Are you looking for ways to teach children to spread kindness and compassion to create a positive classroom environment? Some days we all need to be reminded of ways to be kind to "fill" our buckets and the buckets of our friends and to not "dip" into others' buckets. The fun, engaging activities included below will have all of your students trying to fill as many of their friends' buckets as possible!
Bucket Filler Books
1. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud
Of course, you have to begin with the book that started it all: Have You Filled a Bucket Today? This adorable picture book teaches us all about the invisible bucket we carry everywhere we go. With colorful illustrations, we all learn the concept of bucket fillers: things that make everyone happy, and bucket dippers: mean or hurtful things that take away our happiness.
2. Will You Fill My Bucket? by Carol McCloud
Another remarkable one of her bucket filler books, Carol McCloud creates a story on bucket filling that follows children from countries all around the world--reminding us all that no matter how different we may seem, we all have the same needs and desires.
3. How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath
One of the most popular books for teachers of young kids, this adaptation of McCloud's best-selling book follows Felix throughout an entire day and shows how each interaction he has either fills or empties his bucket. After a while, Felix realizes that his actions fill or empty others' buckets as well. Use this book as a reminder to all children that their actions affect not only themselves but others as well!
Bucket Filler Videos
4. The Bucket Filler Song
This cute song encourages kids to be bucket fillers and not bucket dippers by choosing to be kind and do nice things for others! Use this song as a daily reminder to children to choose actions that fill everyone's buckets!
Learn more: Michael B
5. Bucket Filling A-Z
This video is a read-aloud of another of McCloud's wonderful bucket filler books! The story is read by children, adding cuteness for adults and relatability for students. It goes over many different acts of kindness, from A for "asking" to help adults to Z for "zero" things that we cannot work through with our friends.
Learn more: William Knipfer
6. Fill a Bucket Sing-Along
Use this song throughout the school year as a continual reminder to students to be kind and fill others' buckets. Students will soon know all the words and be excited to sing along. It's also a great way for them to share some of their sillies out!
Learn more: Red Grammer - Topic
Bucket Filler Bulletin Board Ideas
7. Hanging Buckets
Create a bulletin board that uses actual buckets to teach the concept of bucket fillers and bucket dippers. When students do nice, helpful things, add slips of paper that say the kind things they did to their buckets! Or turn it into a reward system: once students have received a certain number of items like marbles, etc in their buckets, they can turn them in for a prize from the classroom bucket! This is a great classroom management tool that encourages positive behavior.
Learn more: Lemon Tree Creations
8. Bucket Filler Friday
Adapt this bulletin board idea by Miss 5th on Facebook and have students write a bucket filler letter to one of their classmates every Friday. Watching students write nice letters to their peers will give you the warm fuzzies and fill your teacher bucket, too! Create a strong classroom community by encouraging this simple act of kindness.
Learn more: Miss 5th
9. Be A Filler; Don't Dip
Use a bulletin board like the one shown here to reinforce your bucket filler classroom management ideals. List different positive values as daily reminders to all your students about how to make good choices.
Learn more: Stacie Z Photography
10. Kindness Snowballs
Follow the lesson plan linked above to create a cute bucket filler bulletin board for winter. Kids will feel proud that they helped create your newest bulletin board design.
Learn more: Bucket Fillers 101
Bucket Filler Activities
11. How I Will Fill a Bucket Today Writing Activity
If you are looking for daily bucket filler activities, look no further! Students can write down how they will fill the buckets of their peers every morning to encourage them to be kind and make good decisions all day.
Learn more: Brit B.
12. Kindness Bingo
Encourage specific acts of kindness with these bingo cards. Students will enjoy filling their cards as they make good decisions. Play this game once a week as a way to continuously encourage good behaviors!
Learn more: Small Act Big Impact
13. Bucket Filling Crowns
Students will have a lot of fun creating these crowns to show that they are positive bucket fillers. These will serve as a visual reminder to help them keep their imaginary bucket in mind all day.
Learn more: Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School
14. Bucket Filler Anchor Chart
Turn your classroom into a bucket-filling classroom by creating an anchor chart. Each student can contribute one way to fill others' buckets to your chart. You can also make a bucket dipper anchor chart to illustrate behaviors you don't want in your classroom.
Learn more: Pinterest
15. Bucket Filler Journal
Buying an entire classroom set of these My Bucketfilling Journals might be a little expensive, so you can always purchase one and use the different prompts in your class. Have them write in their journals daily or weekly as reminders to make positive choices.
16. I Can Be a Bucket Filler Coloring Page
This bucket filler printable is a fun, engaging way to have students think about the ways they are bucket fillers. Have them complete it on a weekly basis as a regular reminder to make positive choices.
Learn more: Coloring Home
17. Bucket Filler Word Search
Teach important vocabulary words and bucket filling attributes at the same time with this bucket filler word search. Have students work in pairs to reiterate the idea of being helpful and friendly!
Learn more: Coloring Home
18. Create a Bucket
Create a bucket filler craft that has students create their own buckets! Use a red solo cup for the bucket and pipe cleaner for the bucket handle, and then allow the child to decorate their bucket with stickers!
Learn more: Moments A Day
19. Bucket Fillers vs Bucket Spillers
Do your students need a little reminder on what is a bucket filler versus what is a bucket spiller? Do a reminder bucket lesson and create a chart as a class to get them back on the right track.
Learn more: Michelle Rocha
20. Bucket Filler Sticky Notes
Create little bucket filler notes using sticky notes! You can give these to students or display them around your classroom as reminders of good behaviors.
Learn more: From the Pond
21. Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like
Sometimes younger children need things broken down into concrete actions. Use a chart like the one above to talk to students about what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like to be a bucket-filling classroom.
Learn more: Blendspace
22. Bucket Filler Pledge
Create a bucket filler class pledge and have your students recite it every morning as a daily reminder to make good decisions. You can even have students help create the pledge so they feel directly involved in the process.
Learn more: Bucket Fillers 101
23. Good Habits, Bad Habits
Reiterate the difference between bucket fillers and bucket dippers by talking about good habits versus bad habits. Have students cut out the different actions and then sort them into piles to practice their fine motor skills.
Learn more: Busy Preschooler
24. You Fill My Bucket, Valentine
Teach this bucket lesson around Valentine's Day and have all of your students create bucket filling Valentine's for their classmates! You could use the same idea for students to give each other weekly bucket notes--just remove the word Valentine!
Learn more: Bucket Fillers 101
25. A Cute, Daily Reminder
One way to illustrate to students that you must "water" your relationships with friends is by having a pot with a live plant that you water every day! Paint a little pot and plant a classroom resistant plant as a visual reminder to all students.
Learn more: Bucket Fillers 101
26. Christmas Kindness Calendar
Create an advent calendar full of bucket filler behaviors for students to complete during the month of December. They will have fun marking off every day and doing random acts of kindness for others.
Learn more: Wondermom Wannabe
27. Learning About the Lid
Use the attached bucket lesson to teach students about the concept of the bucket lid. Help them understand that the actions of others are not their fault, so sometimes they need to use their lids to protect them from bucket dippers.
Learn more: Bucket Fillers 101
28. Bucket Filler Door Decorating
Have a school-wide bucket filler contest and have each classroom decorate its classroom door. Students will be excited and engaged, and every class in your school will be a bucket-filling classroom. What more could you ask for?!
Learn more: 34 Creative
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