Teaching Kids The Good Samaritan

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Friend. Neighbor. Thanks to Daniel Tiger, these are words my kids understand. Yours too, right? Well, Daniel Tiger has given me the basis for teaching my little ones all about the Good Samaritan.

To help teach them, I gathered up a few favorite cars and their car mat. Because we love cars around here and I figured traveling between Jerusalem and Jericho is probably a long trip. Why not take cars and make it more relatable?

Start by talking about neighbors. Who are our neighbors? And did you know that Jesus taught us to treat everyone like they’re our neighbors?

Once there was a man traveling down a road. There were bad men, theives, who came and stole all the man’s money and supplies, and left him by the side of the road.

Another man who was like a teacher came by and saw the man and decided not to help the hurt man, but instead walked on the other side of the road.

Another person who should have been a friend saw the hurt man and also decided not to help him, walking on the other side of the road.

Finally, a man who was a Samaritan came down the road. The hurt man and the Samaritan were not friends, but the Samaritan could see the man was hurt and needed help. He took care of the hurt man, gave him food and medicine, and took him somewhere to be taken care of. The Samaritan even paid for everything for the hurt man.

We need to be kind and help people we see who need help, and not be like the teacher or friend who didn’t help. We should help our friends and those who aren’t our friends. Jesus says that everyone is our neighbor and that we should help our neighbors, even if we don’t like them.

Ask the kids how they can be kind and help people. Ask them how they could help their family, or their friends.

Encourage them to think of ideas and “go and do thou likewise”.

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Luke 10:25-37

Make the Quiet Book Page

Supplies:
Felt (1 Large sheet tan, 1 large sheet black, 1 sheet blue, 1 sheet purple, 1 sheet red, 1 sheet white, 1 sheet brown, 1 sheet green, 1 sheet dark gray, 1 sheet light gray, 1 sheet flesh, although most don’t need an entire sheet, mostly scraps may be used!)
Glue (I recommend E6000)
Scissors
Ribbon
Velcro Dots
Free Pattern

There is no pattern for the road, since it’s basically a meandering line. Cut the road out of the large sheet of black felt and glue it to the large sheet of tan felt for the background.

To make my person in need of aid, I cut two bodies out of the flesh color and glued them together, adding the little piece of hair to both sides. Add the sticky velcro to the back of him.

For the cars, I cut out two of each color and glued them together. Four wheels (cut from the scraps of the road piece of felt) are glued two each onto each side of the car. When you’re gluing the car together make sure you put a piece of ribbon (about 1.5 feet long) out the back of the car.

The starting place, what I call the garage, you only put clue where the dashes are on the pattern, plus a bit more glue where the lines are, which is also where you need to glue the other ends of the strings (in between the garage piece and the road/background).

Arrange the bushes and rocks as desired and glue them all on.

I made the destination a hospital as the man who was robbed needed taken care of. For the hospital, glue the red cross to the top of the white block and glue all of that to the page.

In the words of my two year old, “ta da!”