Hello!
Have you filled a bucket today? No, not this kind of bucket… 
Our invisible bucket that “lives in our hearts” as my son likes to say.
Some teachers at my school use this book* to introduce and talk about kindness. It can often be heard around my school “You filled my bucket!” Or the dreaded “Aww, you just dipped into his/her/my bucket…”
What does this all mean? Well, the premise of the book by Carol McCloud is that each one of us has an invisible bucket with us at all times. This bucket holds our thoughts and feelings. We can fill each other’s buckets by being kind or we can dip into others’ buckets by doing things that take away their good feelings. One of the most important messages is that you may think that it will make you feel better to dip into someone else’s bucket but doing so really just dips into your own bucket as well. But filling other people’s buckets also fills yours!
This is a great story (although a little abstract) for teaching kindness and respect. It really shows how your actions affect those around you.
We reference it sometimes in my classroom but we have never actually read it together and talked about it. So this year, as part of my back-to-school routine, I plan to use this book to talk about kindness. I’ve found that adapted books work really well with my students to keep them engaged and help them access the text better. As part of her June/July adapted book series, Mrs. D included the pieces for this book. So I am adapting this book and plan to use it as a lesson at the beginning of the year. Stay tuned, and I will let you know how it works out!
How do you teach kindness in your classes?
*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own, and I only link to products I use and recommend.