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Have You Filled a Bucket Today? / Fill a Bucket
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About the author
Carol McCloud
24 books35 followersCarol McCloud, the "Bucket Lady," is the author of ten books, which began with the ever-popular "Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids" in 2006. By trade, Carol is a speaker, author, and certified emotional intelligence trainer. Her books have sold more than three million copies and have been translated into many different languages and in different formats. A champion for bucket filling, Carol works with a powerful presenter team who strive to help people of all ages and occupations lead happier lives by growing in kindness, self-control, resilience, and forgiveness.
For more information, visit bucketfillers101.com or on your favorite social media channel at @BucketFillers1.
For more information, visit bucketfillers101.com or on your favorite social media channel at @BucketFillers1.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 14, 2014
Have You Filled a Bucket Today is an excellent book that teaches students about what is important in life and the relationships that we all want to develop. The concept of "filling someones bucket" is extremely relate-able to students and provides a picture of how to do the right thing. Students are provided with real opportunities to build someone up and encourage them, as well as situations that make peoples buckets empty and how to avoid being a "dipper." Every student knows what it feels like to be really happy and what it feels like to be very sad, so this is a great book to use when teaching students about citizenship. You could use this as a read-aloud, partner read, exploratory reading, and much more. You could create buckets in your own classroom that students work to fill up throughout the day or week as something tangible to show community in the classroom.
April 8, 2017
Aww...
Even though this is a children's book. I'm still going to create a full review of it for this is a very interesting (and cute) to read. ^_^
Even though this is a children's book. I'm still going to create a full review of it for this is a very interesting (and cute) to read. ^_^
September 8, 2014
Wonderful concept to bring into the classroom. Teaching children how to fill their friend's hearts with positive feelings rather than "dumping their bucket" with hurtful behaviours. Great Social-Emotional segway into building a sense of community within the classroom, and children's lives.
February 4, 2015
Gives children a visual representation of a complex concept and a vocabulary to discuss it.
September 3, 2014
Reminder that this is a great book to read around the first week of school with your kids. Great book!
November 19, 2014
Kid friendly and very informative! Will be checking this book out for my oldest granddaughter to read!
April 15, 2014
A great book that we read together as a family to help us remember other people's feelings.
Read
October 5, 2019Summary:
In this story, the author explains that everyone in the world carries around an invisible bucket. The purpose of the bucket is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings of yourself. When your bucket is full, you are happy. But when your bucket is empty, you are not happy. You have to fill each others buckets by saying or doing something kind, even giving someone a smile. But there are also people who are bucket dippers, these people do or say mean things to people and take from their buckets. This story shows that kindness is so important.
Evaluation:
I absolutely loved "Have you Filled a Bucket Today" because of the message it gives readers about being kind to others. The book provides examples of how people can be bucket fillers as well as examples of how people can be bucket dippers. I think that this is a wonderful book that teaches children about kindness. Although this is a children's picture book, I would recommend it to students of all ages, even high school to an extent. I think that it just gives the best metaphor to kindness and I even learned something from reading this book.
Teaching idea:
This book portrays such a strong metaphor to kindness by comparing kindness to an invisible bucket that every person in the world carries around with them every day. So, for a teaching idea, I would first start by reading this story to my students. Then, I would demonstrate the idea of the book by providing students with buckets in order to replay what the story told. Then, the students could sign a big sheet of paper that says they are going to be bucket fillers. I will hang the paper up somewhere in the classroom to remind students to always be kind to one another.
In this story, the author explains that everyone in the world carries around an invisible bucket. The purpose of the bucket is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings of yourself. When your bucket is full, you are happy. But when your bucket is empty, you are not happy. You have to fill each others buckets by saying or doing something kind, even giving someone a smile. But there are also people who are bucket dippers, these people do or say mean things to people and take from their buckets. This story shows that kindness is so important.
Evaluation:
I absolutely loved "Have you Filled a Bucket Today" because of the message it gives readers about being kind to others. The book provides examples of how people can be bucket fillers as well as examples of how people can be bucket dippers. I think that this is a wonderful book that teaches children about kindness. Although this is a children's picture book, I would recommend it to students of all ages, even high school to an extent. I think that it just gives the best metaphor to kindness and I even learned something from reading this book.
Teaching idea:
This book portrays such a strong metaphor to kindness by comparing kindness to an invisible bucket that every person in the world carries around with them every day. So, for a teaching idea, I would first start by reading this story to my students. Then, I would demonstrate the idea of the book by providing students with buckets in order to replay what the story told. Then, the students could sign a big sheet of paper that says they are going to be bucket fillers. I will hang the paper up somewhere in the classroom to remind students to always be kind to one another.
July 6, 2017
After reading Have You Filled A Bucket Today, I ordered vinyl lettering for my garage door. On the inside it says "fill a bucket." On the outside it asks "did you fill a bucket?" This book taught my children an excellent lesson that was easy to understand and has become a family motto. When one child hurts another child by saying something mean, they can easily tell the other person that they are emptying their bucket and everyone understands.
It is a little long for a children's book but I think that it was necessary to explain the lesson. It's not one I will read over and over and over. But it is one that we read a few times a year to refresh the lesson it teaches.
It is a little long for a children's book but I think that it was necessary to explain the lesson. It's not one I will read over and over and over. But it is one that we read a few times a year to refresh the lesson it teaches.
December 12, 2017
Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud is a children's picture book with no literary awards today. I read this book on my kindle app. This is a story that helps to teach kids ages three to eleven years old about ways we help others feel good. The story teaches of us all having an imaginary bucket that is filled or emptied by the way others are to us. I love this book as my own motto my whole adult life has been how full or empty my cup is. I always try to add to others cups as well. This is a beneficial book for all ages in my eyes. This is my very favorite book. I rate this book five stars.
July 29, 2023
This book is almost perfect, can't quite identify what I think it needs. I love the psychology presented, especially about mean/unhappy people trying unsuccessfully to become happy by hurting others. Very simple presentation, which is good. Maybe instead of "everyone has a bucket", "it is as if everyone has a bucket." Well presented message that an individual can be content by being good to oneself and others.
June 21, 2017
This book is about how everyone has an invisible bucket and it gets emptied and filled by themselves and those around them. It teaches ways to fill someone's bucket and things not to do so you don't empty someone's bucket.
I think this is an excellent book to teach about feelings and how what we do affects those around us, whether we realize it or not.
(Picture Book)
I think this is an excellent book to teach about feelings and how what we do affects those around us, whether we realize it or not.
(Picture Book)
November 10, 2018
What a cool idea! I love the fact that filling a bucket provides a type of visual for kids as they attempt to learn how they should and should not treat other people. There are so many activities in the classroom you could do with this. Though the book itself is elementary, the concept could be stretched across all grade levels.
June 28, 2017
This book is about people carrying around an invisible "empty bucket" and people filling those buckets with kind, nice things.
I gave this a 5 out of 5 because it is a great lesson for children to be kind even when you dont have to be.
I gave this a 5 out of 5 because it is a great lesson for children to be kind even when you dont have to be.
April 17, 2019
This is a great book for KS1 and lower KS2. It discusses the idea of a bucket - everybody has one but you can never see them. Happiness fills the bucket, it teaches children how to help others and how that will make the other person feel.
September 12, 2019
It clearly shows how being kind and mindful causes others to act in the same way and causes you to feel good. I think it's a good way to remind young adults that they matter, even if sometimes they don't think so.
November 15, 2021
If you are looking for a perfect book to teach kindness and compassion to our young readers, this is the book! The beautiful illustrations and moving story will leave a lasting impression on any kid.
January 18, 2024
I had to navigate around an existential conflict my 6-year-old granddaughter had as a result of reading this book, leading to a discussion about empathy, so kudos to the author for enabling us to have a discussion we might not have had.
June 9, 2018
Ignore the fact that the illustrations are a bit dated. This book is an important lesson for us all to spread kindness and love to everyone and it will returned to us tenfold.
September 28, 2018
Fantastic story for young readers about making others happy.
November 18, 2018
Should be in every classroom in America and every preschool to public library. Be the change you're looking for.
November 12, 2019
Great SEL book for elementary aged kids.
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January 27, 2020This book is so good for teaching kids about compassion. It gives them such good vocabulary and such a vibrant, concrete image to go along with it.
January 14, 2021
It's a nice enough book and message, but didn't resonate with my daughter.
"I don't have a bucket" and "why do we want heavy filled up buckets"?
"I don't have a bucket" and "why do we want heavy filled up buckets"?
February 28, 2022
A great cute book to teach children how their actions make a big difference in their lives and other peoples.
August 21, 2023
Very kid like
December 30, 2017
I used this book for a social skills lesson with kindergarteners. It went super well and is something the kids and adults can all circle back to easily throughout the year--a great way to teach empathy!
February 22, 2017
This is one of my favorite books. I think it could be used for any grade. This book can be used to teach kindness. It talks about how important it is to make people feel good and to not be a bully. It relates your feelings to an object. It helps the students relate better to how it feels to be a bully or to give people compliments.
November 24, 2015
Have You Filled A Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids, is a book that teaches children how to interact with others, showing kindness and respect. The invisible buckets that everyone carries around are feelings. This book explains to children that their words and actions, either positive or negative, affect themselves and others. The underlining message of this book is that our words and actions need to make others feel good.
This book is a wonderful resource for K-2 classrooms at the beginning of the year. Although it is important to establish classroom routines and procedures the first few weeks of school, I feel that it is essential to also set expectations for students on how they treat classmates and teachers. After reading the book, my students brainstormed how they would be “bucket fillers” and they did an art activity that was displayed in the hallway. Because the message of this book is so important for my students, I reread and refer to this book throughout the year.
This is a WOW book for a few reasons. There is an emphasis on preparing students for twenty-first century skills. I agree that students need to be engaged in higher order thinking skills and have digital literacy. However, basic communication skills, inter-personal skills, and social/emotional/behavioral health are necessary elements for students to acquire in order to transition well into adulthood and the workforce. Next, the demographics in classrooms are changing with more minority populations increasing. In addition, fortunately, there is more inclusion for students with special needs. Students need to realize that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, or ability, have feelings. Kindness allows all students to feel welcome, safe, and included in school. Finally, I hope that this is a positive resource for those students who are considered bullies. I believe that people who put others down are quite insecure themselves and have social and emotional issues that need to be addressed. Students, who are bullies, need to get help in finding out the cause of their behavior and finding strategies to be kinder to others.
This book is a wonderful resource for K-2 classrooms at the beginning of the year. Although it is important to establish classroom routines and procedures the first few weeks of school, I feel that it is essential to also set expectations for students on how they treat classmates and teachers. After reading the book, my students brainstormed how they would be “bucket fillers” and they did an art activity that was displayed in the hallway. Because the message of this book is so important for my students, I reread and refer to this book throughout the year.
This is a WOW book for a few reasons. There is an emphasis on preparing students for twenty-first century skills. I agree that students need to be engaged in higher order thinking skills and have digital literacy. However, basic communication skills, inter-personal skills, and social/emotional/behavioral health are necessary elements for students to acquire in order to transition well into adulthood and the workforce. Next, the demographics in classrooms are changing with more minority populations increasing. In addition, fortunately, there is more inclusion for students with special needs. Students need to realize that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, or ability, have feelings. Kindness allows all students to feel welcome, safe, and included in school. Finally, I hope that this is a positive resource for those students who are considered bullies. I believe that people who put others down are quite insecure themselves and have social and emotional issues that need to be addressed. Students, who are bullies, need to get help in finding out the cause of their behavior and finding strategies to be kinder to others.
December 8, 2016
A book about what happens when you show kindness to someone, (fill their bucket,) and what happens when you are not kind to someone, (dip into someone's bucket.) Everyone has an 'imaginary bucket,' it's up to you to either fill a bucket, or dip into a bucket. The choice is yours.
I would use this with K-third graders. This would be a good text set to use in my classroom for showing kindness. It would also be good to read in the beginning of the year to demonstrate what kind of classroom we want to have, and what kind of actions we should see in our classroom. I would have my own kindness catcher in the classroom. When I notice a student is being kind to another, I will put that student's name in the kindness catcher, along with the kind action they performed. Students will also be able to put other students in the kindness catcher. At the end of the week, I would select two slips from the kindness catcher, and announce the students as well as their kind action. Those students will be the "stars of the classroom" for the following week.
I would use this with K-third graders. This would be a good text set to use in my classroom for showing kindness. It would also be good to read in the beginning of the year to demonstrate what kind of classroom we want to have, and what kind of actions we should see in our classroom. I would have my own kindness catcher in the classroom. When I notice a student is being kind to another, I will put that student's name in the kindness catcher, along with the kind action they performed. Students will also be able to put other students in the kindness catcher. At the end of the week, I would select two slips from the kindness catcher, and announce the students as well as their kind action. Those students will be the "stars of the classroom" for the following week.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews