Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

Carol McCloud is the author of Have You Filled a Bucket Today?  "This is a heartwarming book that encourages positive behavior as children see how very easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation, and love on a daily basis."

This book is written to teach young children to be bucket fillers..."All day long, everyone in the whole wide world walks around carrying an invisible bucket. Carol goes on to say, you can't see it, but it's there.  Your bucket has one purpose only, to hold your good thoughts and good feelings about yourself.  When you feel happy your bucket is full, and you feel sad when your bucket is empty."

The book explains to kids that when you do or say something nice for someone else you, " fill their bucket"  and if you do something that is not friendly or kind you, "dip into their bucket".  We use the bucket filling imagery to create a concrete way for the children to understand friendly behavior.  We encourage you to use this language at home within your families, as well.

During the course of the week we have read Have You Filled a Bucket Today?  in both large and small groups.  Some of the children are already picking up the concept of "filling and dipping" into someone's bucket.  This morning another child said something that was not so friendly and Sally said,

" Hey she went into your bucket Lauri"!   At our morning meeting the teachers pointed out how Sally "filled" Eva's bucket when she helped her move the bike she was riding when the wheel got stuck on another bike.

Hayley said her Grandmother  " fills her bucket"  when she hugs her.  Isabella said her Mom "fills her bucket" when she kisses her and reads her 5 stories before she goes to bed.

Carol McCloud 's book  Have You Filled a Bucket Today?  is a must have for your library at home!

The whole family will simply fall in love with the language in the book!