The Good Samaritan: A Children’s Mission Activity Theatre
Laurie Chance Smith
Hosting a children’s theatre can provide fun and worthwhile mission activity. Choose an easy-to-read translation of the Bible—in addition to reading and acting the story, ask the students ahead of time to bring musical instruments to share. These instruments give one more dimension to this fun activity.
While this activity is best when spontaneous, it does require some setup on the leader’s part. Be sure you have all your supplies and helpers ready so you can enjoy the children’s interpretation of this great story.
First Things First
Read the children the story of the good Samaritan from Luke 10: 25-37. Ask them questions like: What is a parable? What does Jesus teach us in this story? Have you ever helped someone in need?
Lead the children in acting out the story of the good Samaritan.
Prop Centers
Set up centers to make the props and rotate the children among the centers in small groups. Everyone can take a turn at each center.
The Good Samaritan Road. Tape brown mailing paper down to a table or the floor. Have the children draw rocks, grass, flowers, lizards, and butterflies on the road.
The Inn. Cut a square window shape in the top half of a piece of the brown paper. Color it to decorate the inn with bricks, a door, and a door handle. During the performance, tape this onto a wall, a small ladder, or a high-backed chair.
Rocks. Use the brown paper to make rocks for the side of the road. Color the paper brown or green and wad it up into a rock shape. One large rock may be used for the robber to jump out from behind as the man passes by.
Donkey. Cut foam or poster board into the shape of a donkey. Invite the children to draw the donkey’s eyes, ears, hooves, fur, and a rope around his neck.
Performers
To assign parts for the play, allow the children to draw names from a bowl.
• Narrator (1-2 older children)
• Man attacked by robbers
• Robbers (1-3 children)
• Priest
• Levite
• Samaritan
• Donkey (child carrying the donkey prop)
• Innkeeper (1-2 children)
• Musicians (assign as many as needed)
Costumes
Simple costumes for everyone are easily made from pieces of cloth, felt, and rope. Allow the children to choose the material color that they think best suits their character. Red makes the Samaritan stand out vividly, and brown is perfect for the innkeeper.
Acting and Music
When ready to perform the play, help the children tape the road to the floor. Scatter the rocks alongside the road and place or tape the Inn at one end of the road.
The Narrator reads the story, pausing to allow the musicians to play—be sure to let the children make the play their own production—involve them in choosing the musical instruments to make the sounds. For example:
• Man walking along the road—musicians can strike wooden drumsticks against each other to make the clip-clop sound of walking and ring triangles for insects or the wind.
• Robber jumping out from behind a rock—drummers can strike loud booms.
• Priest and Levite—ring bells or pound drums.
• Samaritan and donkey—chimes, a xylophone, or a toy piano may be played.
• Donkey “carries” the hurt man to the inn—make more clip-clopping sounds. Bells may be rung as they reach the inn and are greeted by the innkeeper.
At the close of the play, allow children to join together and play their own musical ending.
Outreach and Missions
Jesus’ parable teaches children to be good neighbors and reach out to others. With props, costumes, and musical instruments in hand, take the children to a local senior citizens’ center and hold a performance of the play. Tell each child they reached out to their neighbors at the center and acted like the good Samaritan, just as Jesus would want them to.
Laurie Chance Smith is a nationally and internationally published writer and mother of twin sons, Luke and Joshua. Laurie is a volunteer children’s coordinator at her home church in Texas, where the children’s recent production of The Good Samaritan was a smashing success.
