Preschool Bible Lesson: Jesus is the Living Water

This free Bible lesson for preschoolers is based on what Jesus said in John 4 to the woman at the well. Children will learn how God himself can be their source of refreshing.
Lesson Title:   Living Water
Bible Reference:  John 4:4-14
Target Age Group: Preschool
Learning Context: Sunday School
Target Time Frame: One Hour
Memory Verse: “But those who drink of the water that I give will never be thirsty.” John 4:13b
Life Connection: This lesson aims to help young children understand that God is refreshing to their souls just as water is refreshing to them when they are thirsty.  The more time that we put into spending with God the more refreshed our lives will become.  We need God.  Our lives are pointless without him, just like water is necessary for life.
Learning Aim: 

1. God refreshes our lives just like water refreshes us when we are thirsty.
2. We must have God, just like we must have water.

Basic Supply List:

1. Bible
2. Water bottle for each child to drink
3. Empty water bottle
4. Glitter, Beads, Sequins, etc.
5. Duct Tape
6. Sensory Table with water and plastic toys (optional)
7. Bowl
8. 1 Cup Dish soap
9. ½ Cup Light Corn Syrup
10. Small Bubble Wand

Note: In the teaching plan below the words in italics are meant to be read aloud. The regular text is simply directions for the teacher.
> > > > Basic Teaching Plan < < < <
Introduction: Greet each student as they arrive.  Begin by asking them how high they can jump.  Challenge the class to show you how high they can jump.  Now, ask them how long they can jump.  Challenge them to carefully jump as many times as they can.  Have cups or bottles of water ready for the class when they finish jumping.  (Or a trip to the water fountain would suffice.)  Make a big deal of drinking water once they have finished their jumping.  Once everyone has some water, have them sit and get ready to listen to the lesson.
Biblical Evidence:
Say, After playing the jumping game, everyone was tired and wanted a drink of water.  Why did you want water?  They will probably say that they are thirsty and tired.  Say, When we are tired water refreshes us.  We need water.  We cannot live without it.  Whenever we are thirsty there is nothing better than a drink of water.  The more water we drink the better we feel.  God is like water in our lives.  He keeps our soul healthy. He refreshes us when we are sad or mad. 
Say, One day Jesus was walking through the town of Sychar when he came to a well.  He was thirsty so he asked the woman who was there to give him a drink.  This gave him an opportunity to explain how He was like water.  Let’s read this story from John 4.  At this point read John 4:4-14 or retell the story in your own words.
Say, When Jesus was talking about water he wasn’t talking about water like the water in our cups.  He was meaning to say that God would make her life new and make her happy again.  If we want to live forever, we need Jesus in our lives too.  We cannot live without Jesus, just like we cannot live without water. 
Ask, How can we keep ourselves close to Jesus? Possible answers could be that they can read their Bibles, pray, go to church, and talk about Jesus with their parents.
Water Bottle Shakers:  Give each child a clean plastic water bottle.  Fill with beads, glitter, and/ or sequins.  Then, if desired, put water in the bottle.  Close the lids tightly and wrap duct tape around the lid so it doesn’t spill.  Water can be messy so if you don’t want to use water just fill with beads and other small items.  Remind the class that Jesus is the source of living water.
Deep and Wide: Sing the children’s song Deep and Wide to reinforce the idea that Jesus is the source of living water that gives life.  The kids can use their water bottle shakers are well to dance to make music.  The lyrics are listed below.
Deep and wide, deep and wide.  There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.
Deep and wide, deep and wide.  There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.
Wide and deep, wide and deep.  There’s a fountain flowing wide and deep.
Wide and deep, wide and deep.  There’s a fountain flowing wide and deep.
Sensory Water Table: If you have the resources available, set up a sensory table full of water for the kids to play in. Make sure you have towels ready for when the kids are finished.
River Tag: Jesus is the living water.  In this game, one child will be it.  All the other children will run around the room/playing area as if they are swimming.  If someone gets tagged they must sit down.  In order for them to get back in the game someone must swim in a circle around them.  The game is over whenever everyone has been tagged or whenever the teacher blows the whistle and stops the game.  You may want to play several different rounds so that more children can be it.
Everlasting Bubbles: Make bubbles that do not pop as easy as regular bubbles to reinforce the idea that God stays with us always.  To make these bubbles mix 1 cup of dishwashing liquid with ½ cup of light corn syrup.  Mix well and use a small wand to blow them to the class.  Explain that these bubbles do not pop.  They are like Jesus because he stays with us always as well.  The bubbles will pop and are sticky, but they will last longer than regular store bought bubbles.
Conclusion: End the lesson by showing the class a bowl, or cup, of water.  Swish the water around to show that water is always moving.  Say, Jesus is just like this water because he is always moving and working in our lives.  Water goes on forever, just like Jesus.  Whenever we are having a bad day, Jesus refreshes our souls.  Close the lesson by praying for the class, asking God to help them continually gave a deeper understanding of their need for Jesus and the eternal life that He gives.
For older children, we recommend another version of this Bible story on our website. We also have a teaching skit based on the Woman at the Well.
Image courtesy of Sweet Publishing and Distant Shores Media