This lesson marks the beginning of our unit on Serving Others in Starting Blocks. Have fun using these activities to teach your preschooler the importance of showing other’s God’s love by helping them like the Good Samaritan did.
HIGHLIGHTS from the Weekend…
This week your child learned that God wants us to love our neighbor and to serve one another, even if it’s inconvenient. The story of the Good Samaritan tells of a man who was robbed and beaten while he was walking down the road. His clothes were taken and he was left to die. A priest was walking down the same road, but when he saw the man he passed by on the other side. A Levite also came to the place where the man was and passed by without helping. A Samaritan came by the man, took pity on him and helped him. He placed the hurt man on his donkey and took him to an inn. When he had made sure he was taken care of, he paid for the man to stay at the inn until he was better. (Luke 10:25-37)
- We show others God's love by helping them.
- God wants us to show everyone His love.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... and love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39
3 Activities that Help Us Learn That We Show Others God's Love By Helping Them and That God Wants Us To Show Everyone His Love:
1. Thank-You Notes
Help your children write thank you notes to people who have helped them in big or small ways. Identify people in their lives who have taken care of them in different ways—teachers, doctors, siblings, neighbors, etc. As your child makes his thank you notes, talk with your child using these questions:
- Who are our neighbors?
- How can we help/serve our neighbors?
- Should we help everyone or just the people who are nice to us?
- How was the Good Samaritan like Jesus?
2. Act Out the Story
You lie on the floor, pretending to be hurt like the man in the story. Have your child walk by several times, each time having an “excuse” not to help - too busy...doesn’t want to get dirty...doesn’t know you, etc. And then finally, he walks by and notices a person in pain and decides to help like the good Samaritan. (It might be fun to let your child wear a different hat each time he walks by.)
3. Serving Hands
Grab a sheet of construction paper and a crayon. Help your child trace his hand on the paper. As you are tracing his hand, talk to him about how he can help others, such as your neighbors, friends or relatives. Once finished, cut out the hand and write something on it your child can do to serve others. Repeat again until you have several hands and ways to help others. Have your child help you post the hands in a familiar place so your family can remember to serve others.
Dear God, thank you for the truths you taught us this past weekend and that your love is available to everyone. Thank you for helping us and because of that, that we can help others. Help us to be on the look out for opportunities to help and love others this week and be an example of who you are to us.