In John 4:1-42, Jesus witnesses to a Samaritan woman. In this lesson, children will learn that Jesus alone can meet our deepest need.

Key Points:

• Jesus is the living water.
• Jesus became human, just like us.
• Jesus doesn’t see people like everyone else.

Lesson Guide – The Woman at the Well

Ask your children if they have ever been thirsty? Think about different times you have wanted a drink. When you are cold, would you rather drink hot chocolate or iced lemonade? When you are very hot, would you rather drink water or milk? Pour a glass of fresh water and refer to it as you read the story with your child.

Remind your children that Jesus became human just like us. He faced the same problems as we do. Read John 4:6. Ask how Jesus felt. Show the humanity of Jesus and remind your children that Jesus really understands us.

Without drinking water, we could not live. Cut a flower and let it wilt. Then stick it into some water and check on it later. The water has made the flower well again. 

Jesus used water as an example to the Samaritan woman to show her how important it was to have Jesus in her life. Without Jesus, our souls are dead. He is the living water that makes our souls well and strong, just like physical water makes our bodies, and pets, and plants well and strong.

Share how the woman went to collect water at the hottest time of the day because she didn’t want to see anyone or anyone to see her. Explain that she had done some bad things and felt embarrassed by her life. Ask what your child wants to do when they feel ashamed.

Explain the woman was shocked that Jesus spoke to her. Remind your child that the Jews and Samaritans were enemies. She was a shameful woman, and Jesus was an important teacher. Share how Jesus knew everything about her, but still went out of his way to speak to her.

Ask what did the Samaritan woman do when Jesus told her the Good News? She ran and told everyone she knew. If we know Jesus, we should be excited to tell others. 

When the woman told her family and friends about Jesus, they came to meet him for themselves. They believed in Him for themselves. We all need to believe in Jesus and know Him personally. We cannot know Jesus through someone else.

Take a picture and cover it with several sheets of waxed paper. Talk about how you can’t see the image clearly. As you remove sheets of waxed paper, think about how the closer we are to Jesus, the better we will know Him. You may also support this by taking your child’s favorite treat and beginning to eat it. Talk about how delicious it is and how it tastes. Ask the child if they are content to only know the treat by listening to you talk about it. Point out that just as we want to taste the treat for ourselves, we need to know Jesus for ourselves.

We all need a personal relationship with Jesus.

Thank God that we can know Him. Ask Jesus to help you know Him better and share the Gospel with others.

Video lesson for children

Free Printable Bible Story

Games and activities

Don’t get caught

Place several cups inside a hoop on the floor (if outside fill with water). Next have someone with their back to the hoop standing near it, and the other players facing the hoop.

Starting a fair distance away, the players facing the hoop must try to sneak up and collect water from the ‘well’ without getting caught moving. The person next to the well can turn around at any time. Any player found moving must return to the starting line.

Water relay

Fill a large bucket or pool with water. On the other side of the space, create a starting line, and split people into teams. Give each group a smaller container or bucket and a cup. Players must race to fill up their buckets. If playing in teams, only one person can go at a time. If your children don’t mind getting wet, have them hold the cup of water above their heads on the way back.

Color changing water

For this activity, you will need some clear plastic cups, paint, paintbrushes, and water. Pour some clear water into a cup and ask your child to make a new color. They should dab and stir in a little paint. Start with a primary color like red, yellow, or blue and then move onto mixing colors. (Yellow + red = orange, yellow + blue = green, red + blue = purple)

Worksheets

Free Bible Coloring Pages – The Woman at the Well

Craft – Well with the memory verse

What you need

• Template pages, (on paper or cardstock)
• Colored pencils,
• Scissor,
• Glue,
• Two craft sticks.

Bonus

Fill the well with a snack or treat.

What to do:

1. Color the template page.
2. Cut out the template and glue the base together.
3. Glue craft sticks onto the base and attach the roof.

Download the lessons for FREE

Translations