Lesson 10: How Full is Your Bucket?
Aims
* to learn that we are happy when relationships of give and take are centred on God’s love
* to learn that filling “buckets” is about giving God’s love to others
Materials
* How Full is your Bucket? for Kids, by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer
* Pictures showing examples of give and take action
* worksheets
* stickers, card, coloured pencils
Lesson Outline
1. Introduction
2. Examples of Give & Take Action
3. How Full is your Bucket? (story)
4. Activities – worksheet, card/picture
5. Review the aims
6. Prayer
1) Introduction
Ask the children what makes them happy? What makes their parents happy? What makes their siblings happy? What makes their teachers happy? How does God want us to live? We are not
meant to live alone. We are meant to live in relationship with others, where we give and receive love. This makes us happy.
There are always two positions in relationship; a subject partner and object partner. The subject gives something to the object. The object receives and gives something back. The subject receives
back and gives again and so it continues. When this happens both partners feel happy. This relationship is called GIVE AND TAKE ACTION. Good give and take makes us happy
2) Examples of Give and Take Action
Show the diagram and talk about the teacher and child relationship
When a teacher reads a story and all the children listen, everyone is happy. The teacher must be a good subject and the children must be good objects. When the children listen carefully, sit still and quietly, show interest in the story and answer questions by putting their hands up – they are good objects. When they don’t listen, fidget, talk to a classmate, shout out or look bored – they are bad objects.
Happiness comes when the teacher and children unite with God’s love at the centre. The teacher gives love by reading the story with enthusiasm and the children give love back by listening with
interest. Are the children good objects in this picture?
Look at the other pictures. Children write words for subjects and objects on their worksheet
3) How Full is your Bucket?
Last week the children heard a story called, “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?”
Today’s story “How Full is your Bucket?” is about the same thing.
The basic idea is that we all have invisible buckets that need to be filled. A young boy named Felix learns how to become a “bucket filler” instead of a “bucket dipper” when he realizes that all words and actions affect people in different ways.
‘Bucket fillers’ are those who help without being asked, give hugs and compliments,
and generally spread their love and good feelings to others. When our bucket is full, we feel happy and good about ourselves, but when our bucket is empty, we don’t feel so good about ourselves.
But, you can also dip into a bucket and take out some good feelings. You dip into a bucket when you make fun of someone, when you say or do mean things, or even when you ignore someone.
That’s being a “bucket dipper.”
4) Activities
teacher children
* Complete the worksheet – Write subject and object words to match the pictures
* Cut and paste a heart to show God’s love and a smiley to complete the diagram.
* Draw a picture or make a card for your mother to make her happy. Last week the children made a Father’s Day card. Today they can do the same for their mother.
5) Review the aims
Ask each child what they could learn from today’s lesson. Refer to the lesson aims:
* to learn that we are happy when relationships of give and take are centred on God’s love
* to learn that filling “buckets” is about giving God’s love to others
6) End with a prayer
