{"id":611,"date":"2024-08-27T04:08:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T04:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/karenbsantos.com\/wp\/?p=611"},"modified":"2024-08-27T05:47:26","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T05:47:26","slug":"how-full-is-your-bucket-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karenbsantos.com\/wp\/how-full-is-your-bucket-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One Saturday morning, Tala came up to me and asked me, \u201cNay, do you have an invisible bucket, too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had no idea what she was talking about, and when I asked her about what an invisible bucket is, she just said, \u201cNothing! Never mind!\u201d And I continued with what I was doing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same day, Tala was feeling upset because she was feeling bored at home. She wanted to play with me, but I said that I will play with her after I finish my coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there it is. She said, \u201cMY BUCKET IS SPILLING.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There she got my attention, and I asked her, “What do you mean? What is an invisible bucket and what does a spilling bucket mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, she explained everything to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Power of Stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tala shared with me how Ms. Michelle, her Grade 1 teacher, read to them a book about a boy who had an invisible bucket on his head. This bucket becomes full when he feels happy, and it becomes empty when he feels sad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tala cited examples from the book, like how the boy\u2019s bucket spilled when he dropped his cereals (drip)<\/em> and when his little sister knocked over the tower he built (drip)<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But on the other hand, the boy\u2019s bucket slowly got filled when his teacher praised him (drop) <\/em>or when he was kind to others (drop)<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I instantly understood the metaphor of having an invisible bucket and how powerful it is in helping kids visualize their emotions and the feelings of others, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read: It’s Okay to Feel Sad<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filling Other People\u2019s Buckets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I asked Tala, \u201cWhat happens when your bucket becomes really full?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tala thought for a second and she said, \u201cYou can share the droplets on your bucket so other people\u2019s buckets can be full, too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow, this is next-level!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine a first-grader understanding the gravity of their actions on other people\u2019s feelings? It just shows that with the right attack, young kids can learn the values of empathy and compassion, and maybe there will be less bullying and more care at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, let us be bucket-fillers and let’s see how this fills our own buckets, too!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Challenge to Parents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I read from a parenting article that if we want to have a happy, trusting, and peaceful home environment, it is essential to remember these 3 important parts of the day with our kids: before sleep, after waking up, and after being away for long hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important for us parents to put droplets of water on their invisible buckets before they sleep, the moment they wake up, and after school when they have been away from us for 7 to 8 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do we do that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Bedtime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We can fill our children\u2019s invisible buckets before bedtime by doing these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n