"Penny of Time" Adventure: Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? proved to be a great book!

It takes the idea of how our words and actions affect one another and shows it in a visual way.  When we are kind, it fills everyone's bucket.  When we are unkind, it takes away from everyone's bucket.

For my boys, 6 and 4, it took a couple of readings to help them understand this "invisible" bucket.  The second time we read it, we pretended that we were holding buckets, and we gave each other compliments and "showed" how our buckets all became heavier with each compliment given.  I think the process of acting this out really helped them understand what the book is talking about in filling a bucket or being a bucket dipper.

After reading the book, we gave each other compliments and talk about how it made us feel.  We LOVED it!

To have some more fun:  we wrote out compliments and handed out the compliments and thank you notes at the gym.  (We have a stash of our favorite knock-knock jokes on cards that we keep for this activity.)  It is always fun to see how surprised adults are when a child hands them a nice card just for them! 

Note: I really think it is great for the boys to thank others that regularly help them (like the fun employees).