Skit

Ten Lepers Skit for Church: A 5-Minute Thanksgiving Play

A free 5-minute ten lepers skit for church kids at Thanksgiving. A narrator reads Luke 17 from the KJV while children act out the one who came back.

Grades K–6

Ten Lepers Skit for Church: A 5-Minute Thanksgiving Play

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⬇ Ten lepers skit script (PDF) · 2 pages

Free to print and copy for your church, classroom, VBS and home. Please don't resell or re-post our files; link to the page instead.

Ages: Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Preteen (5–6)
Time: 5 minutes (one or two 20-minute rehearsals)
Scripture: Luke 17:11–19; Leviticus 13:46; 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Bible story: The Ten Lepers

What you need

A Bible or this script for the narrator
Old sheets, towels or bathrobes for the ten men
Masking tape to mark an X at the front of the stage
Ten-finger signs (optional, if you have fewer than ten actors)

Steps

Choose a narrator and the Samaritan, then give everyone else a leper or townsperson part.
Tape an X at the front of the stage. That is where Jesus is in the story; the narrator stands beside it and reads His words from the Bible, so no one plays Jesus.
Rehearse once or twice. Practice the walking, the turning back and the kneeling more than the lines.
End with everyone saying 1 Thessalonians 5:18 together.

A ten lepers skit for church kids at Thanksgiving. A narrator reads Luke 17:11–19 straight from the King James Bible while the children act it out: ten men who stand far off and cry out to Jesus, nine who go on their way healed, and one Samaritan who turns back, falls at Jesus' feet and gives Him thanks. Most children have one short line, so it works with one or two rehearsals.

How it runs (about 5 minutes):

Ten men stand far off and cry, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us" (Luke 17:11–13).
Go to the priests: as they go, they are cleansed (Luke 17:14).
The one who came back glorifies God with a loud voice and falls at Jesus' feet, and Jesus asks, "where are the nine?" (Luke 17:15–19).
Finale: everyone holds up one finger and says the memory verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Tips

No one plays Jesus. The narrator reads His words from the Bible, and the Samaritan kneels at an X taped on the floor.
Fewer than ten kids? Let the lepers hold up fingers or ten-finger signs to show there were ten.
Costumes: old sheets or towels wrapped over everyday clothes are enough. Dropping the sheet is how the audience sees they are healed.
Practice the turn. The moment the Samaritan stops, turns around and runs back is the heart of the skit.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 is the memory verse of our ten lepers story set, so the skit, lesson, craft and puzzles all teach the same verse. Pair it with our Thanksgiving poems for church and the Christian Thanksgiving left right game, and find more on our Thanksgiving page.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this ten lepers skit?

About 5 minutes. The narrator reads Luke 17:11–19 from the King James Bible, and the children say short lines and act out each part.

How many kids do we need?

At least three, and up to 15 or so. The narrator and the Samaritan are single parts; lepers and townspeople can be as many as you have. If you have fewer than ten lepers, the rest hold up their fingers to count to ten.

Who plays Jesus?

Nobody. Jesus' words are read by the narrator straight from the Bible, and an X on the floor shows where He is, so the Samaritan kneels there to thank Him.

Why is this a good Thanksgiving skit?

Because it is the Bible's clearest thank-you story. Ten men were healed, but only one came back to give Jesus thanks (Luke 17:15–17).