Lesson Plan: The Super Helper Adventure

Materials Needed

• A children's Bible or a simple picture version of the Good Samaritan story (Luke 10:25-37)
• Construction paper (various colors, including tan or light brown)
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick
• Stickers (optional, for decorating)
• Book: Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle (or another story about helping)
• Speaker or phone for music
• A favorite stuffed animal or doll

Lesson Plan Details

1. Warm-Up: Music and Movement (5 minutes)

Goal: To get energized and introduce the theme of helping.

Activity: Sing and act out a special version of "If You're Happy and You Know It."

Instructions:

1. Play the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It."
2. Sing the following lyrics and do the actions together. Encourage big movements!
   • "If you're a helper and you know it, clap your hands." (Clap, clap)
   • "If you're a helper and you know it, stomp your feet." (Stomp, stomp)
   • "If you're a helper and you know it, share a toy." (Pretend to hand a toy to someone)
   • "If you're a helper and you know it, give a hug, Hooray!" (Hug yourself, a stuffed animal, or the parent)

2. Bible Story & Virtue Focus: The Kind Helper (10 minutes)

Goal: To learn about the virtue of kindness through a simple, relatable Bible story.

Activity: Interactive storytelling of The Good Samaritan.

Instructions:

1. Find a comfy spot and open your children's Bible to the story of the Good Samaritan.
2. Read the story in simple terms. As you read, pause to ask questions and use your stuffed animal as a character. For example:
   • "Oh no! This little bear fell down and got an ouchie. He feels very sad."
   • "Here comes someone walking by. Did they stop to help our bear? No, they kept walking." (Move your hand to show someone walking past).
   • "Here comes another person! Did they help? No, they walked right by, too."
   • "But look! This person is stopping. He is being very gentle with the bear. He is cleaning his ouchie and giving him a big hug. He is a kind helper!"
3. After the story, define the virtue simply: "Kindness is when we see someone who is sad or hurt and we choose to help them feel better. The helper in our story showed big kindness!"

3. Creative Activity: Helping Hands & Heart Tracing (15 minutes)

Goal: To practice pre-writing skills while creatively expressing the lesson's theme.

Activity: Create "Helping Hands" artwork.

Instructions:

1. Pre-writing Practice: On a piece of construction paper, draw a large, simple heart. Ask your child to trace the heart over and over with a crayon. You can say, "Kindness starts in our heart!"
2. Hand Tracing: Take another piece of paper and trace your child’s hand twice. Help them cut out the two hand shapes (or cut them out for them).
3. Putting it Together: Have your child color and decorate the hand cutouts. These are their "helping hands."
4. Application: Glue the "helping hands" onto the heart, so it looks like the hands are hugging the heart. As you glue, talk about things their helping hands can do: "Your hands can share a snack. Your hands can help clean up toys. Your hands can give a gentle pat to a friend who is sad."

4. Literature Connection: A Story About Helping (10 minutes)

Goal: To see the virtue of kindness and helping in a different context.

Activity: Read Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle.

Instructions:

1. Read the story aloud with enthusiastic voices for the different animals.
2. Point out how the big dump truck was stuck and needed help.
3. Celebrate when the Little Blue Truck and all the animal friends work together to help.
4. Connect it to the lesson: "See? The Little Blue Truck and his friends were all Super Helpers, just like the kind man in our Bible story! They used their strength to show kindness."

5. Closing & Wrap-Up: Be a Helper! (5 minutes)

Goal: To apply the concept of kindness in a tangible way.

Activity: A "Kindness Mission."

Instructions:

1. Hold up the "Helping Hands" artwork you made. Review the big idea: "Today we learned that being kind means being a helper."
2. Give your child a "Kindness Mission" for the day. Ask, "What is one kind thing our helping hands can do right now?"
3. Guide them to a simple, immediate task, like helping put the crayons away, giving their stuffed animal a hug, or helping you water a plant.
4. Celebrate their act of kindness with a big "Hooray for our Super Helper!"