The good Samaritan had every reason to keep on walking, stopping may not have been praised by either the community he came from nor that which he was going to serve, it was a costly choice too. These games focus on the practical help he gave the man.
A kind voice – This is a simple and classic game that goes by many names where you need to identify a voice. Seat one volunteer with their back facing the group, alternatively blindfold the individual. Another member of the group then says “am I your neighbor?” as they try and disguise their voice. Ideally the volunteer should respond “yes (insert name of group member), you are my neighbor”. Repeat with a different volunteer. Whose voice was easy/hard to identify? Who really was your neighbor?
The Samaritans journey – have this task based obstacle race incorporate collecting your donkey, packing your bag, adding a band-aid (sticky plaster) onto the injured man, carrying something to represent the man to the inn and slotting 2 coins as payment into a money box. Space out the activities so the kids need to run between them. Talk about how the Samaritan probably planned a much less interrupted and costly journey.
Bandage – This is a classic Halloween game where the person is slowly bandaged in toilet paper until they can’t be seen. It ties nicely to the Samaritan tending the wounds and while it can get messy it’s not difficult to clean up.
Tending wounds – Print out this picture of the injured man – click on image for pdf – and then laminate. Use dry erase markers to draw on bumps, bruises, scratches etc. Give the children a medical kit to care for the man. Use coloured sticky tape or stickers for plasters (band-aids) and cotton buds (q-tips) to gently clean each wound. Talk about how the man may have felt and how the Samaritan was showing him love.
Supporting limbs – have the youngsters get into small groups of 3-4 people. The idea of the game is for the group to support each other so that not everyone has to stand on the floor. Nobody is allowed to sit on the floor. Roll 2 dice, one for number of feet that can be touching the floor, the second for the number of hands that can be touching the floor. ( hints : just pick numbers if you don’t have dice and try balancing on knees) Talk about how sometimes we need the support of those around us.
