David and Goliath
The smallest person on the battlefield brings down a giant with a sling and five smooth stones.
Read aloud in about five minutes.
“You come against me with sword and spear, but I come in the name of the Lord.”
1 Samuel 17:45
- Goliath challenges the army daily
- David is a shepherd, not a soldier
A giant problem
Two armies faced each other across a valley. Every day a giant named Goliath came out and shouted a challenge, and every day the soldiers were too frightened to answer.
David was a shepherd boy, far too young to be a soldier. He had come to bring food to his brothers, and he heard the shouting.
- The king's armour does not fit
- David chooses his sling and five stones
Five smooth stones
David told the king he would fight the giant. The king tried to give him armour, but it was far too big and heavy, so David took it off.
Instead he took the things he knew: his shepherd's sling, and five smooth stones from the stream. He had used a sling before, protecting sheep from lions and bears.
- One stone is enough
- Courage matters more than size
The valley goes quiet
Goliath laughed when he saw who was coming. David did not stop walking. He put one stone in his sling, swung it, and let it fly — and the giant fell.
The story is not really about a boy being stronger. It is about a boy being braver, and using what he actually had instead of borrowing armour that did not fit.
Something to print
A colouring page, a cut-and-stick craft and six talking questions come with this story.