During Passover week especially, Christians talk about Jesus being a servant-leader and washing his disciples’ feet. This post contains foot washing activities for kids as well as some adaptable/inclusive activities that teach the same concepts without touching feet. They are all great for both small and large groups of all ages.
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The activities described here pair really well with the Maundy Thursday activities listed in the post Holy Week Activities for All Ages. And! I have written a family devotion for the whole of the Easter season beginning with Ash Wednesday and going through each day of Easter week. You can purchase your family’s copy of Resurrection Moments here in the Chasing Those Moments Shop or on Amazon in both print and ebook form. Be sure to read through to the end of the post as I have lots more resources listed there.
Why Foot Washing?
The activities listed here pair well with lessons about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. You can find this story in John chapter 13. (I have some posts about teaching/observing the Lord’s Supper with kids: Lord’s Supper Craft, Communion-Themed Snack Ideas, and Unleavened Bread recipes.)
After observing Passover and establishing the Lord’s Supper, Jesus set about exemplifying to His disciples the qualities of a real leader. A real leader serves. A real leader does the dirty, undesirable work. Jesus was the Son of God. He was the teacher/rabbi of these disciples. He lowered Himself to the station of servant and washed the dirty, stinky feet of a bunch of adults.
This story is full of lessons. Themes that teachers can draw from this story are: service, God’s love, leadership, kindness, loving others, humility, faithfulness, and even more! (I have a whole post full of service project ideas too!)
Below I have listed Foot Washing, Hand Washing, and some alternate adaptive/inclusive activities for the same story.
Foot Washing Activity: Ages Toddler-Adult
This activity is very simple, really. And it requires very little preparation.
Supplies:
- Water
- Large bowl
- Towel
Instructions:
- Have the kids sit in a line or circle. They should take off any shoes and socks.
- Demonstrate sliding the bowl of water underneath feet, gently splashing water onto feet, and drying them with the towel.
- Then have the kids take turns washing one another’s feet.
- Emphasize the point of serving others. Don’t force anyone to participate that doesn’t feel comfortable.
Hand Washing Activity: Ages Toddler-Adult
This activity goes great as an alternative to foot washing in a Bible study. It also can stand on its own as lesson about germs and the importance of washing hands.
Supplies:
- Water
- Bowl
- Cloth or sponge
- Towel
- Black chalk, newsprint, or dirt
Instructions:
- Begin by “dirtying” everyone’s hands with black chalk, newsprint, or dirt. (I purchased and used this billiard chalk, but these charcoal sticks would work well too.) This would be a good time to discuss how and why hands get dirty. Connecting the lesson spiritually, you could let the hands represent feet that have walked on dirty ground or hands/life dirty because of choices/sin.
- Demonstrate using the water and cloth or sponge to wash off the dirt.
- Then allow children to take turns washing one another’s hands.
- Emphasize the point of serving others. Don’t force anyone to participate that doesn’t feel comfortable.
Adaptive and Inclusive Foot Washing Activity Ideas
Not every child will enjoy or be able to participate in these foot washing activities for kids. We definitely want to be sensitive to the physical and emotional needs of the kids in our care. Below is a list of some ways to incorporate the lesson concepts in adaptive and inclusive ways.
Playdough/Clay sculptures
-
- Use play dough to recreate the scene. My daughter loves to do things with her hands, the more small details the better. She was 8 when she made the play dough sculpture pictured above of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet.
- Have the kids try to make a bowl out of play dough or clay that will hold water without leaking.
Water play
-
- Even if kids don’t want to get their hands dirty, don’t like the feel of the chalk (I kept a toddler that would cry at the feeling of chalk on her hands.), or don’t feel comfortable with others touching them, they may enjoy splashing in a small bowl of water on their own.
- Or even try giving them a cloth or brush and a small toy to clean. (I have an activity post about indoor water play for littles that would adapt well for older kids too.)
LEGO scene
-
- Have children build the scene with LEGO bricks.
Drawing
-
- Basic drawing out of the scene
- Or depending on time, kids could draw out individual pictures to create an animation booklet.
- Better yet, a nice challenge may be a stop motion video. There are plenty of free stop motion apps available for kids. My kids enjoyed making their own animated shorts for a while.
Retell the story
-
- Prompt kids to retell the story to you in their own words
- Play a what-happened-next game in which you tell parts and have the kids fill-in-the-blanks.
Did you try out any of the foot washing activities listed here? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments!
For more activity ideas, check out the post Holy Week Activities for Kids of All Ages. Also, click the Activities tab above for even more age-appropriate activity inspiration.
I have several fully scripted lesson plans available for download in my shop – Jesus Is a Chain Breaker and Abraham Showed Hospitality – as well as Christmas programs accessible for even the smallest of groups/churches – Readers’ Theater Christmas and Gabriel’s Visit for kids and teens.
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