In the Beginning . . .

Growing into a Life of Faith

UNIT 3: LESSON 11:

The Story Kingdom

David vs. Goliath

Key Concept
God helps me do hard things.

KEY CONCEPT MOTIONS:

Each time you say the Key Concept during the lesson, use the following motions: God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together].

Bible Summary
1 Samuel 17 In todays lesson children will learn about David and how God helped him defeat Goliath, a nine-foot Philistine giant. No one had the courage to fight Goliath except David, who knew God was on his side and would help him defeat the giant.

Objectives
KNOW WHAT (LG):

Children will hear how God helped David defeat Goliath.

SO WHAT (LG):

Children will learn that God will help them do hard things.
NOW WHAT (SG):

Children will participate in an activity to identify times when they can do hard things and remember that God will help them.

Spiritual Formation Bible Verse

I will strengthen you and help you. Isaiah 41:10b Courage

People Needed
Teacher, Helper

Supplies
(Labeled visuals below can be found in the Lesson 11 Visual folder on the Fall Quarter CDs.) CD player

Music for singing Sound Effects #2 CD (optional) Male puppet with a crown and cape as used in Lesson 9 Royal box and table with tablecloth as used in Lesson 9 The Beginners Bible with Bible story portion of the lesson (pages 45) taped into it Robe (for puppet) Rock Soldiers helmet or similar prop (for Helper) 3 Royal game cards (Lesson 11 LG 1 Lesson 11 LG 3) Set of matching cards (two of each): Swings, Toy box, Grocery store, McDonalds restaurant (Lesson 11 SG 4Lesson 11 SG 7) Crayons For each child: Key Concept sticker (Lesson 11 SG 8) Two-sided take-home coloring sheet (Lesson 11 SG 9 and Lesson 11 SG 10) Snack

Fall Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 11

UNIT 3:

The Story Kingdom Notes:

In Advance
Recruit a Helper to operate the music and sound effects CDs and participate in the lesson as Goliath (see pages 45). Determine which songs you will use and be prepared to lead the children in singing. Song suggestions: Upbeat song for transition from Activity Stations to the Creative Bible Teaching The Happy Dance (Reach Up High CD) Touch the Sky (Touch the Sky CD) Dance, Shout & Sing (Touch the Sky CD) Determine whether or not you will use the sound effects CD. If you prefer not to use the CD, you might make the sound yourself, invite the kids to make the sound with you, or omit the sound altogether, and modify the lesson accordingly. Gather the supplies as listed in the supply list above and arrange your classroom as follows: Place the royal box on the table with tablecloth, and the King puppet under the table as in Lesson 9. Place the Bible, robe, rock, and soldiers helmet or other Goliath prop in the royal box. Print the royal game cards and place them in the royal box. Print matching cards. (There are four identical cards per pageyou need only two cards from each page.) Copy cards onto cardstock, two of each card for a total of eight cards, and place them under the table. Prepare the materials that will be given to each of the children. To prepare the stickers, print or copy the pages onto Avery label sheets #5294. Consider cutting the stickers apart for easier distribution. Print out the lesson and practice the teaching time.

Teachers Prep
READ 1 SAMUEL 17. Jeff has five children. Recently, he had to do a very hard thing: he helped three of his children move. Jeff s oldest daughter moved into her very first apartment after college. Jeff s second-oldest daughter returned to college for her senior year and his oldest son moved 30 miles away for his first year of college. None of these moves came easily or naturally for him. Letting his children go was difficult, but Jeff knew he could trust God. He knew God was on His side. Jeff discovered that God could help him do this very hard thing. This week, stop and take a breath. As you inhale, think about all the difficult things you have to do. As you exhale, ask God for help. Take another breath. As you breathe this time, smile. Smile knowing God is on your side, always helping you, and never leaving you to handle difficult things by yourself.

Fall Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 11

UNIT 3:

The Story Kingdom

Activity Stations
(20 MINUTES)

Choose which Activity Stations you will use from the list included in the Activity Stations folder.

Creative Bible Teaching

(15 MINUTES)

[Play upbeat music as children transition to the teaching area. Invite kids to sit down. Throughout the teaching time, Teacher moves the mouth of the King Henry puppet and talks for the King in a different voice. Puppet starts under the table.]
TEACHER:

Hello friends, my name is __________ . Today we are going to have a great time with a special visitor: King Henry from the Story Kingdom. Every time King Henry visits us, we get to hear a Bible story! And were also going to sing songs and play some games. Wiggle your fingers if you are ready for a fun day! [Along with kids, wiggle your fingers.]
[SFX 65: Royal music.]

TEACHER:

Did you hear that? That sound means we have a special visitor. Ill get him. [Reach under table and put puppet on your hand. Then hold him up for the kids to see. Have his head down, as if hes sad.] Friends, look who is here. Its King Henry. [Notice Kings head is down.] Uh . . . King Henry? Whats wrong?
KING:

[Head still down.]

TEACHER:

King Henry? King Henry, whats wrong?

KING:

[Head still down.]

TEACHER:

He looks sad, friends. Maybe we can make him feel better by singing a happy song. Lets stand up and sing, The Happy Dance. [Take puppet off your hand and put him down while you sing.]
MUSIC

Song suggestion: The Happy Dance

3 Fall Quarter 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 11

UNIT 3:

The Story Kingdom

TEACHER:

[Invite children to sit down on the count of three. Place puppet back on your hand.] King Henry, you still dont look happy. Please tell us whats wrong.
KING:

Queen Henrietta was mean to me today. She called me some names and she yelled at me. [Pause.] She said she was sorry, and now she wants me to be nice to her again. [In a whiney voice.] I dont want to be nice to her. Its too hard!!
TEACHER:

Hmmm. That does sound hard. You know what, King Henry, I think you should stay around for our Bible story today. Can you help me?
KING:

Sure.
TEACHER:

Great! [Go to the royal box] You can pretend to be David. [Take off the kings crown and put the David robe on him.] [Invite Helper to join you and help tell the story. Helper will be Goliath. King Henry will be David.] Okay friends, I think were ready to tell our story. So lets click on our listening ears. Click! Click! [Tug on each earlobe.] And lets put on our special eyes. Shookum! Shookum! [Hold hands to eyes, one at a time, shaping glasses.] Good job! [Open Bible and turn to the story.] Our Bible story for today is about a boy named David and a very tall, very big giant named [give soldiers helmet or other Goliath prop to Helper] Goliath.
HELPER:

[Put on soldiers helmet or other prop.] I am Goliath.

TEACHER:

Everyone was afraid of Goliath. He was big, tall, and not very nice.
HELPER:

Im big and tall, and Im not very nice.

TEACHER:

There was a group of people called the Israelites. Goliath didnt like them!
HELPER:

I dont like the Israelites!

TEACHER:

Goliath didnt like the Israelites because they loved God and he didnt. Goliath didnt like anyone who loved God. Everyday he went to the Israelites and said
HELPER:

Find a man who can fight me!

4 Fall Quarter 2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 11

UNIT 3:

The Story Kingdom

TEACHER:

The Israelites were afraid of Goliath. Show me your afraid face. [Kids make afraid faces.] No one wanted to fight Goliath. It was too hard to fight a big giant, so all the Israelites ran away when he came. But there was a little boy who was not afraid of Goliath. His name was David. [Walk puppet up to Goliath and continue narrating the story and talking in kings voice as David.]
TEACHER:

David talked to Goliath and said, I am David! I am a shepherd. I take care of the sheep. And though I may be little, Im not afraid of you. Goliath couldnt believe what David told him. He said . . .
HELPER:

Well, you should be afraid of me, David! How is a little boy like you going to fight a strong, powerful, giant like me?
TEACHER:

But David knew he could do it with Gods help. David pick up a rock and threw it at Goliath. [Pull out the rock and pretend to throw it.]
HELPER:

[React as if youve been hit in the head with the rock. Reach up, touch forehead, and fall over.]
TEACHER:

The rock flew through the air and hit Goliath in the head. Goliath fell down! God helped David! [Helper returns to manning the CD player as Teacher reviews story with kids.]
TEACHER:

Friends, who helped David? [God.] Even though it was hard, David knew God would help him. God will help us do hard things too. God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together]. Lets say that together. God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together]. Lets say it in our quiet voices. God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together]. [Take David robe off puppet and put crown back on.]
KING:

It may be hard for me to be nice to Queen Henrietta, but I can ask God to help me.
TEACHER:

Thats right. Because God helps us.

KING:

Im going to go talk to Queen Henrietta right now. See you all later.

Fall Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 11

UNIT 3:

The Story Kingdom

TEACHER:

[Place puppet back under table.] Lets stand up and sing!

MUSIC

Song suggestion: Touch the Sky

TEACHER:

[Invite children to sit down on the count of three.]God helps us do hard things! Lets play a game to remember times that God helps us. Lets take a look into King Henrys royal box and see what other fun things are inside. [Open box and look inside. Take out royal game cards.] I found some game cards. Im going to show you a picture and ask you a question. If you get all three questions right, we get to stand up and celebrate!
Lesson 11 LG 1

[Show picture of boy with broken lamp.] Playing ball in the house was the wrong thing to do. The ball hit the lamp, now its broken in two. Even though its hard, should you tell your mom the truth or should you tell her the dog did it? [Tell her the truth!] Sometimes its hard to tell the truth, but who can help us do hard things? [God!] Thats right. [Show picture of boys with a toy.] One toy for two friends, you cant split it in two. You both want to play, so what do you do? Even though its hard, should you share the toy and let your friend play first, or take the toy away and keep it all to yourself? What do you think, share or keep the toy? [Share!] Sometimes its hard to share, but who can help us do hard things? [God!] Exactly! [Show picture of kids with crayons.] You need the red crayon, and then youll be through. But your friend got it first, now what do you do? Even though its hard, do you wait to use the crayon until your friend is done with it or do you take it away from your friend so you can finish your picture? What do you think, wait for the crayon or take it away? [Wait for it!] Sometimes its hard to wait, but who can help us do hard things? [God!] You got it!
TEACHER:

Lesson 11 LG 2

Wow! You guys did a great job! Lets stand up and celebrate by singing Dance, Shout & Sing!
MUSIC

Song suggestion: Dance, Shout & Sing

Lesson 11 LG 3

Fall Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 11

UNIT 3:

The Story Kingdom

Life Application Activity

(10 MINUTES) TEACHER:

Nice singing! Now touch your head, touch your toes, touch your tummy, and sit down. Today we learned a true Bible story about David and Goliath. Did God help David? [Yes!] Did God help David do a hard thing? [Yes!] What was the hard thing God helped David do? [Beat Goliath!] What did we learn today? God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together]. Now were going to play a matching game to help us remember that we can do hard things because God helps us. [From under the table, take out matching cards (two of each): swings, toy box, grocery store, and fast food restaurant. Invite kids to sit in a circle and place the cards picture-side down in two rows of four, in the middle of the circle.] Who would like to turn over one card, and then turn over another card to find the matching picture? [If the two cards dont match, turn them over again. Continue giving each child a turn until a match is found.] Heres a match! [Hold up the matching set for the children to see. Read the words on the matched picture to the children.]
SWINGS:

Lesson 11 LG 4

Lesson 11 LG 5

What do you see in the picture? [A swing!] Wiggle your fingers if you like to swing. [Along with kids, wiggle your fingers.] Clap your hands if you like to go down a slide. [Along with kids, clap your hands.] Sometimes you have to wait your turn to go down a slide or swing on the swings. Its hard to wait your turn. Who can you ask to help you? [God!] With Gods help, can you wait your turn? [Yes!] What did we learn today? God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together].
TOY BOX:

What do you see in the picture? [A toy box!] Touch your nose if you have toys at home. [Along with kids, touch your nose.] Sometimes you have to share your toys. And sometimes its hard to share your toys. Who can you ask to help you? [God!] With Gods help, can you share your toys? [Yes!] What did we learn today? God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together].
GROCERY STORE: Lesson 11 LG 6

What do you see in the picture? [Grocery store!] Wiggle your ears if you have been to a grocery store. [Along with kids, wiggle your ears.] We can give some of the food we buy at the grocery store to other people. Sometimes its hard to give things to other people. It could be hard to share a bag of candy with others. Who can you ask to help you? [God!] With Gods help, can you give food to other people? [Yes!] What did we learn today? God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together].
FAST FOOD RESTAURANT:

Lesson 11 LG 7
7 Fall Quarter

What do you see in the picture? [Restaurant, food.] Rub your tummy if you like to eat hamburgers and fries. [Along with kids, rub your tummy.] Sometimes you may have to eat all of your food before you can play. Its hard to eat all your food when you want to play. Who can you ask to help you? [God!] With Gods help, can you eat all your food? [Yes!] What did we
2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 11

UNIT 3:

The Story Kingdom

learn today? God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together]. Today we learned a true Bible story about David and Goliath and we learned that God [point up] helps me [point thumbs to self] do hard [pound fists together] things [pound fists together]. Its so good to know that we can do hard things because God will help us. Lets pray to God and thank Him for what we learned. When we want to talk to God, we can pray. [Lead the children in the following finger play.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Give a little clap. [Clap hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Fold them in your lap. [Fold hands in lap.] [Invite the children to repeat after you as you pray.] Dear God, Thank You for helping me do hard things. Thank You for our snack. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Snack and Coloring Activity

God
h
e do har d sm t elp

(15 MINUTES)

Lesson 11 SG 8

God helps me do hard things.

David and Goliath (I Samuel 17)

Lesson 11 SG 9

s. ng hi

This is the time for you and the children to build community. A great way to let the kids know you care about them as individuals is to ask them questions about themselves. GIVE each child a snack to eat. GIVE each child a Key Concept sticker to put on their shirt while they are eating their snack. TELL kids: God helps us. GIVE each child a coloring sheet to color while they wait to be picked up. ASK each child a question or two about themselves: Are you going to obey your mom and dad this week? How will you obey? Do you think you can pray to God and ask Him to help you obey?

Fall Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 11