This lesson teaches children that God wants us to love our neighbor by helping anyone who is hurt, even when that person is someone we might not expect. It is built for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach, using the story Jesus told in Luke 10.
Big Idea
Being a good neighbor means helping anyone who needs help, and showing love by what we do. Jesus wants us to be like the kind helper in his story.
Memory Verse
Luke 10:27
He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
(WEB)
Put one hand on your heart and say the verse slowly. Then reach both arms out wide, like you are giving a big hug to everyone around you.
The Story: Luke 10 for Kids
One day a lawyer asked Jesus a big question. He wanted to know how to live forever with God. Jesus asked him what the law said, and the lawyer answered that we should love God with our whole heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus told him he had answered well.
The lawyer wanted to know more. He asked, “Who is my neighbor?” So Jesus told a story. A man was walking down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers attacked him, took his things, hurt him badly, and left him lying on the ground.
A priest came walking down the same road. When he saw the hurt man, he crossed to the other side and kept going. Then a Levite came by, looked at the man, and also walked past without stopping.
Then a Samaritan traveled along the road. When he saw the hurt man, his heart was moved with pity. He went to him, cleaned and bandaged his wounds, and put him on his own donkey. He took him to an inn and took care of him all night.
The next morning the Samaritan gave the innkeeper two coins and said, “Take care of him. If you spend more, I will pay you back when I come home.” Then Jesus asked the lawyer which of the three men was a neighbor to the hurt man. The lawyer said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”
Read It Together
Luke 10:30-31
30 Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
(WEB)
Point out that the man was left alone on the road, hurt and unable to help himself. Ask the children what it would feel like to be that man, and why it matters that someone came to help.
Luke 10:33-34
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, 34 came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
(WEB)
Show how the Samaritan noticed the man, felt compassion, and acted with care. Point out the specific things he did: he bound the wounds, took him to an inn, and looked after him.
Luke 10:36-37
36 Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
(WEB)
Explain that Jesus asked the lawyer to name the true neighbor, and the lawyer saw that it was the one who showed mercy. Emphasize that Jesus ends by telling us to go and do the same.
Talk About It
- Who is someone you think might need help this week, and how could you show them kindness?
- Why do you think the priest and the Levite walked past the hurt man?
- What did the Samaritan do first when he saw the man who was hurt?
- How can we help someone even when we are busy or feel uncomfortable?
- What is one way you can be a good neighbor at home, at school, or in your neighborhood?
Activity Ideas
Bandage Drawing Craft
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a few adhesive bandages. Ask each child to draw a simple picture of the hurt man on the road and then stick a bandage onto the drawing. Talk together about how the Samaritan cared for the man, and let each child add one small thing they could do to help someone else.
Good Neighbor Relay
You will need a few cones or small objects and a bucket of soft items such as cotton balls. Set up a short course and have children carry the items one at a time from the start to a bowl at the finish, helping a partner who pretends to be hurt. Between rounds, remind the children that a good neighbor helps even when it takes effort.
Take-Home Neighbor Card
You will need index cards, a pencil, and an envelope for each child. Have each child write or draw one way they will help a neighbor this week, such as carrying groceries or sharing a toy. Let them place the card in the envelope to bring home and remind them to complete their promise during the week.
Teacher Notes
The parable shows that love is not limited to people we already know or like. Jesus uses the Samaritan, whom many of his listeners saw as an outsider, to show that real mercy looks like practical help given to anyone in need. For adults, the story also challenges us to examine the moments when we walk past a need because we feel busy or uneasy.
Avoid overstating what the story says about how we earn God’s favor. Jesus told this parable in answer to a question about loving our neighbor, and children should hear it as a picture of loving action, not as a formula for becoming right with God.
A Prayer to Close
Dear Jesus, thank you for showing us how to love our neighbors. Help us notice when someone needs help, and give us kind hearts to act with care. Help us love you and love others every day. Amen.
