If you teach preschool through second grade, you’ve likely heard of Bucket Fillers—and if not, you’re in for a game-changing classroom management strategy.
This simple, positive approach not only helps kids build empathy and emotional awareness but it also improves classroom behavior, strengthens relationships, and creates a space where students feel safe, seen, and supported.
The Bucket Fillers concept comes from the beloved children’s books by Carol McCloud, where every person is thought to carry an invisible bucket. When someone is kind, helpful, or encouraging, they “fill” that bucket. When someone is unkind, they “dip” from it.
And while the idea may be simple, the impact on your classroom culture can be HUGE.
In this post, I’ll show you how to introduce Bucket Fillers in your own classroom, offer practical ways to keep the message alive all year, and share a free set of printables to get you started.
Why Focus on Bucket Fillers?
Creating a classroom full of Bucket Fillers goes beyond classroom management—it’s about helping students build lifelong social-emotional skills.
Rather than focusing on consequences and clip charts, this approach centers on positive reinforcement, kindness, and classroom community.
When students begin to understand the power of their words and actions, they start to take responsibility for their choices in a more meaningful way. You’ll begin to see:
More cooperation and teamwork
Increased empathy and emotional awareness
Fewer disruptions and fewer behavior problems
Stronger child-to-child relationships
A more peaceful, supportive classroom community
How I Introduce the Bucket Fillers Concept
I always start with a read-aloud from one of the original Bucket Filler books, followed by a story I created just for the classroom called “Maizy and the Bucket Fillers.” It’s available in a PowerPoint version for easy whole-group sharing or as a printable mini-book that students can revisit in the reading center.
The story of Maizy illustrates the ups and downs of kindness in a classroom setting—and how one person’s choices can make a big impact.
My students LOVE it and quickly begin identifying bucket filler and bucket dipper behavior on their own.
Anchor Charts: A Daily Visual Reminder
One of my must-do Bucket Filler activities is building a Bucket Fillers and Dippers anchor chart with my students. Together, we go over behaviors and sort them into two categories: filling and dipping.
This chart stays on display all year long and becomes our go-to reference when we need to reflect on classroom behavior or reset our expectations.
It’s amazing to watch students refer back to it whenever conflicts arise.
Make It Practical with Scenarios and Sorting
Once students understand the basics, we move into more hands-on Bucket Filler activities—like sorting behavior cards, role-playing scenarios, and even brainstorming their own examples of how to fill someone’s bucket.
This is where things really click. Kids begin connecting the concept to real-life classroom moments—helping a friend pick up spilled crayons, inviting someone to play, or simply giving a compliment.
If your classroom is like mine, these scenario cards often spark deeper conversations than you’d expect, and students start catching themselves (and each other) being Bucket Fillers or Bucket Dippers.
Celebrate Kindness and Keep It Consistent
One of my favorite ways to reinforce the Bucket Fillers mindset is with our 100 Acts of Kindness Tracker. Every time we notice someone being a Bucket Filler, we add a star to the chart.
Once we fill all 100 spaces, we celebrate with something special—an ice cream party, pajama day, or dance party. It turns kindness into a team goal and gives students something to work toward together.
I also love giving Bucket Filler certificates, take-home notes, and printable rewards. These small acknowledgments mean a lot to young students, especially when they get to share them with their families.
Parents especially get excited when they learn that their child was one of our Bucket Fillers!
Don’t Forget Writing and Crafting
To help students reflect on what it means to be a Bucket Filler, I include writing prompts, coloring pages, and simple crafts where students write or draw how they plan to fill buckets in the classroom or at home.
It’s a great way to wrap up a lesson or incorporate the message into a literacy or SEL block. Plus, these crafts make adorable hallway or bulletin board displays!
Want to Bring Bucket Fillers to Your Classroom?
If you’re ready to introduce Bucket Fillers to your students, I’d love to help you get started with a free mini pack of printables.
This freebie includes three of my favorite low-prep activities to get your kids thinking about kindness, empathy, and responsibility right away.
Get some FREE Bucket Filler Printables to help you get started.
And if you’re ready to go all-in, I’ve bundled everything into a complete Bucket Fillers Toolkit—already used in over 8,000 classrooms.
It includes:
Anchor chart templates
Scenario and sorting cards (editable!)
Printable poem and chant
Classroom banner
Craft and writing activities
Take-home notes, certificates, and more
PowerPoint and printable story of Maizy and the Bucket Fillers
It’s low prep, easy to reuse year after year, and designed specifically for preschool through second grade teachers who want to build stronger, kinder classrooms.
👉 [Click here to check out the full Bucket Fillers Toolkit.]
Creating a classroom of Bucket Fillers won’t happen overnight—but with the right tools, stories, and routines in place, it becomes second nature.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly your students internalize the message and start holding each other accountable in the kindest, most caring ways.
Read this blog post for more Bucket Filling ideas and activities!
Here’s to full buckets and happy hearts! 💖💖💖
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