How to write a potty training social story

To write a potty training social story, put the bathroom in order: the small seat, the wipe, the tank handle, and the soap. Read it in the bathroom you will use, and keep a sentence only when that bathroom will do what the sentence says.

The potty chair

Carol Gray's 10.2 criteria say a social story uses first person or third person, and it does not say you (Social Stories 10.2 Criteria, accessed October 31, 2026). The story below is first person.

The Potty Chair

I use the potty chair in our bathroom.

The potty chair is a small seat with an opening and a bowl underneath. My feet touch the floor when I sit.

When pee or poop is coming, I walk to the bathroom. I pull my pants down. I pull my underwear down. I sit.

I stay on the seat until the pee or poop is finished. It goes in the bowl.

I wipe with toilet paper. The paper goes in the bowl. I stand up. I pull my underwear up. I pull my pants up.

Mom or Dad may pour the bowl into the big toilet.

The big toilet has a handle on the tank. Pushing the handle makes the water rush. The water carries the pee and poop away.

Some children think pee and poop are part of the body. They worry the rush of water will take that part away. I am already standing when the handle moves.

I put soap on my hands. I rub them. I rinse them. I dry them on the towel.

Dry underwear means the pee went in the bowl. Wet underwear means the next pee can go in the bowl too.

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Feet on the floor

The American Academy of Pediatrics describes a potty chair as a child-sized seat with an opening and a bowl underneath. The child's feet should reach the floor (The Right Age to Potty Train, accessed October 31, 2026).

If the chair rocks, or the feet dangle, fix the chair before you read the story. Do not read "my feet touch the floor" when they do not.

That page also lists signs the body is ready: dry for at least two hours during the day, or dry after a nap; a grunt, a freeze, or a squat before pee or poop; able to walk to the bathroom and help pull pants down; asks for the toilet or the potty chair. The page says to talk with your child's doctor if you are unsure.

Girls wipe from the front toward the back, so germs from poop are not wiped toward the bladder. Add that sentence only when it is true for your child. Leave it out when it is not.

If your child pours the bowl, put that in the story. If Mom or Dad pours it, keep the adult in that line.

What to say after a real sit

Name the action. The CDC's example of praise that names an action is "I saw that you put your toys away!" A bare "Great job!" does not say which action you liked (Tips for Using Praise and Rewards, accessed October 31, 2026).

After the potty, the matching words are "You sat on the potty." Say them when the sit has happened, not an hour later. The CDC says a reward that comes right after a behavior makes that behavior more likely, and it lists using the potty as one behavior a picture chart can track.

The AAP's sentence is "I am so proud you are able to use the toilet so well." The same page says treats and punishments pull attention off the toilet, because the child is the one taking over pee and poop. Praise that names the sit is on both pages. A picture chart is a CDC option. It is not required for this story. If you use a chart, leave a mark the child already earned. The CDC says an earned reward stays.

One practice today

Do this once, in the bathroom the story names.

1. Set the potty chair so both feet rest on the floor.
2. Read the story aloud. Point at the chair, the paper, the tank handle, the soap, and the towel as each one is named.
3. Pants and underwear down. Sit. Wipe. Paper in the bowl. Underwear and pants up.
4. If the flush is the hard part, stand up first. Then your child moves the handle. The AAP says some children believe pee and poop are part of the body and fear the flush will take them away. Flushing after they stand is the control that page suggests.
5. Soap, rinse, towel.

A faucet with someone beside it is the bath time story.

If your toilet has no tank handle, replace that sentence with the part the hand uses. A story that names a handle you do not have will not match the room.

When those sentences match your bathroom, you can have that sequence made into a personalized book: a personalized potty story shaped around your child's name, photo, and routine.

Two pictures, potty chair then soap, can be printed as a two-step picture strip. More strips are on the free tools page.

The potty story, and later ones, go out from the Social Stories email list.

When potty training needs a pediatrician

Daytime accidents can go on for months after training seems finished. If accidents are frequent and not easing, or training has stalled, talk with your child's pediatrician (Are accidents normal during toilet training?, accessed October 31, 2026). Bring the story you have been reading.

FAQ

What if the flush is scary?

Stand up first, then move the handle. The AAP says some children think pee and poop are part of the body and fear the water will take them away. Flushing after standing is the control they describe. If your toilet uses a different part, put that part in the story and drop the handle.

What do I say right after a sit?

"You sat on the potty." That names the action. The AAP line is "I am so proud you are able to use the toilet so well." Use one of them only when the sit happened.

What if our toilet has no tank handle?

Change the handle sentence to the part the hand uses. Read the new sentence once while you point at that part, so the words and the room match.

When is an accident a reason to call?

If accidents are frequent and not easing, or training has stalled, talk with your child's pediatrician. Bring the story.