Aim: ‘The Woman at the Well’ Children’s Lesson on John 4:1-42 is part of the Game On teaching series looking at the life of Jesus. This lesson aims to help children to understand how the Holy Spirit can help them.
Main Idea: THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN HELP US
Suggested Schedule: (90 mins)
- Welcome (5 mins)
- Free Play
- Game 1 (5 mins)
- Set the Scene: Bible story/skit and review questions (10-15 mins)
- Object Lesson 1 talk (5mins)
- Game 2 (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 2 talk (5 mins)
- Game 3 (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 3 talk (10 mins)
- Game (5 mins)
- Sense How You Feel – activity (10 – 25 mins)
- Seek God – prayer (5 mins)
Setting the Stage: To set the stage for this series you can use lots of different video game logos and designs. You could also have some video games around the room for children to play before and after the lesson.
Supplies:
- Video games and a way to play and show them
- marbles, water, tubs
- cups of water
- water, light weight popsicles/lollipops, tubs
- Plate, skittles and water.
- Coloring pens
- Pintables:
- Playdough or clay
- Lego or construction toys
- All PowerPoint games with some way of showing them (i.e. laptop and screen)
SONG and BIBLE STORY VIDEO IDEAS available via our dedicated Pinterest Board
GAME IDEAS:
GAME 1 FISHING FOR MARBLES – 5 mins
Description: one-on-one
Supplies: marbles, water, tubs
Details: Children compete to fish marbles out of a tub using only their feet. The child to get the most marbles out with their toes is the winner.
GAME 2 DRIP DRIP DROP – 5 MINS
Description: circle game
Supplies: cups of water
Details: Children sit in a circle. One child goes around the circle saying drip for each child they pass and dripping some water on their head with their fingers. Then they reach the child they want to race, they drop the rest of the water on that person. That child gets up and races them around the circle. The child that gets to the place last is the next player to walk around the circle.
GAME 3 BOBBING FOR POPSICLES/LOLLIES – 10 MINS
Description: team or upfront Game
Supplies: water, light weight popsicles/lollipops, tubs
Details: Put (light) popsicles/lollies inside the tubs of water. Children must try and grab the stick of them with their teeth and pull them out of the water. The child to get the most lollies/popsicles is the winner.
BIG VERSE: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3:23.
SET THE SCENE: 10-15 MINS
Description: Bible story and questions
Supplies: Bible and sensory story.
Details: Read John 4:1-42.
Say:
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
- Where did Jesus go?
- Who was the woman that he met?
- What did Jesus ask the woman to do?
- What did Jesus know about the woman?
- Who did the woman tell about Jesus?
SPOT THE SIMPLE MEANING:
1) JESUS LOVES AND CARES ABOUT EVERYONE – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson
Supplies: Play a video game such as Ecco the Dolphin, Subnautica or Koral (all underwater games). On the phone you could use Raft Survival Underwater Games or Tasty Blue.
Alternatively you could play a fun game with water. You can look at our Pinterest for water game ideas.
Details:
Say: Water is so much fun! You can do lots with and in water. Water in your bath, water in your food and drinks, water sports… there are so many cool things that water can do. Not to mention, we need water to live. Our bodies can’t survive unless we drink water.
Jesus understood this and knew that He needed to drink water. That’s how He ended up at the well. He wanted a drink of water. That’s also why He asked the Samaritan woman to help Him. She was surprised when He did. Why? Because Samaritans and Jews didn’t get along. They didn’t like each other. Plus, Jesus was a man… men and women weren’t supposed to talk to one another. This woman was coming to the well at the hottest time of the day… she was coming at a time when no other women would be around. This woman was not someone everyone wanted to hang around, and she knew it.
Jesus didn’t care about those things. Jesus was thirsty and he wanted the woman to help him. He didn’t care who she was or what she had done. Jesus loves and cares about everyone.
2) GOD KNOWS ABOUT US
Description: Object Lesson
Supplies: a video or phone game where you can choose all the aspects of a player such as hair, eyes, nose etc. Wii games, animal crossing are good examples of this.
Alternatively cut up magazine pictures of people and make faces out of their facial features by sticking them on a blank page.
Details:
Say: It was fun to choose all the parts of our people in that game! Jesus knew exactly who the woman at the well was. He knew that she had had lots of husbands. This was incredible! Jesus knows all about us too. He knows who we are and what we do. Jesus is God and so He knows everything about us! He knows exactly what we need in our lives and God gives us His Holy Spirit to help us with those needs.
The Bible tells us that God knows every detail about us because He made us – He even knows how many hairs are on our heads! (Luke 12:7) Just as we made our own characters in that game, God created each one of us to be who we are. He cares about us. He knows us inside and out and He loves us for who we are because we are the people that He created us to be.
3) THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN CHANGE MY LIFE
Description: Object Lesson
Supplies: skittles and water experiment
Details: Plate, skittles and water.
Say: When Jesus spoke of the Living water he was talking about the Holy Spirit! God is three persons in one – God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. They are three persons, yet one God. And just as water can do so many things, the Holy Spirit is able to do so many amazing things in our lives too!
The Holy Spirit is able to completely transform our lives. We can have all sorts of good things in our lives, [place the skittles in a circle around the plate] these things can be pretty ordinary, maybe even not so good things – I really don’t like the green and yellow skittles [name the ones you don’t like]. when the Holy Spirit, the Living Water is in our lives, He can create something beautiful out of the ordinary or awful things in our lives. [Pour the water over the skittles and watch as the plate is transformed].
Just like those ordinary skittles were transformed into a beautiful pattern, the Holy Spirit is able to transform our lives. He is able to give us eternal life – life that lasts forever. We just have to ask Him to come and do it, ask Him to change our lives so that we might see Him move in and through us.
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES:
LIFT UP LIFE – 10 MINS
Description: Team or individual game
Supplies: Printed letters L I F E – some with Bible verses written on the back and some without.
Details: Children must try and find the four different Bible verses about the Holy Spirit by lifting up the different letters and looking under neath. If they find one with a Bible verse they can keep it. The first child to collect all four Bible verses is the winner. Can also be played in teams.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- How many uses for water can you think of?
- If Jesus asked you for water would you give it to Him?
- How does water improve your life?
- How can the Holy Spirit help you in your life?
- When was a time that the Holy Spirit helped you?
SENSE HOW YOU FEEL – 10 MINS EACH OR IN TANDEM/ROTATION
How does it feel to have/know that you can have the Living Water – the Holy Spirit – in your life?
Encourage the children to think about the question above as they do one of the activities:
Description: Craft
Supplies: Well craft template
Details: Cut out all the parts of the well and fold the wood part in half. Tape or glue the ends of the wall together. Make two card strips and punch a hole 3/4 of the way up them. Thread some thread through the top of the bucket using ` needle (an adult should prepare this part). Tie the thread around the straw. Thread the straw through the holes in the card strips. Attach the card strips vertically to the inside of the wall. Attach the white tabs of the wood roof to the card strips.
Description: Moulding activity.
Supplies: Playdough or clay.
Details: Mould the well and the woman.
Description: Building activity.
Supplies: Lego or construction toys.
Details: Build the scene at the well.
Description: Sensory activity.
Supplies: water play with lots of different funnels, cups, scoops to play with.
Details: Think about the question as you splash around.
Description: Coloring sheet
Supplies: coloring sheet and markers.
Details: color the sheets.
SEEK GOD: 5 MINS
Description: Prayer/Encounter activity
Supplies:
Details: Ask the children to lie down. Play some quiet music in the background. Invite the Holy Spirit to come. Tell the children that the Holy Spirit is going to come and fill their hearts with His life; love, joy and peace. If they would like to receive the Holy Spirit or have more of Him in their lives they can place their hands open palmed down on the floor beside them.
Prayer:
Thank you Jesus that You know all about me and that You love and care about me. Thank You that You give me Your Holy Spirit to help me to live like You. Holy Spirit thank You that You change my life and help me to live life to the full. Please continue to help me to live for Jesus today. Amen.
