6 Year Old's Bad Behavior

Wow instead of punishment how about having a conversation with her? At six she should be articulate enough to discuss it with you. Ask her why she did it. If she just shrugs or says I don't know then ask her why she "thinks" she did it.
Unless this is something that has happened before that's all I would do. If it happens again get the school counselor involved. Toileting issues are often signs of deeper, more emotional things going on :(

I'd find out why she didnt want to go in the bathroom. Is the bathroom in the classroom? Do other kids laugh if the bathroom smells after other kids go. Is the bathroom dirty. Does she raise her hand? Does the teacher say no? Did she just get to excited and tried to hold it in to long and had an accident. That last one is a common thing actually. Many younger kids get excited and forget. Did the teacher say you have to wait until after break? . I'm not sure pooping pants or trees is a punishment issue. I think explaining and finding the whole story is more important. I really do not like taking the kids recess away all week.

This is not a punishment but is something you need to consider. Have the school social worker talk with her about the importance of bodily functions. about the appropriate place for them and also about keeping private parts private. at 6 this is a huge red flag.

I agree you really need to talk to her about this. Maybe there is something bothering her or something she isn't quite understanding. Mabye she thought the other kids would think it was funny or she was clever or something. My son is also in kindergarten, and sometimes I just cannot comprehend the stories he is telling me about things he did or another kid did. I realize he might be embellishing when he tells me, but I don't think he always is.

I really don't think punishment is the answer, and I definitely think one week is way too long at that age. In 2 days she won't make the connection between teh punishment and the act. She might not even make the connection tomorrow. Punishment is rarely effective. What is effective is positive reinforcement and natural consequences. A natural consequence to this act might have been for her to clean it up and miss out on something going on inside with her class. A positive reinforcement might be a reward for consistently asking to use the restroom or one week of "green cards," if that's how your school does it.

I sincerely do not believe that punishment is going to have the desired outcome. I would do what you can to get to the bottom of the "why" she did this. That's going to be your best chance at ending this altogether.

I don't agree that it is a "huge red flag" but it is something to keep track of. I also have a 6 year old and he never seems to realize much in advance (no accidents but not much lead time to run to the bathroom either). We had some issues at the beginning of K with pee accidents until he got on a good routine at school. There were a lot of reminders to go to the bathroom at least 1 time in the morning and one in the afternoon. I also notice with kids that age anything related to body functions is funny. I am with you with giving a consequence if she did this intentionally not because she just had to go that badly.

Sorry, folks can mitigate it all they want. The ugly truth is, if these people found out a classmate of their own child did this, they'd be pretty upset and wanting to be sure to distance their child from the possible "bad influence.' If the kids at school know what happen, it's only a matter of time before your daughter is labled and kids are talking and parents find out. Are you prepared for the fallout? What about your daughter? This might be one of those hard to live down things that can make school and fitting in socially hellish for years to come. This is pretty unusual behavior..even for a 6-year-old. Yeah kids this age think potty humor is funny, but to actually expose themself and do something like this in public is odd. Such brazen behavior should not be discounted as immaturity. I think a private therapist might be in order. This is a big deal in my opinion. Definitely not worthy of punishment, but definitely worth an evaluation by someone who understands behavioral disorders. Don't blow it off as no big deal. If she's bold enough to do this at school to garner attention, one up a classmate, or because she though it was funny, what's next? She's definitely old enough to understand boundaries and inappropriate versus appropriate behavior. Something is up and it needs to be nipped in the bud now before it escalates into something bigger and far more serious. jmo