David and Goliath Preschool Theme

This David and Goliath Preschool Theme is based on 1 Samuel 17:1-50.  

Through his faith in God, David was able to overcome what others thought impossible.

Whenever we talk about this Bible account, we always talk about David defeating Goliath with 5 smooth stones.  And wow, it is an amazing account!  However, let's not forget that this little boy, David, could ONLY have defeated Goliath with God's help.

You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my bible preschool themes page.

David was a shepherd.  God had a plan for him: to one day be King.  This victory over Goliath is truly a story of the strong faith in God of young boy and of him following God's plan for him.

God has a plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11).  Talk with the children about this strong faith.  Talk with them about HOW David had such faith (prayer and reading God's word).

Let the Theme planning begin!

You can either scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your theme or click the link below to go to specific preschool activity types you are looking for.

To read my Statement of Faith, click here.

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DAVID AND GOLIATH Art Activities Block Area Circle Time Activities Cooking Recipes Dramatic Play Ideas Easel Ideas Gross Motor Games Library and Literacy Math And Manipulatives Activities Music and Movement Sand and Water Table Science Activities Writing Activities

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Here is a Rocks Theme that may give you more ideas to add to this theme!

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Art Activities

David and Goliath Theme Art

David and Goliath Paper Bag Puppets

Provide small paper lunch bags (brown or white) and markers, yarn for hair, googly eyes, glue

The children make a David and Goliath paper bag to act the story out with.

Rock Painting

Collect medium sized stones (smooth ones).

Provide paint.

The children paint their own "5 smooth stones".

My Gift

David had a gift and that gift saved his people from Goliath's army.  We all have gifts.

Encourage the children to paint (using watercolor) a picture of what their gift is.  What are they good at?  Helping others?  Drawing?  

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Block Area

David and Goliath Theme Block Center Ideas

Shepherding the Sheep

David was a shepherd.  It was an important job to keep track of an entire flock of sheep!

Add toy sheep and people (shepherds) to your block area.  Also, add some cotton balls for fun!

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Circle Time Activities

David and Goliath Theme Circle Time Ideas

Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your theme!

God Had A Plan

Whenever we talk about David and Goliath, we always talk about David defeating Goliath with 5 smooth stones.  And wow, it is an amazing account!  However, let's not forget that this little boy, David, could ONLY have defeated Goliath with God's help.

David was a shepherd.  God had a plan for him: to one day be King.  This victory over Goliath is truly a story of the strong faith in God of young boy and of him following God's plan for him.

God has a plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11).  Talk with the children about this strong faith.  Talk with them about HOW David had such faith (prayer and reading God's word).

Bravery

In this David and Goliath account, we find that David was brave.  He knew that God was with him during this time.

Talk to the children about things they are afraid of.  List these things on a large piece of paper.  It will be very helpful for the children to realize they are not the only ones with fears.

Then, talk about how children can overcome some of these fears.  Children are so wonderful at making suggestions to help each other!  List these solutions on the chart paper also.

Remind the children that God is always with us and hears our prayers. When we are afraid, we can pray to him anytime.

Lead the children in prayer.

Gift Chart

We all have gifts, or things we are good at, at all ages!  Have the children share the things they are good at!  List them all!

Accept all thoughts!  They may range from I'm Good At.... making silly faces, painting, making my Mom laugh, taking care of my dog, etc.

Beautiful Music

Try to find a small harp to bring to circle.  Or, bring pictures of harps to story.  Also, find a CD that has harp music.

Explain that shepherds often played music while watching their sheep. 

Discuss what a shepherd is.  Let the children try playing the harp if you have one.

Tell them that David played a harp, it was one of his many gifts.

Play the music quietly as you tell the story.

Goliath's Armor

Bring a scale to circle.  Let each child get on the scale and list how much they weigh.

Show a picture of Goliath in his armor.

Tell them that Goliath's armor weighed over 125 pounds!  Explain to them that it would be like having _______ and __________ and ___________ on your back (add up weights to 125 pounds)!  Wow!

Return to Top Cooking Recipes

Snack Recipe Ideas to Cook Up for Your David and Goliath Theme!

Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific David and Goliath themed questions while making these fun snacks!

Streams and Stones

You will need:  celery stalks, raisins, cream cheese or yogurt, a plastic knife

Have the children help to rinse the celery.  

They then use a plastic knife to spread the cheese or yogurt in a celery stalk.

They place 5 raisins (5 smooth stones) on their snack.

VARIATION:  Color the cheese or yogurt blue by adding a small amount of blue food gel coloring and mixing.

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Dramatic Play Ideas

David and Goliath Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

Putting on Armor

In our David and Goliath Bible story, we find that the armor was too big and too heavy for David.

Provide items that are a bit larger than the children for this:

A large helmet (football helmet perhaps).

A large heavy jacket.

A large shield.

Also, provide child sized items that fit.  Perhaps bathrobes, slippers, sandals, etc.

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Easel Ideas

David and Goliath Theme Ideas for your Easel--

More Than Just Painting (Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)

Do-A-Dot

Instead of paint, provide Do A Dot (bingo dobbers) with paint in them!

Encourage the children to make big and small items:

Goliath and David

Big dog, small dog

Big flower, small flower

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Gross Motor Games

David and Goliath Theme Large Group Games 

that help build their muscles while they have fun together

David, David, Goliath

Play duck, duck goose but change the words!

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Library and Literacy

David and Goliath Theme Ideas for Your Library and Literacy Activities for your Preschool Classroom

Bible verses for this David and Goliath theme are:  1 Samuel 17:2-11; 16; 40; 45-50

Memory Verse  Print 1 Samuel 16:7 and hang in library:   "The Lord looks on the Heart"

Book Suggestions for the Library

(I LOVE Amazon, and some of the links below will take you to the Amazon website.  If you do choose to purchase yours through Amazon, they do send me a few cents--which supports my coffee habit! )

The Children's Book of Heroes by William J. Bennett

David and the Giant Pickle by Veggie Tales

David and the Giant by Kelly Pulley (an I Can Read book)

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Math And Manipulatives Activities

David and Goliath Theme Activities to help your Preschoolers develop those small muscles in their hands!

Colored Stones

Provide a large variety of colors of playdough and scissors

Most children are great at making "snakes".

Let's now work on making "balls".

This is a great activity to help develop their muscles by pinching, rolling and manipulating the dough and using scissors to cut the dough.  And those muscles are the ones that are needed for future writing skills, so you can NEVER have enough playdough and scissor activities in the classroom!

Shepherding The Sheep

Provide cups, tongs and black and white pom poms.

The children sort their "sheep" into the "pens" (cups).

You could program these in many ways to go along with the concepts you are working on such as:

Tape a dot on each cup with a number.  The children place that many pom poms in the cups.

Provide colored pom poms and program the cups with colored dots (or provide colored cups!) for the children to sort by color.

Provide a small, medium and large bowl for the children to sort by size.

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Music and Movement

David and Goliath Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'

Down Went the Giant

This is sung to Pop Goes the Weasel

Goliath had a sword and shield.

Goliath was a giant.

David slung a rock at him.

Down went the giant.

Only A Boy Named David

Say this poem and add your own hand motions to it.

Only a boy named David

Only a little sling

Only a boy named David

But he could pray and sing

Only a boy named David

Only a rippling brook

Only a boy named David

But five little stones he took.

And one little stone went in the sling

And the sling went round and round

And one little stone went in the sling

And the sling went round and round

And round and round

And round and round

And round and round and round

And one little prayer went up to God

And the giant came tumbling down.

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Sand and Water Table

David and Goliath Theme Activities for the Senses!

Mish Mash!

Why not add it all!  Add gravel, rocks, pea gravel, pebbles AND sand to your table this week!

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Science Activities

David and Goliath Theme Science Activities--for your Preschool Scientists in Training!

How Heavy?

Provide a balance scale (or more if you have more than one), rocks, magnifying glasses and a regular scale.

Be sure to allow this to be out all week so that the children have enough time to explore and use these items to measure rocks and themselves!

Provide a journal for each child to record (by picture or words) their thoughts (I make journals by stapling a piece of construction paper on top of several pages of blank paper).

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Writing Activities

Writing Activity Ideas for Your David and Goliath Theme!

Name Your Harp

David was a harp player!!!  

Provide a harp shaped stencil.

The children trace it on paper and cut it out.

Then have them draw "strings" on it.

Encourage them to practice printing their names on their harp strings!

It would be helpful to have an actual harp or picture of a harp for them to see!

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Here is a Rocks Theme that may give you more ideas

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Go to Bible Themes main page from this David and Goliath Page

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Go to the Main Themes Page

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Go to Preschool Plan-It's Home Page

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