The Good Samaritan KS1

The Good Samaritan is one of the best-known parables told by Jesus. It teaches Christians about kindness, compassion and what it really means to love your neighbour.

If you are teaching The Good Samaritan in KS1, this guide provides a simple retelling of the story, an explanation of its meaning and ideas to help children in Years 1 and 2 explore its message.

What is the story of The Good Samaritan?

The Good Samaritan is a parable found in the Gospel of Luke in the Christian Bible. Jesus told the story after a man asked him, “Who is my neighbour?”

Rather than giving the man a simple answer, Jesus told a story to explain that people should show love and compassion to everyone, not only to their friends or people who are similar to them.

The Good Samaritan Story for KS1

A Jewish man was travelling along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. During his journey, robbers attacked him, took his belongings and left him injured beside the road.

After a while, a priest came along the road. He saw the injured man but did not stop to help him. Instead, he crossed to the other side of the road and continued on his journey.

Next, a Levite passed by. Levites had important religious responsibilities, so people might have expected him to help. However, he also crossed the road and walked past the injured man.

Finally, a Samaritan came along. At the time, Jewish people and Samaritans did not usually get along. The injured man may therefore have expected the Samaritan to ignore him too.

Instead, the Samaritan felt sorry for the man. He cleaned and bandaged his wounds, placed him on his donkey and took him to an inn. The Samaritan paid the innkeeper to care for the injured man and promised to cover any additional costs.

After telling the story, Jesus asked which of the three travellers had behaved like a neighbour. The answer was the Samaritan because he had shown the injured man mercy and kindness.

Who are the characters in The Good Samaritan?

• The traveller: A Jewish man who is attacked and left injured beside the road.
• The robbers: The people who attack the traveller and take his belongings.
• The priest: A religious leader who sees the injured man but walks past him.
• The Levite: Another religious man who sees the traveller but does not stop.
• The Samaritan: A man who shows compassion and cares for the injured traveller.
• The innkeeper: The person asked to look after the traveller until he recovers.

What is a parable?

A parable is a short story that teaches an important lesson. Jesus often used parables to help people think about how they should live and how they should treat others.

The stories used familiar people, places and situations, but they also contained a deeper moral or religious meaning.

What does The Good Samaritan teach us?

The central message of The Good Samaritan is that everyone is our neighbour. Jesus taught that people should show love and compassion to others, regardless of their background, beliefs or relationship with us.

The parable teaches children that kindness is not simply something we feel. It is something we demonstrate through our choices and actions.

Key messages from The Good Samaritan

• We should help people who are in need.
• Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness.
• Our neighbour is not only someone who lives nearby.
• We can show compassion through our actions.
• We should not judge people because they are different from us.
• Doing the right thing may require time, effort or sacrifice.

What does “love your neighbour” mean?

In the Bible, Jesus taught his followers to love their neighbours as they love themselves. The story of The Good Samaritan explains that a neighbour can be anyone we meet, including someone we do not know or someone who is different from us.

For KS1 children, loving your neighbour might mean:

• helping someone who has fallen over;
• inviting someone to join a game;
• comforting somebody who feels upset;
• sharing with another person;
• standing up for someone who is being treated unfairly;
• showing kindness to a new member of the class.

Why was it surprising that the Samaritan helped?

At the time of Jesus, Jewish people and Samaritans often distrusted one another. The people listening to the parable may not have expected the Samaritan to be the person who stopped and helped.

By making the Samaritan the kind and compassionate character, Jesus challenged his listeners’ assumptions. He showed that a good neighbour is defined by their actions, rather than their background, status or group.

Teaching The Good Samaritan in KS1

The Good Samaritan provides opportunities for children to explore Christian beliefs while also thinking about kindness, responsibility and how their actions affect other people.

When teaching The Good Samaritan in KS1, children could:

• sequence pictures from the story;
• retell the parable in their own words;
• role-play the different characters;
• compare the actions of the priest, the Levite and the Samaritan;
• discuss how the injured traveller may have felt;
• identify moments when characters made a choice;
• suggest ways they can be a good neighbour;
• create a kindness pledge for the classroom.

Questions to ask about The Good Samaritan

• Why do you think the priest and the Levite walked past?
• How might the injured man have felt when nobody stopped?
• Why was the Samaritan’s behaviour surprising?
• What did the Samaritan give up to help the man?
• Which character behaved like a good neighbour?
• What do you think Jesus wanted people to learn?
• How can we show kindness to people we do not know?
• What could you do if you saw someone who needed help?

The Good Samaritan KS1 lesson resources

Help your class explore the meaning of this important Christian parable with our ready-to-teach lesson from the What Did Jesus Teach Us? scheme of work.

The lesson includes:

• a detailed lesson plan;
• clear learning objectives;
• a slideshow for the teaching input;
• differentiated learning activities;
• printable classroom resources.

👉 Download a ready-to-teach Good Samaritan KS1 lesson »

The Good Samaritan KS1 FAQs

What is The Good Samaritan story for KS1?

The Good Samaritan is a parable told by Jesus. It describes a Samaritan who stops to help an injured traveller after two other people have walked past him.

What is the main message of The Good Samaritan?

The main message is that people should show kindness, compassion and mercy to everyone, including strangers and people who are different from them.

Why did Jesus tell The Good Samaritan?

Jesus told the parable in response to the question, “Who is my neighbour?” The story explains that anyone in need should be treated as a neighbour.

Who walked past the injured man?

A priest and a Levite both saw the injured man but continued walking without stopping to help him.

How did the Good Samaritan help the man?

The Samaritan treated the man’s wounds, placed him on his donkey, took him to an inn and paid for him to be cared for.

What can KS1 children learn from The Good Samaritan?

KS1 children can learn that kindness should be shown through actions. They can also consider practical ways to help, include and care for other people.