Bucketfuls of Kindness!
Children at St Benedict's Junior School are making a special effort to be kind to each other as they return to school after lockdown, with each class aiming to fill their ‘kindness buckets’ before the end of term.
It’s clear from walking around the Junior School, hearing the laughter and chatter in the playground, classrooms and corridors, that the children are delighted to be back at school.
After many weeks apart, learning at home in a very different way, however, children have all had to adjust to being with their teachers and friends again, whether they are in the Nursery, Reception, or in Years 5 and 6.
To help them to make this transition, there has been a special focus on social interaction, with everyone being encouraged to show extra consideration, kindness and empathy towards each other
Specifically, the concept of’ bucket filling’ has been introduced, to help the children to think about how they treat others. Everyone is being encouraged to be ‘bucket fillers’ - people who use small acts of kindness to make other people feel better – and to understand that this approach should be a natural part of all that we do in life; that we can gain so much from being kind because when we fill other people’s buckets, we actually fill our own too.
In contrast, the children understand that ‘bucket dippers’ make other people feel sad, uncomfortable and upset. And when you dip into someone else’s bucket, you dip into your own.
All classes, from the Nursery to Year 6, have been trying hard to find opportunities to be kind and thoughtful – filling their class bucket along the way. The aim is to celebrate many, many acts of kindness on the last day of term!
Feedback from parents:
“Just a quick note to say how HAPPY C is to be back at school. She loved circle time and talking about filling up people's buckets, sharing a smile and all the conversation around feelings. It's such important learning and amazing that you took the time to allow them to chat and get reintegrated, and the space to share how they're feeling.”
“My daughter has been saying to me, ‘We need to be bucket fillers Mummy’. Little acts of kindness go a long way, now more than ever.”
"F has returned home very energised and positive- he has enjoyed the circle time and mindfulness that you are incorporating into the day, as well as the long afternoon break, so thanks very much for all the work being done around their mental health.”
