Have You Filled a Bucket Today? (Bucketfilling Books)

As a former Kindergarten teacher and parent of teenagers, I recommend every family/ school reads and discusses this simple yet incredible message. 10/10

Wonderful book, good for a wide range of ages. Kids, especially toddlers, have a tendency to be a bit self centered - me, me, me! I bought this book to read with my three year old and my husband, who is a third grade teacher, says he had planned to buy it for his students. Using the bucket analogy, this is a clever way to explain to children how important it is to be kind to others, giving simple examples along the way. My three year old can be not so kind to her little sister. Lately, she has been catching herself and saying things to the effect of "Oh I don't want to dip into her bucket, I want to fill her bucket" and then will give her a toy or something. Or at least will stop pushing her around! The book is definitely repetitive which is slightly annoying but very typical for kids books. This isn't a typical read and put aside type of book. It really is a spring board for conversation, as I think another review described it as. It's also a book that my three year old WANTS to read and often.As to the criticism that it does not discuss filling our own buckets... well, I think MOST kids already do that. Certainly toddlers do that all day long. So I think perhaps its not good for the overly people pleasing 8 year olds of the world but for any child who needs some gentle encouragement to think of others, this works!One last note - my grandmother used to always compliment / talk to strangers, especially if they were alone. Just something simple and sincere. And she would say "you never know if perhaps no one else talked to them all day" And she's right! Our world could use a lot more kindness and I think this is a good start.

Great book

As a preschool teacher with more than two decades in the classroom, I’ve seen countless trends in early childhood education come and go — but high‑quality stickers, engaging books, and open‑ended art materials have never lost their magic. These simple tools continue to be some of the most powerful ways to support both fine and gross motor development, all while keeping learning joyful.

I bought this for my twin grandsons' 2nd birthday. We've read it several times a week for the last 6 months, usually at their request. I was happily surprised to see that they understood the concept and we apply it to what they do. When one gives a favorite toy to the other we say, "look at his face, he's smiling and happy, YOU are filling his bucket". When one grabs something and runs, we explain the dipping. I often ask the boys when they do something if they think they are filling or emptying a bucket, and they usually get it right. I love that they understand that concept already. We like this book so much that we gave it to several friends' children for Christmas this past year.It would be nice if the writing could get some editing to flow more smoothly, but the story and the illustrations are great. I read the critical reviews comparing it to Dr Seuss drawings (our home is filled with well-loved Dr Seuss books) but we disagree with the criticism. The illustrations here are simple because the focus should be on the bucket and seeing how we fill or empty it by our actions. If the page was filled with color and activity, that focus would be lost. If the writing was better, it would be a perfect book.

Having two boys at home they say some pretty out of the normal things; well my oldest came home calling his brother a bucketdipper and well my mind went somewhere else and at that point of course I had to research where this word came from ... and this is why I ordered this book. My oldest who is in Kindergarten was read this book in class and was taught that when saying or doing something not so nice thet was "bucket dipping" which hence the term "bucketdipper." Now there are many reasons thet someone can be a bucketdipper the book goes on to show many examples. The example I found extremely useful for children to understand which was when someone is hurt they hurt others; I loved this exampl of a bucketdipper. When someone is a bucketdipper they not only dip into another bucket but they also dip into their own hence not really helping themselves by choosing to be men or have a bad attitude. Now the point is to be a bucket filler the bucket fillers when filling others buckets also fill their own as it feels good to help others feel good. This book allows children to self reflect and think about how to not only earn stickers or checks for their own end reward but how to help others most importantly and feeling good about it as a reward in itself. I highly recommend the collection of these books as it is a great lesson for adults and children alike anyone can benefit from self reflection at any age.

It is a great book, but when I got it and opened the packaging envelope, it is all bent up. I need it for my curriculum in school so I cannot even return it.

My son is 5 and we have been working on understanding how his actions and choices affect others. We've read this book twice in the last 2 days (once each day we've had it!), and initially I didn't think he was that interested in it. He loves books, but this one didn't seem to catch his attention. However, tonight, he had a disagreement with his little sister (she's 2), and was angry. I went to talk to him and asked him what happened. He told me what happened and then said, "She dipped into my bucket." Then he thought about and said, "But I dipped into hers too. We're both bucket dippers." Then we talked about what we can do to be bucket fillers, and discussed things he did today to be a bucket filler. It was a great moment and I think using imaginary buckets to illustrate how our words and actions affect others as well as ourselves is helping him to see and understand how he is connected to others. I also appreciate the fact that the illustrations are diverse and not just a single child and their family. That seems to reinforce the concept that everybody has a bucket.

Really nice book! I really recommend it. Help children understand and practice the kindness to others. The kids see sometimes why people are sad and have a bad behave.

Absolutely loved the book, a must have book for every kid.Thank you

Love the way the book explains the need to help others be kind to others and the bucket analogy sticks !

Perfecto

My 3.5-year-old loves it. It's incredibly accessible for toddlers and sparks wonderful conversations about kindness. A definite must-have!