How it works
A man asked Jesus who his neighbor is. Jesus told a story about a road that went down from Jerusalem to a town called Jericho.
A traveler was walking the road when some unkind people took his things, and he was hurt. A man came by and walked on. Another man came by and did not stop either.
Then a stranger from a faraway place came along. His heart felt sorry, and he stopped. He gave the traveler a drink, bandaged the sore places, and lifted him onto his own donkey.
He took the traveler to an inn and cared for him all night. In the morning he gave the innkeeper some coins and promised to come back. Jesus said to go and do the same, because a neighbor is anyone who needs our help.
Worked examples
Be the helper
- Pretend a teddy is hurt by the road.
- Give it a pretend drink and a bandage, as the stranger did.
- Lift it gently onto a toy donkey, or a box.
Who walked on by?
- Tell the story with three toys on a path.
- The first man saw the traveler, but walked on by, and so did the second man.
- The stranger was the one who stopped.
Be a good neighbor
- A friend falls down at play.
- A good neighbor stops and helps.
- We can be a good neighbor at home, at school and at play.
A taste of the worksheets
These are some of the questions on the sets. The printable sheets have more and an answer key.
- What is an inn? 🐑 A place for sheep / ⛵ A boat / 🛌 A house for tired travelers
- True or false? 🤞 Did the stranger promise to come back?
- In the story, who is a good neighbor? 🚶 Someone who walks past / 🤝 Someone who stops to help / 🙋 Someone who only helps friends
- A friend falls down at play. What do you do? 🚶 Walk past / 🤝 Help
- Which one does a good neighbor do? 🤷 say it is someone else's job / 🧎 help a friend who falls / 🚷 walk past someone who needs help
Words to know
- traveler
- Someone walking a long way, far from home.
- stranger
- Someone from a faraway place. In the story, the one who stopped.
- inn
- A house where tired travelers slept.
- neighbor
- Anyone who needs our help, and anyone who helps.
- bandage
- To wrap a sore place gently.
- innkeeper
- The person who looked after the inn.
Watch out for
- The traveler was hurt. The stranger was the one who helped.
- Two men walked on by before the stranger stopped.
- A good neighbor helps anyone, not only people they know.
- In those days an inn was a house for tired travelers, and donkeys rested in the yard.
Try it
Who stopped to help the traveler?
The stranger. The first man and the second man walked on by.
What did the stranger give him first?
A cool drink of water. Then he bandaged the sore places, gently.
Where did the stranger take him?
To an inn. He lifted him onto his own donkey.
Who is a good neighbor?
Anyone who stops to help. A neighbor is anyone who needs our help.
For grown-ups
With a grown-up, do one kind thing today, like helping someone, sharing, or saying a kind word.
Ask your child who walked on by and who stopped, then ask how they could help a friend who falls down. Their own words are enough.