# Lesson Plan: Health Habits for Toddlers - Understanding the Toilet
### Age Group: Toddlers (Ages 2-3)
### Duration: 20-30 minutes
### Objective:
- To introduce toddlers to the concept of a toilet.
- To teach basic toilet habits and hygiene.
- To make the topic engaging and less intimidating for toddlers.
### Materials Needed:
- Picture of a toilet or a toy model
- A small potty chair (optional)
- Storybook about using the toilet (e.g., "Potty" by Leslie Patricelli)
- Toilet paper
- Hand soap
- Stickers for rewards
### Introduction: (5 minutes)
1. **Greeting**: Start with a friendly greeting and engage in a fun warm-up song or activity to grab the toddlers’ attention.
2. **Visual Aid**: Show the picture of the toilet and ask the toddlers if they know what it is.
- “Can anyone tell me what this is?”
- Allow toddlers to express their ideas.
### Lesson: (10-15 minutes)
1. **Definition & Purpose**:
- “This is a toilet. We use the toilet when we need to go pee-pee or poo-poo.”
- “Toilets help us stay clean and healthy.”
2. **Using the Toilet**:
- Explain in simple terms how to use the toilet.
- “When you feel like you need to go pee-pee or poo-poo, you tell an adult so they can help you.”
- “Then you sit on the toilet like this.” (Demonstrate using a small potty chair if available)
3. **After Using the Toilet**:
- “After you use the toilet, you need to wipe with toilet paper.” (Show how to use toilet paper)
- “Then you need to flush the toilet by pressing the button/handle.” (Make a flushing sound for fun)
4. **Hand Washing**:
- “After using the toilet, it’s very important to wash your hands with soap and water to keep them clean.”
- Demonstrate hand-washing with soap and water, emphasizing scrubbing all parts of the hands.
### Activity: (5-10 minutes)
1. **Story Time**:
- Read the storybook “Potty” by Leslie Patricelli or any other suitable book on toilet training.
- Engage toddlers by asking simple questions related to the story.
2. **Role-Playing**:
- Encourage toddlers to practice using the toilet and washing hands with a toy model or by miming.
- Let them practice pulling some toilet paper, pretending to wipe, and washing hands with water (no need to use real water).
### Closing: (5 minutes)
1. **Recap**:
- “What did we learn about the toilet today? Who can tell me what we use the toilet for?”
- Reinforce the key steps: using the toilet, wiping, flushing, and washing hands.
2. **Positive Reinforcement**:
- Hand out stickers to toddlers who participated and paid attention.
3. **Goodbye Song**:
- End the class with a fun goodbye song to leave the toddlers with a positive feeling.
### Extensions and Follow-Up:
- Encourage parents to reinforce the lesson at home.
- Provide a simple handout or a small booklet with pictures and steps for using the toilet and washing hands.
- Continue to revisit the topic periodically to reinforce the habit.
By keeping the lesson simple, visual, and interactive, toddlers will be more likely to understand and remember the important basics of using the toilet.