crack potty training. 

If you’re using a reward chart with your child, be sure to make one for dolly, too. Your child will like having a new way to play with their dolly, and they’ll love explaining all their new knowledge to their favorite toy.

Game 5: Potty Library

One of the challenges of potty training is trying to get your toddler to sit still long enough to go to the bathroom. Toddlers are not known for their patient sitting still skills. If your toddler is bursting with energy, you’ll need some distractions situated near the potty to encourage them to sit down for a while. 

Books are a great way to keep your child sitting still. Choose a mix of their favorite books and some new stories and create a potty library. Each time your kid visits the potty, you can sit and read a story to them. 

The Role of Games in Potty Training

Understanding Child Psychology and Games

The key to happy potty training is to be positive and have realistic expectations. If you get stressed and anxious about potty training, your child will likely pick up on these cues and become stressed and anxious.

Potty training games help by making the process more fun. They give you both something to focus on and remind you that potty training shouldn’t be stressful. 

If the potty is a fun place to be, your kid will be happier spending time there. If it’s fun getting to the potty, your child is more likely to go without putting up much of a fight. If you’re fun, happy, and positive during potty training, they’re going to be happier than if you’re anxious and stressed. 

How Do Games Help With Potty Training?

If you can use potty training games to encourage regular potty visits, increase success while you’re there, and make potty training fun, you’ll likely reduce the number of accidents you need to deal with. Any accidents you do encounter will be easier to deal with if you’re approaching potty training with realistic expectations and a fun attitude. 

Though some people may worry about using games during potty training, children learn through play, so it’s a fantastic way to get them on board. If you ask a nursery practitioner how they teach children to put their shoes on, learn to count, or develop their fine motor skills, they’ll likely tell you they use games.

How to Use Potty Training Games Effectively

Choose the Right Game

You know your child best, so you’ll know which games and techniques are likely to work best with your child. If your kid can’t sit still to listen to a book, the potty library is unlikely to achieve much in your house. If your child doesn’t cope well with competitiveness, you might want to avoid the potty race. 

Utilize your child’s interests and skills to find potty training games that will be enjoyable and engaging for your child. If your child loves sticker books, that might be a better option than the potty library. If your child loves being silly, you might want to do a silly potty walk rather than a potty race. Personalize the games to fit your child. 

Keep the Fun Alive

Though people love to claim you can potty train a child in three days, it’s likely to take longer until your child is accident-free. You may find your child experiences a potty training regression when in new situations and places, leading to a few days of accidents. When this happens, it can be useful to whip out your old potty training games to help them revise their toilet skills. 

You may want to update the games for older children to make them more fun. Or you can switch to new games with older children. For example, older boys may be able to aim their pee, opening up a whole host of potty training games. Drop a cheerio into the bowl and challenge your son to aim for the hole. 

Ensure the Focus Remains on Potty Training

Potty training games are a great way to complement your teaching, but be careful to ensure your lessons are still getting through.

While guessing the scent of the soap may be a fun distraction during hand washes, it’s important your child understands why hand washing is necessary. Be sure to remind them of the whys regularly so that they learn the importance of good hygiene and taking care of their body.

If you’re going to use potty training songs to entertain your child during potty breaks, try to choose educational and fun ones. Don’t be afraid to flex your creative muscles and invent your own potty training songs.