Memory Verse:
“For the battle is the LORD’s.” 1 Samuel 17:47b KJV
Printable Bible Phrase Cards:
Print out the cards onto card stock, cut them apart, and send one home with each child.
The children can also make file boxes for their cards.
Teaching Concept:
God helped David fight the giant, and he will help you too.
Early Arrivals Activity
1. Make “The Battle Is The LORD’s!” Wall Hanging
What you will need:
Colored Card Stock
Smooth River Rocks
Glue
String or Yarn
How to make:
1. Before class, print out the pattern onto pretty colors of card stock (heavy paper) and cut them out.
Bring in some small smooth river rocks.
2. In class, let your children each pick out five rocks. As they try to decide which ones they would like, tell them that the person in the story today had to pick out five smooth stones also. We will find out what he used them for at the end of the story. When a child has picked five stones that he likes, place a small dab of tacky glue on each stone and let him decide where he would like to place them on his wall hanging.
3. To finish, add a string or yarn to the top of the wall hanging. NOTE – This craft is for children five or older. Younger children could choke on small stones. Make sure the stones won’t fall off the paper and hand the wall hanging to the children’s parents when they show up to pick their children up. Be careful not to leave any small stones behind.
2. Make David’s Stones and Bag
What you will need:
Brown Paper Lunch Bags
Computer Paper
String
Glue
Hole Punch
How to make:
1. Fold the top of the bag down towards the inside of the bag 1 1/2″. Fold it back three times so that your bag stands about 5 1/2″ high. Punch 14 holes in the bag evenly spaced. Punch four in the front, four in the back, and three on each side.
2. Make a sample craft. Cut a length of string and weave it in and out of the holes starting in the front. Cut more string of the same length for your students.
3. Print out the bag labels onto brown paper, cut them out, and glue them to the front of the bags.
4. Make play dough or buy it. You will need red, green, yellow, orange, and blue. Place a 1-pound box of baking soda, one cup of cornstarch, and 1 1/4 cups of cold water in a saucepan to make the dough. Cook over low heat until the dough looks like mashed potatoes. Remove from the heat. Cover it with a damp cloth until it cools, and then store in a plastic bag. This dough gets very hard. It feels a little gritty, so have some wet paper towels available for the children.
5. You can also include a little booklet that explains what each color represents. See “David’s Little Stones” craft below.
The Lesson (Younger Children)
Preparation: Before class, draw a big ugly face on a piece of poster board. Bring in a yardstick or ruler and measure up nine feet; while standing on a step ladder or something secure, mark off nine feet to show the children how big that is. Tape the face to the wall at nine feet.
Optional: Prepare armor for Goliath. Go to the Armor of God lessons for ideas. If you don’t have time to prepare these things, just use anything you can find around your house as a substitute. You can use the top of a garbage can for a shield, an oversized coat or grocery bag for the coat of armor, and a broom for a sword. Or you can bring in a roll of aluminum foil and quickly make the outfit as you talk. Goliath will look silly, but that is okay because he really was silly thinking he was so strong. You will also need a basket with food in it.
Have you ever been dared by someone to do something? Have you ever dared someone to do something? Usually, when we dare someone to do something, we are too scared to do it ourselves. (Talk about dares. Let the children share their ideas and experiences. Talk about how it is wrong to dare someone to do something that is dangerous or bad.) It is wrong to dare someone to do something to prove that they aren’t scared.
The Bible tells us to treat others as better than ourselves. (Open your Bible to 1 Samuel 17.) Our story today is about someone who gave a dare. He thought he was tough, and he wanted to prove it. He was a big man. As a matter of fact, he was considered a giant. He stood over nine feet tall. (Point to the face of Goliath on the wall.) Goliath was that tall. Yes, Goliath was a big man, and he thought he was better and stronger than anyone, and he wanted to prove it.
At this time, there was a war going on. The Philistine army was on one hill; Israel’s army was on another hill, and they were facing each other. (Break the class up in half by holding your arms straight out in front of you. Tell the children to split up down the middle and face each other. Designate one side the Philistine army and the other the Israelite army. Then pick someone to be Goliath. Pick a child who doesn’t mind playing the bad guy and likes attention.)
Goliath wore a bronze helmet to protect his big head. (Quickly make a helmet out of aluminum foil by wrapping the foil around Goliath’s head. Or place a hat or helmet you have made on his head.)
He wore a bronze coat of armor. (Wrap some more aluminum foil around the child’s chest and arms.)
He carried a huge spear in his hand. (Form the aluminum foil into a spear shape and give it to Goliath.)
Goliath must have looked pretty scary. When it was time to fight, Goliath would come out and stand on the hill and yell across to the other hill where the Israelites were camped. He dared someone to come and fight him, but no one on the Israelite side would fight him. (Ask your Goliath to dare the Israelites to come and fight him. Tell the “Israelites” to look scared and shake their heads no.)
Every day for forty days, Goliath dared someone in the Israelite army to come and fight him, but no one would do it. They were all too afraid. Three of the men in Israel’s army were brothers. (Pick three kids on the Israelite side to be the brothers.) They also had a little brother named David, who was still at home taking care of his father’s sheep. (Pick someone to be David and have him stand by you.) One day, David’s father, let’s pretend I’m David’s father, asked him to take some food to his brothers. (Pretend to be David’s father and ask him to take some food to his brothers. Hand him the basket of food.)
David took the food to his brothers. (Tell “David” to go hand the basket to the brothers.) When David got there, he heard Goliath spouting off, as usual, daring someone to come and fight him. (Have “Goliath” dare the army again.) Again, no one would fight Goliath. (The Israelites should shake their heads no again.)
David could see that they were all afraid. But David wasn’t afraid; he spoke up and said, “I’ll fight Goliath.” (Have “David” repeat your words.) David wasn’t afraid because he knew that God was with him. He remembered the times that God had helped him before. Once, he had helped him fight off a lion that was attacking his sheep. Another time God had helped him pull a lamb from the mouth of a bear.
David went and found five smooth stones and put them in his bag. Then he took his sling and went up to fight Goliath. (Have David pretend to look for stones.) When Goliath saw David, he started to make fun of him. He said, “How dare you come and fight me with sticks and stones. Do you think I am a dog? Where is your sword?” (Have Goliath repeat your words.) David stood his ground and said to him. “You may think your tough with your sword and spear, but I have God on my side, and he is stronger than anyone.” (Have David repeat the words.) (Tell the children to act out the story as you tell it.) David reached into his bag and pulled out a stone. He put the stone in his sling. He slung the sling around and “plunk”; it hit Goliath right in the middle of the forehead. Goliath fell to the ground; he was as dead as a doornail. (Tell Goliath to pretend like he has been hit with a rock and fall down dead.)
When all the other Philistines saw that Goliath was dead, they ran away. (Tell the other Philistines to go back to their seats and sit down. Tell the Israelites to shout “Hooray” and then sit down.)
Conclusion: Goliath thought he was a big, tough man, but he forgot two important things — God is stronger than anything or anyone, and David had God on his side.
Older Children’s Lesson
Preparation: Draw a huge picture of the face of Goliath on a piece of poster board. (You can have the children help you draw the picture at the beginning of class.)
What you will need: Toy Slingshot, Poster Board, Masking Tape, Tacks, Measuring Tape
Tape or tack the poster of Goliath’s head as high up on the wall as you can. Bring in a measuring tape to see how tall your Goliath is. (Mine was about eight feet tall) As you measure Goliath talk to the children about how tall the real Goliath was compared to the Goliath you put up. Place a piece of masking tape on the floor at the opposite end of the room from the poster of Goliath. This will be the line the children have to stand behind in order to shoot.
This lesson is designed for children that are already familiar with the story of David and Goliath. It is presented in the form of a game. The questions will help children realize how much of the story they remember or don’t remember.
Before you start the games, explain the rules. The first and most important rule is “No one can point the slingshot at anyone else, at any time, no matter what.” If you do, you will lose your turn. You can make other such as, “You can’t stand up unless it is your turn.” (Both of my rules were broken once, but not a second time.) If a child answers the question correctly, he gets a turn to shoot Goliath. If he hits Goliath in the forehead, he gets another turn. If he answers the question incorrectly, he loses his turn. *Remind the children that you will probably be asking the questions more than once, so if they pay attention, they will know it the second time around and will get to take a shot at Goliath.
Game Alternative: If you don’t want to invest in a slingshot, you can set up another type of game:
1. Print out the head and body and the legs of Goliath, color them and glue the picture on separate boxes that can be stacked on top of each other.
2. Instead of using a slingshot, have the children throw a softball at the boxes when they answer a question correctly.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for being with us when we are scared. We know that you are stronger than anything or anyone. Help us not to be afraid. Remind us that you are always with us and will help us when we ask for your help. Amen
Craft
1. Make “David’s Little Stones” Out of Paper (Younger Children)
Each color stone will remind the children of something that will help them be brave. There is a little booklet that goes along with the stones that tell about each stone.
What you will need:
Paper
Envelope
Scissors
Stapler
Crayons
How to make:
1. Before class print out the patterns and make copies.
David’s Stone Colors Worksheet and Booklet Pattern
Spanish Stone Pattern and Spanish Booklet Pattern
2. In class, have the children color the booklet, stones, and an envelope.
3. Show them how to match the colors to the correct stone.
4. Help them color the stones on the booklet the correct color also.
5. Cut apart the booklet and staple it together. The children can keep the booklet and the stones in the envelope and use them whenever they feel scared.
Alternative Ways of Making this Craft:
Instead of making a separate booklet, print the booklet patterns smaller, cut out the individual pages, and glue them onto the back of the appropriate rock. You can also use small river rocks and have the children paint them and make a little bag to put them in.
Copyright 2000, Digital by Design, Inc. – See Copyright Information
2. Make “David’s Little Stones” Out of Play Clay
2 Cups Baking Soda
1 Cup Cornstarch
1 1/4 Cup Water
In a medium-size saucepan, stir together all the ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it resembles mashed potatoes. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth until it is cool. Store in a plastic bag.
Activities
1. David and Goliath Review Toss Game
What you will need:
Card Stock (Heavy Paper)
Bean Bags
How to make:
1. Before class print out the Goliath pattern onto card stock and fold back the two sides so that it stands up.
How to play:
1. In class, line the children up in a row and ask each child a question from the lesson.
2. If a child answers the question correctly, let him try to throw a bean bag at Goliath to see if he can hit him in the forehead.
3. If a child doesn’t know an answer, give him some clues until he can figure it out or have a friend help him.
2. Play a Stone Match Game (Older Children)
What you will need:
River Rocks – (Different sizes and shapes)
How to make:
Younger Children:
1. Place dots of different colors on the underside of each rock; make sure you have two dots of each color. Turn all the rocks over so that the dots are hidden. Let the children take turns turning over rocks to see if they can find a match. Make more than one game if you have more than four or five children.
Older Children:
1. Before class, write words from the Bible verse on one side of the rocks. (Use just “Trust in the Lord” if you have younger children.)
2. In class, place all the rocks on a table in the center of the children with the words face down. Have the children takes turns turning over the rocks, trying to find the words of the Bible verse in order. If a child finds a word in the correct order, he gets to keep the rock. The child with the most rocks at the end of the game wins.
3. Tracing Rocks Activity
I found that the boys loved trying to hit Goliath and did not want to stop playing the game, but some of the girls got bored and wanted to do something else. If you have some children that get tired of playing, you can have them work on a memory verse poster. Give each child a sheet of paper. Tell them to place each rock on their paper and then trace around them. They can then write one word on each rock from the memory verse.
4. Play a “Duck, Duck, Goose” Type Game (Younger Children)
Children sit in a circle. One child walks around the circle tapping each child on the head, saying, “David, David, David.” When they say “Goliath,” “Goliath” chases them around the circle back to Goliath’s old spot. Then Goliath starts, “David, David,” etc.
5. Proverbs 3:5 – Bible Verse Review Activity Sheet
What you will need:
Paper
Crayons or Markers
How to make:
1. Before class print out the activity sheet and make copies.
2. In class, tell your children to look up Proverbs 3:5 and cross out all the words in order from the verse to discover what David said. Then have them look up 1 Samuel 17:37 in your Bible to check their work.
Copyright
Copyright © 2000, Digital by Design, Inc.
Danielle’s Place of Crafts and Activities
http://www.daniellesplace.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information or storage retrieval system, except for local church or school use only. This copyright notice must be included on all copies. Requests for permission to copy this material for any other uses should be addressed to Carolyn Warvel, 588 Duran Street, Henderson, NV 89015 or e-mail me at
Comments
I did the lesson on David and Goliath last week in Children’s Church. We rolled out paper and drew the giant Goliath and taped the picture to the door frame of an opened door. The children stood in line, and if they answered the question correctly, they got to throw a whiffle ball at the giant. Needless to say, this activity was a great hit…no pun intended! They enjoyed the story and, to my surprise, answered most of the questions correctly. I love the Resource Room. It has brought me great joy teaching the kids and having such fun doing it with all the help from your site. Bev Nicol, Christ United Methodist Church
I teach a Sunday school class with ages ranging between 1 and 4 years. This week, my lesson was on David & Goliath. I used “David’s Little Stones” as part of my lesson and craft. I did modify the craft some. Using my computer, I colored the stones and the booklets. I also cut them out prior to class time (most of my children are too young for cutting). As the main part of my craft, I printed a “Shepherd’s Bag” onto brown construction paper and cut out two bags for each child. Using a hole punch, I punched holes all the way around the outside of the bags. I provided some thick black string, and during class, my children “sewed” the bags together. We proceeded with the lesson on the stones, and as we discussed each one, we placed the stones inside our bag. I also noticed that during intermission, between Sunday school and Praise & Worship Music, there were a lot of adults reading the little booklets. So this not only ministered to the children but also the parents. I was very pleased with this lesson. Theresa Bostick
I am a Sunday school helper, and I teach ages 2- 5 years old. On Wednesday, August 15th, I did the lesson of David and Goliath. The children loved making the booklets and taking their paper stones home. Next time, we will try it with real rocks for them to paint and take home. Thank you so much for the lesson. I enjoyed it as much as the children. Sincerely, Ruth Cutshall
Your site is the greatest! I used David’s little stones with my Wednesday night sunbeam class. They really enjoyed it and retained so much of the lesson! They were thrilled with their stones. Next time I do it with the next group, I plan to work ahead and make little pouches with drawstrings out of tan or brown cloth. I am going to gather stones and spray paint them with the colors. Then at the end of the class, I will send each child home with their own pack of stones and a note to the parents on the lesson and how to use it as a refresher/ Bible study for the weeks to come. Thanks! Narita
I teach at our church’s Little Church School for 3 – 5-year-olds on Sunday mornings. I recently found your site and am overjoyed to have such a fine resource. Just recently, I used the David and Goliath Lesson Plan with some modifications to great success. For the craft, I printed out David’s little stones sheets off my computer, cut the pages out, and used a glue stick to place each on color-coded card stock cards that were slightly larger so a border could be seen. I hole-punched all cards and tied a piece of red yarn to hold the book together. I put a paper clip through the yarn at the back of the book for later use.
I used light blue felt for stone pouches. I cut 10-inch circles out of the felt and, with a big needle, sewed all around the edges within 1/4″, leaving a five-inch end where I started and where I finished so the ends could be pulled and the pouch gathered. I also made some sample slings out of 5-inch brown felt circles, sewed on both sides to gather edges, and make more of a cup shape. I punched a hole on both sides and tied two-foot pieces of twine to the sides. We practiced swinging the slings and slinging marshmallows at a nine-foot-high head of Goliath I had drawn on paper and taped to the wall. We did this after the Bible story and before the craft just to get the kinks out – the kids got in about four lines and each took turns with the slings.
After the Bible story, my older helpers took turns reading a page out of the little stones book. When the kids got to their craft tables, I handed out the open pouch and the booklets. Each child received a piece of colored Model Magic clay – red, yellow, green, blue, and orange. They proceeded to make their own stones and place them in the pouch. Then they pulled their pouches closed, and we tied them onto the paper clips on the back of the booklets for safekeeping. I also asked the kids to use crayons to color the stones in the booklets. The kids and the parents were beaming after this program. Thanks for the fabulous idea upon which I could build. Sincerely, Susan Stavish
On Wednesday nights, we are learning about “Bible Super Heroes.” Our featured superhero last night was David. We watched the Veggie Tales Video, “David and the Giant Pickle.” After the movie, the children were able to throw Velcro balls at the Goliath I made. I took a nine-foot-long piece of bulletin board paper, sketched Goliath in pencil, outlined him, and colored him in; then, I had it laminated. We adhered Velcro patches to him (On his forehead, shoulder, leg…) Then we hung him up, and the children took turns throwing the Velcro balls at him. Only one child made the Velcro ball stick to the forehead target. He received a small prize out of our “Treasure Chest.” Other children were able to hit the lower targets, and they received rewards as well. It was a great Hit! Pardon the pun!! I had as much fun as the children. Anne
I TEACH 2 – 6 YEAR OLDS WE USED YOUR IDEAS FOR THIS LESSON; I DREW A 7 FT GOLIATH (ALTHOUGH IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN 9 FEET). I COLORED IT AND HUNG HIM ON THE WALL. THE CHILDREN TOOK TURNS THROWING MARSHMALLOWS AT HIM TRYING TO KILL HIM. THEY HAD A BLAST! THE GIANT STILL HANGS IN THE CLASSROOM AND EVERY KNOWS. THE CHILDREN WANT TO THROW MARSHMALLOWS AT HIM DURING FUN TIME. I REALLY ENJOY YOUR SITE! WE ALSO DID DAVID’S LITTLE STONES. I PRINTED THEM OUT, CUT THEM, LAMINATED THEM, TIED THEM TOGETHER, AND HELPED THE CHILDREN MAKE THE LITTLE BOOKS TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE COLORS MEANT. WE HAD A BLAST. ALSO, WE HAD EACH CHILD STAND BESIDE GOLIATH, AND WE TOOK THEIR PICTURES. THEY LOOK SO SMALL COMPARED TO THE BIG OLD GIANT, AND THAT S WHAT I WANTED THEM TO SEE THAT GOD CAN USE THE TINIEST OF PEOPLE, AND THROUGH HIM, YOU CAN WIN ANY BATTLE. THANKS, BETTY GLORYBOUND, ENECOSTAL CHURCH OF GOD-SIDNEY, OHIO
I have used many of the ideas I have found on your site, but I think that this one has had the biggest impact so far. I teach a children’s church class of 2 – 5-year-olds, and I assumed most of the children had heard this story before, but even if they had, they were amazed. Before class, I taped a big cardboard Goliath face with jagged ugly teeth to the top of the wall. As I started the story, I explained how tall Goliath was, and the children had a greater understanding because of my example on the wall. I also used a picture book to illustrate the story as I told it. We made David’s little stones craft, which I had precut, and the kids loved having stones of their own. The biggest success was when we played the game “throwing stones at Goliath.” I would ask each child a question about the story, and if they answered correctly, they got to throw a marshmallow stone at the face of Goliath. This did get a little messy, though, so be prepared with wet wipes. The following week after I taught this lesson, one of my little boys in my class came in to sit down and asked immediately if we were going to throw rocks at the giant again. It may have been a game to them, but at least they retained a little bit of what was taught. Thank you so much for your ideas! Lisa
This week I taught David and Goliath to my 2 and 3-year-olds. We have such a short period of Sunday school time; I often break up the ideas into two or three weeks. The children love hearing the story the second time, and I find that they get the concept better the second week. This week we made the five little stones and the pouch. I changed the craft a bit for my class. The children got to color each stone, which was perfect for learning colors. I had precut and punched holes in gold felt, and in class, one by one, I “sewed” with them around the circle to make a drawstring pouch for their stones. The students loved the one-on-one time and the pouch. Thanks for the great ideas. Christy Burdick
I used the “David and Goliath ball toss.” It was such a blessing. It was my first day as a Sunday school teacher for third grade girls, and needless to say, I was done with my lesson way before the class time was up, so I drew a Goliath on the board, made a ball, and they had the greatest time trying to hit him in the head. It made all the girls laugh and smile and was a great icebreaker for me as the new teacher. This website is so wonderful. I’m amazed at all the wonderful things you share with me. You are worth more than your membership fee any day; the patterns for the crafts are priceless!!!!!! I just wanted to let you know how much the children of all ages enjoyed our first lesson from your website. The younger ones did “David and Goliath,” whereas the older ones started on the first lesson in the “Armor of God” series. I made a Goliath height chart to show how tall he was and measured all of my class (7 to 9 yrs.). They were pretty amazed! At the end of the lesson, we tried to hit the big red spot, which I marked between his eyes with marshmallows, as suggested. The older children came over to join in and, of course, had to be measured too. We had a lot of fun and can’t wait for this week when we do “The Belt of Truth.” Celia
I recently used your David and Goliath lesson. We used the “Throw the Marshmallow at Goliath” activity idea. This was a wonderful way to review the lesson. I drew a 9 foot tall Goliath, and the children colored it before we hung it on the wall. Instead of marshmallows, I filled round balloons with flour to make our “stones.” They are very soft and not sticky like marshmallows. I’m leaving the Goliath up throughout the Armor of God lessons. I used the David and Goliath lesson with my 5 – 7-year-old youth group this week. The children enjoyed the story, and they enthusiastically told me what would happen before I could finish the story. We used the patterns to make the stones and booklet and discussed the meaning of the different colored stones. Each child decorated an envelope “pouch” for his stones. We punched one hole on each side of the envelope and tied a piece of yarn through the holes so that the “pouch” could be tied around the waist. By the end of our class, the children could tell me the meaning of each colored stone, and they were very proud of their stone “pouches.” Cindy Morgan
Our class did the first in your series for “Armor Of God.” This was a lot of fun. To start the class, I had them use the aluminum foil and decorate a child with armor. There were two teams, and they had a lot of fun doing that and used a lot of creativity. Then we used the lesson. The children learned a lot. After it was over, we did the games of dressing the paper child in armor if they got a question right. This lesson was just a lot of fun. We plan on using the next one, “The Belt Of Truth.” Thanks, Christina Penley
I did the lesson on David and Goliath for our after-school kid’s club (ages 4-13). I took the idea of making a large 9-foot giant. We hung our 9-foot giant in the chapel where the lesson was. We used it as a growth chart and marked where everyone measured up to the giant. We also took their pictures with the Giant with a Polaroid camera. I have to admit that seeing a 9-foot giant was pretty impressive and intimidating. We left the giant up in the chapel for Sunday so the adults could see Goliath. Having the giant during the lesson really helped the kids visualize what David was up against. The kids loved the five-stones craft. They made little booklets that had the meaning of the five stones, as well as our memory verse for the week. To go with the five-stone craft, we enjoyed David & Goliath snacks. (Banana cut into two pieces, one larger than the other; pretzel sticks for arms and legs, peanut butter for glue, raisins for the face, and a maraschino cherry for Goliath’s helmet. We then used M&Ms (the colors that correlated with the stones in the five stones craft) has David’s five stones). The kids loved playing with their food while learning at the same time. Thank you for a great lesson. We did the lesson several weeks ago, and the kids still can remember our Giant and the fact that God is with us no matter what we face. I am currently writing/compiling a “Building Christian Character” Unit Study for my 3rd-5th-grade class. We are covering different characteristics each Christian needs in their life. i.e., Compassion, gratitude, generosity, etc. We are currently on the characteristic courage; its meaning, and application. For this, I used the story of David and Goliath. Of course, I wanted to see if you had any fun crafts for the children. I loved your “David’s Stones” idea. However, I knew the children I teach would have thought the craft to be “babyish” for them. LOL So, I quickly altered your idea for the older children. So, We painted smooth stones in the colors you suggested coloring the stones. I then gave each child a Poem that I wrote regarding the meaning of each colored stone. Here is the poem I wrote: Five Little Stones by Ronda Duvall Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Green, These five little stones remind me of many things.
Red means stop and pray for courage. With God on my side, never be discouraged. Blue means it’s okay to feel sad. But, with the right amount of courage, I don’t need to get mad. Yellow reminds me to slow down and pray. Thank God for His blessings every day. Orange, this stone is very bright. God is with me; there’s no need to feel frightened. Green means for me to get up and go; God shows me that He loves me so.
We just did this lesson this week and had so much fun with it. We have a Mommy & Me Bible time group. The kids range from 2 – 5 years old. We have ten kids and eight moms. We combined two activities by coloring the bottom of the marshmallows with markers to be the color of the stones on the coloring page. We talked about David and the stones’ colors and let the kids gather their five stones. We then took turns throwing the marshmallows at Goliath as we reviewed the colors. The kids loved this activity. It was definitely a blessing! Marika Hobson
Punch holes around the folded edge of a small lunch-size paper bag. Weave string through the holes to make a holder for David’s stones. Kirstin
Last Sunday, I taught your David and Goliath lesson. The 2 – 5 yr. olds had a blast! We sat down, and I told them what we were doing, though it was pretty obvious from the 8-foot giant on the wall (could only do 8 feet tall as hit the ceiling)! Then we sang, Only A Boy Named David, and talked about David and the giant. Then I read the story in the Bible, and we discussed it as we went. I started with David as a shepherd, and I related that to them being shepherds last time (Lost Sheep lesson). We talked about our fears and then did the memory verse -The battle is the Lord’s. Karyn Henley has a song called Great Big God that works well with this lesson. Then we went to the table and made the little stone books. I used the poem about the colors and made the cover brown with the title and author, and then the next page I made was the first part of the poem, and then each page after was a stone color. We went through the booklet while they laced the books together. Then I passed out brown lunch sacks, and we made the pouches for carrying their rocks. We laced the top closed and then used yarn to tie the sacks around their waists. I passed out pre-painted rocks to go in their bag, and, of course, we discussed the rules of safety with the stones. When they finished, they could go to the drawing of the giant on the wall, and I took their picture by the giant. Then they got two tries to hit the giant in the forehead with ping pong balls (our rocks). I had six balls all together, so I would take a picture of the child, let them try to hit giant, and then find their balls while the next child had their picture, and so on. It can get done faster. My husband had the ones waiting sitting on the floor nearby so they could watch, and he used a boy stamp and a girl stamp and stamped their hands. We told them that this stamp on their hands would remind them today that we don’t have to be scared because God is always ready to help us. After that, we had a snack and ate rainbow-colored fish snacks, and talked about the colors. Then when they were done with snack time and had their things in the trash, they got to have another try at Goliath until time to go.
This week I will send the pictures I took of each child to them on a postcard and remind them what we learned. Parents came up to me later in the hall and said their child was bubbling over their pouch and rocks and getting to hit Goliath. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas! What a blessing you are to teachers! You make our job so much easier! Lara
I did this lesson and wanted to do the craft where you paint rocks; I wanted them to be smooth rocks, so I bought river rocks from Walmart Mart, but when I went to paint them, the paint rubbed right off. So I put Primer on them first. This made the paint look kind of marble colored when the kids painted them. Heather
I taught David and Goliath to my 2 – 8-year-old Sunday School Class. I used the David’s Little Stones activity with my class. The kids really liked making the little book. I expanded on it a little bit and let the kids make a little bag with stones in it to take home as well. I bought the glass stones in the appropriate colors (I found them at Wal-Mart), and I also found a little bag for them to put the stones in. The bag was actually a little sachet that I found in the baby shower section at Wal-Mart. The kids loved this lesson! Tina Russell
I wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying your site and how helpful it has been for my lessons in treasure time. For the lesson David and Goliath, I thought of a cute bowling game for the kids to use to give a little different spin on things. I use the pattern for the giant soldier from the story, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I printed the pattern from the large file, colored him, and then taped him to the head of a small child-size bowling pin. I made six in all. Each child had their own bowling pin. I gave the kids a small plastic ball, and they played a game trying to knock over Goliath. The younger kids, ages 2 – 3, had a fun time with this. It got out a lot of energy, yet it still tied into the lesson. We did the whole bowling set for the older children, ages 4 – 5, with just one Goliath at the headpin. I tried to make it so they would all have fun and be challenged. If you don’t have bowling pins for children, you can use empty, clean, two-liter bottles for this game as well. This idea was sent in by Pamela Holloway.
My children’s church group has been studying the armor of God. We started first with the lesson on David and Goliath. We did as many of the activities that were for the lesson. I think the one that the children enjoyed the most was shooting marshmallows at the giant poster of Goliath. I believe that I got that activity from the comments section. Then we had a lesson on the whole armor. Now we are studying each piece separately. The kids are from ages 8 – 13, and sometimes we have a few smaller ones join us. The kids have really enjoyed the lessons so far. Thanks for giving us such good lessons. Denise Schumann
At the beginning of class, we had fun making a huge Goliath. I let each child draw a different part of him. One child drew the head; one child drew an arm, one child drew a leg, etc. When we finished all Goliath’s parts, we put him together a bit like a puzzle. He was a strange-looking fellow; we all had a great laugh and had fun answering all the questions. We didn’t throw marshmallows but crumpled up pieces of paper. Thank you for another great lesson. My primary kids loved it. From Rosi
We studied David and Goliath and used your lesson plans for David takes a Dare. The children loved acting out the Bible Lesson. We have a very tall teenage boy who helped us and played Goliath. We dressed Goliath with tinfoil. The children had a blast. We also did The Battle is the Lord’s craft. This was very well received by all the children. Next week we will start the armor. We decided to Trace all the children’s bodies on white butcher paper; then, they put faces and clothes on themselves. We hung them all around the room. Each week when they make a piece of armor, they will tack it to their self-portraits. Anyways thank you again so much. I also want to thank you for having the verses in King James. That is our preference, and it made it a lot easier to print out the verse cards. Lord Bless you and keep you. Alicia
David and Goliath is always a favorite story, regardless of the age of the kids. As children’s director at First Baptist Church in New London, Missouri, I find it sometimes challenging to present a lesson that appeals to the kindergartners while challenging the sixth graders. We recently used your David and Goliath lesson with great results. I enjoyed the “Five Little Stones” poem that Ronda Duvall submitted and decided to use her creativity as a springboard for our project. Instead of painting stones, we decorated sugar cookies with pieces of fruit. I wrote the following poem to explain each step of the process. Connie Melloway
Hi, it’s me again. I always feel like I need to share my experiences in my Sunday school class with the lessons I use from your site. As always, they are such a blessing. I just finished three weeks on David, the shepherd, David, the warrior, David fights Goliath, and David becomes King. My grandson (10 1/2) dressed as a shepherd and came to the class to visit. He told all about what he did as a shepherd. The following week he came back as David the warrior and explained why and how he defeated the giant. We made a nine-foot giant from poster board to show the children how tall a nine-foot person would be. We also made pictures of David as a shepherd and as a warrior. I took pictures of the children with my grandson and next to the nine ft. giant. I also put velcro strips up on the giant and on a sponge ball, and the children took turns trying to see who could hit the giant. Needless to say, it was a big hit. We made crowns the last week, and the children took theirs home. It was a big hit, and all the children were very attentive when my grandson entered the room and began talking. My class is a Toddler class for ages 2 and 3. They loved it. Keep up the good work. May God keep blessing you for helping teachers like myself from getting into a boring routine with children. Your lessons are wonderful. Vicki – Indiana