Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

During the second week of school, my students learned what it means to be kind to others by becoming bucket fillers. A person's "bucket" represents their mental and emotional self. There are hundreds of ways to fill other's buckets, such as helping without being asked, showing respect to others, saying or doing something kind, and much more. When one's bucket is full, they feel more confident, calm, secure, and friendly. However, when one's bucket is "dripping" or empty, it contains few positive thoughts or feelings. An empty bucket makes it easier to become sad, negative, angry, and stressed. In second grade, we focused on how we can fill other's buckets in and outside of our classroom. 

Bucket Fillers and Dippers Anchor Chart

To introduce students to bucket filling, I started by reading aloud "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud. The story teaches young readers valuable lessons about how their actions can impact others as well as themselves. Students turned to their shoulder partners and discussed how they believe they fill buckets everyday. To bring the read aloud to a close, each student received a different bucket filler or dipper (negative action that empties a bucket). At their tables, students partook in a "Round Robin" on identifying the statement they had as a filler or dipper. Once we came back together as a whole group, each student read aloud their statement, identified if it was a filler or dipper, and explained their reasoning for their answer. 

Bucket Filler Activity

Individual Student Buckets

Once our "Bucket Fillers and Dippers" anchor chart was complete, students worked on a bucket filler activity. The activity included students creating their own bucket, as well as completing six "I can fill a bucket by..." clouds. Each student identified six ways they can fill someone else's bucket, and wrote one idea in each cloud. The finished product had the students' buckets and bucket fillers on a large sheet of construction paper. 
It was great to see my students take responsibility for their actions and learn how they can be kind to others. This activity had a positive impact on my students. Everyday I hear them encouraging one another in their work, lending a helping hand, and smiling because of how much they have come together as a family.