Bathroom Rules
Classroom Management Tips for Bathroom Procedures in the Classroom
Bathroom Rules are a very important element in classroom management. On the first day the procedures of using the bathroom must be introduced, otherwise bathroom breaks will disrupt the class. It is important to decide on a bathroom procedure that is suitable to your class for their age, maturity, and to keep them safe. Some schools insist on a buddy system for going to the bathroom, while others even in first grade do not. My rule is the buddy system, even though there is a much greater incidence of them taking longer, I always err on the safe side.
As well, incorporate bathroom rules that are sensitive to all your students' bathroom needs. You want to give students responsibility in going to the bathroom, but model when and how they are to ask to go to the bathroom. My rules are that during lessons, unless it is an emergency, students are not allowed to use the bathroom. As well, 15 minutes before recess, lunch, or home time. Below is a list of some of the more common ones I have seen during my teaching experience.
Bathroom Passes: Create a pass for each student in the class. Best to have the pass laminated to last the entire school years. Students place the pass on their desk when they leave the classroom to use the bathroom.
Bathroom Keys: Create a boy and a girl key and place them at a designated spot in the classroom. When a child needs to use the bathroom, he/she places the key on the desk.
Bathroom Sign-Out Sheet: Place a bathroom sign out sheet in a designated place in the classroom. The student writes their name and record the time they left and re-enter the classroom for a bathroom break. The students can use the data to make a graph and problem solve the longest and shortest bathroom breaks.
Bathroom Tickets: At the beginning of the week give each student five bathroom tickets. The students are able to use the tickets at their discretion, however they are not given any new tickets and they are not to carry over any tickets to the next week. Some teachers collect the unused tickets and do a raffle at the end of the week or the month for trinkets.
Bathroom Pegs: On a clothes peg, write each of your students' names. Next, divide a paper in half and write IN on one side at the top and OUT on the other side at the top. Place the pegs in alphabetical order on the IN side. When the students need to use the bathroom they place their peg on the OUT side of the paper. You may also wish to place the students on the IN side to keep the pegs organized; otherwise, you may spend a few minutes placing them back into alphabetical order each day.
