In this lesson plan you will help your students summarize the story of David and Goliath in the Bible and make connections between the meaning of the story and their lives.
The story is often told as a classic tale of an underdog defeating a great champion, but there is so much more to the story than this. As Christians, we must read David’s victory in the context of faith. David defeated Goliath because of his faith in God.
This story should lead us to ask ourselves:
“What is the Goliath in my life and how can I increase my faith that the Lord will help me overcome this challenge?”
David and Goliath Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to (SWBAT) summarize the David and Goliath story.
- SWBAT explain the religious meaning of the David and Goliath story.
- Students will fell (SWF) determined to ask for God’s help to defeat their Goliaths.
David and Goliath Lesson Activities
I. Presentation: Read the David and Goliath Story (1 Samuel 17)
There are a lot of retellings of the David and Goliath story that miss the most essential part of the story: God helps David defeat Goliath. It wasn’t his skill with a sling and stone that saved him. God saved him. That’s why it’s important to read the actual story in the Old Testament together with your students. The most often quoted passage from the story is from David’s speech against Goliath: “. . . the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sm 17:47).
Since the story is so popular, have the students share what they know about it before reading. Ask them to summarize what they remember. Then, as you read, point out some of the often-missed details of the story. For example, King Saul gives David armor to defend himself at first, but David doesn’t use it. Instead, he has 100% trust in God to deliver him in battle.
When you finish reading the story, have the students draw a quick comic strip with stick figures to show they can recall the most important parts of the story. Then, have them work in pairs or groups to retell the story using the pictures in their comic strips.
II. Presentation: David and Goliath Summary & Meaning Video
I created this short video to summarize the David and Goliath story, but also to explain the Christian meaning for us today. The focus of the rest of this lesson will be on the spiritual meaning of the David and Goliath story:
III. David and Goliath Worksheet
After students watch the video, help them reflect on the Goliaths in their lives:
- What are the biggest challenges in their lives right now?
- What goal seems so impossible that they feel they cannot achieve it by themselves?
- Then, most importantly, how can they have faith like David that God will help them overcome these challenges?
Use this David and Goliath worksheet to help your students reflect on these questions about the story:
IV. A Prayer for Faith
The David and Goliath story is a story about the strength of faith. Give your students some quiet time to sit in prayer with the Lord. Invite them to think about their Goliaths and pray for God’s help in overcoming these challenges.
You can give them some time for spontaneous, quiet prayer or offer these simple prayers for them to say to increase their faith and turn to God for help:
- “Lord, increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5)
- “Jesus, I trust in you.” (St. Faustina Kowalska)
- “Come, Holy Spirit.”
- “May the Divine assistance remain always with us.” (May the souls of the faithful departed, through your mercy, O God, rest in peace.)
V. Assessment
The objectives in this lesson were for your students to be able to summarize the David and Goliath story and explain its spiritual meaning. On a personal level, we want them to feel determined to rely on God to defeat the Goliaths in their lives.
Have your students write a version of this story with themselves as the hero. Have them imagine themselves overcoming their personal Goliaths and write about how they overcame the challenge with God’s help.
A simple set of written paragraphs will work or students might draw comic strips to save time. You might even have them use the comic strips from the activity in this lesson for them to create a version with themselves overcoming a challenge with God’s help to show they can also summarize the key parts of the story.
Other David and Goliath Activities
Here are some other popular David and Goliath activities that might help you prepare your lesson:
- David and Goliath Preschool Printable Pack (Simple Living, Creative Learning)
- David and Goliath Slingshot Craft (Oriental Trading)
- David and Goliath Craft: 5 Stones, 1 Mighty God (I Can Teach My Child)
Also, don’t miss this David and Goliath Worksheet from The Religion Teacher:
