Who Is Your Neighbor?
Item needed: a box of Band-Aids
Encourage “compassion-showing” all week by rewarding kids (with a “Good Samaritan” award—a Band-Aid) when they think of others.
What is a Good Samaritan? (The name comes from a story Jesus told about a Samaritan—a man from Samaria—who helped a man who had been wounded and robbed.)
What did the Good Samaritan do for the man? (He cared enough to stop and take care of his wounds, took him to get help, paid money for care to help him get better, etc.)
What is compassion? (An awareness of someone’s suffering with a desire to try to help him or her; feeling someone else’s pain and doing something about it; etc.)
The Good Samaritan showed compassion to the wounded man. First, he noticed that the robbed man was hurt and desperately in need. Second, he did something about it.
The first part of compassion is recognizing when others are hurting or need something. The second part is being willing to do what you can to help them.
Brainstorm ways your family can show compassion. (A good way to jumpstart the conversation is to ask what they would like someone to do for them when they are __ (lonely, sad, too busy, afraid, tired, hungry, disappointed, hurt, etc.)
Showing compassion can be as simple as giving someone a smile. There are big and small ways to show compassion, but all are meaningful to the one in need of care.
Every time you see someone in your family showing compassion (kindness), make a big deal of it and give them a “Good Samaritan” badge (a Band-Aid).
***If you have older kids, (who might not “appreciate” a Band-Aid), give verbal praise—a powerful motivator to encourage compassion showing.
What Can You Do?
Items needed: copy or construction paper; markers or crayons; stickers
Make cards for someone who is sick. Depending on circumstances, you might want to take them a meal or small gift, also.
Talk about it:
How do you feel when you are sick?
What makes you feel better?
How can we show compassion to others who are sick? (Make a card; say nice words; offer to get them something to eat or drink; let them pick the show to watch on TV; read to them; etc.)
You Can Make a Difference
Sponsor a child locally or find one through a relief organization such as Compassion International.
(Compassion International is the world’s largest Christian child development organization. Through their Child Sponsorship Program, Compassion tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1.3 million children in 26 of the world’s poorest countries. For more information about Compassion, visit compassion.com.)