David and Goliath Stories for Kids (Plus Lessons)

Published February 19, 2020
David and Goliath

Christian moral short stories for kids like the David and Goliath story help kids better understand God and the Bible. The story of David and Goliath is about trusting God and never underestimating the underdog. David and Goliath stories for kids work great with Sunday school lessons or independent studies.

Printable David and Goliath Stories

You can find the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:1-58 from the New International Version (NIV). The original story includes complex language or more descriptive depictions of death, which might not be easy for kids to understand. You can still teach the story to kids, though, with the help of retellings. Click on one of the printable David and Goliath stories to download and print it. Use a troubleshooting guide if you have problems accessing the PDFs.

Printable Illustrated David and Goliath Retelling

If you're wondering how to tell the story of David and Goliath to preschoolers or lower elementary kids, an illustrated version can help. This original retelling of David and Goliath by Michele Meleen uses language kids will understand, highlights the important points of the story, and features an illustration for each section. You can read it as a short story or cut out the sections and staple them together in order along the left side to make a book.

The Story of David and Goliath
The Story of David and Goliath

Printable Story Like David and Goliath for Middle School

When you want to share the message or lesson of the David and Goliath story without telling that exact tale, look for stories with similar messages. Davina Takes the Court is an original, printable story by Michele Meleen featuring an underdog overcoming odds and trusting in God. The story is about a teen girl who must play basketball against a "giant" to win back the court for her friends.

Davina Takes the Court
Davina Takes the Court

David and Goliath Lessons for Kids

Free kids' Bible stories can be used as inspirational stories for kids, part of a children's sermon, or in Bible lesson plans.

Moral of the Story Lesson

You can use either printable story in a Moral of the Story lesson plan. The objective is to help kids discover and recognize the morals of different stories and explore how those morals translate to their lives.

  1. Start by reading either printable David and Goliath story out loud as a group.
  2. Ask kids to share what they think the moral, or point, of the story is. Engage in conversation.
  3. Ask kids to think of other stories they know that might have similar morals. Engage in conversation.
  4. Play a children's Bible game like Moral of the Story where kids need to try describing the moral of a story to help other guess the title.

David and Goliath Keywords Lesson

Teach a vocabulary lesson using important words from the David and Goliath story. The objective is to help kids understand important vocabulary words from the Bible and use context clues to figure out word meanings.

  1. Start by reading the printable David and Goliath retelling story out loud as a group.
  2. Ask kids to share any words they heard that they don't know.
  3. Give kids a copy of the story and ask them to use context clues from the story to guess what these words mean.
  4. Discuss the true meaning of each word.
  5. Use a printable Christian kids activities such as the David and Goliath word scramble to further explore important words from the story.

David and Goliath Comparison Lesson

Help kids compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of both David and Goliath for a simple ELA lesson. The objective is to help kids learn about differences and explore the idea that every person has strengths and weaknesses.

  1. Start by reading the printable David and Goliath retelling story out loud as a group.
  2. Print out a copy of the David and Goliath Bible worksheet for each child.
  3. Read the story again and have kids fill in the parts of the worksheet as they hear details in the story.
  4. Review the worksheets as a group and discuss.

Bible Stories for Kids

You can use printable David and Goliath stories to create a David and Goliath story summary of your own or make free printable Christian activity books for kids. Bible stories for kids not only teach lessons about God, but they also teach valuable life lessons to help kids establish morals.

David and Goliath Stories for Kids (Plus Lessons)