How to Read David and Goliath to Children
David and Goliath is a classic Bible story that inspires children to have courage and to lean on God. You can find the story of the young David and the colossal Goliath in the Old Testament portion of the Bible. It's told in the first Samuel Chapter 17. This story is written beautifully and is perfect for reading aloud to children. Use a New International version (NIV) or New King James version so children don't get hung up on archaic terms such as "doth" and "thou." Tell the story with vocal intensity. Use different voices to tell the stories as the characters. Prepare for this story by having a few props next to your chair. Show the props as you tell the story.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Chair
- Bible
- Small loaf of French bread or other simple food
- Plastic play armor
- Plastic sword
- Slingshot
- Five smooth stones
Instructions
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Instruct the children to sit on the floor around your chair. Don't let them crowd to close. You'll want plenty of room to be able to use your props. Sit in your chair with your bag of props by your side and your Bible in your lap.
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Read the children verses one through 10. Then say to the children, "Goliath was so sure he could beat every soldier there, he challenged them to single combat. He promises that he and his people, the Philistines, will surrender if he's beaten." Prompt children to think about this by asking them if they think anyone will volunteer.
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3
Read to verse 17, then take out the bread from the bag. Explain to kids that David wasn't a soldier, just the boy who brought the food to the soldiers. Read until you reach verse 22.
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Use your best anticipatory voice to build excitement among the children while reading verses 23 to 38. As you read the part of the story describing the armor David was given, take the armor from the bag. Explain to the children that the armor didn't fit right, that David had never used armor before. He decided not to use the armor and instead used a weapon with which he was familiar.
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Finish reading the story by starting at verse 40. Put the other items away and take out the slingshot and the stones. Let the children feel how smooth the stones are. Collect the stones, then read until verse 50.
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Tips & Warnings
If the children are very young, you may not want to read verse 51. This describes the beheading of Goliath by David.
