How can I get my son to wash himself?

I really shouldn't worry about him washing - he's doing the important bits! Bath time should be fun for kids and as long as you put some gentle children's bubble bath in the water, he'll get clean enough. Kids don't need scrubbing. If you're over fussy about cleanliness he'll just get hung up about it.

I also have a six year old son who washes himself in the shower. The only time I wash him is if he is really completely filthy! And my son only wants to play as well, so what I do is I tell him that he has to wash himself first and then I give him whatever toys he wants and he has a set amount of time to play in the shower. He knows that he has to wash himself first or he cannot play. I also bought him the kid soap that is in like a netted covering so he has his own bar of soap and it's a cool color. Good luck! :)

I am not a parent, but I have a 9-year-old brother with whom my mother has a similar situation, but he has gradually learned to He has ADD, so it makes it that much harder for him to concentrate on washing himself instead of being in his own mind and playing in the bathtub. What you need to do is make washing himself fun. Say something like "I be back in 10 minutes, and I want to see soap all over you, head-to-toe. And you have to scrub really fast--that's the rule of the game. Ready? Go!" I'm sure that by the time your boy will be my brother's age, he will be independent in the bathtub. Good luck, and remember--don't force him to do it; turn it into a game.

Give him a time limit.

Buy him ''special'' soap (wash in the container of a favorite character he likes)

Go over how to wash properly (and really, he's a guy...it doesn't take any time at all to dump body wash over your head and body!)

Sit in there and instruct him on how to wash himself,until he knows how.