Kid's Corner - Parent's Guide - David & Jonathan

David's Friend Jonathan

Dear Mom and Dad,
We applaud you for following Proverbs 22:6 by helping your child understand the Bible. Below, you will find some Teaching Tools to guide you in showing your child the truths of God’s Word and in helping your child apply them in his or her life

Ages 3 to 6 - Even if your children are older than six, we encourage you to lead them through this material before moving on to the content for their age group.

Ages 7 to 10

What we will learn
• God wants us to protect our friends
• God will bless those who love Him
• God wants us to treat everyone fairly

LEARN ABOUT DAVID

In this section, help your child understand the lessons that can be learned by reading about David’s life. The story of David and Jonathan shows the benefits of having good friends.

Teaching Tool #1:
When your child asks why Saul was upset, explain to him that King Saul allowed himself to become jealous easily. Realizing that David was becoming more popular than he, Saul became envious of David. He allowed his jealously to eat at him, causing him to become bitter and forget about God’s plan for him and his country. Saul took his situation into his own hands, instead of being content in what God has given us and allowing Him to provide.

Teaching Tool #2:
Take this opportunity to teach him that God wants us to protect our friends. Christ tells us to treat each other as we want to be treated. This means that if someone is making fun of or gossiping about a friend, it’s important that we stick up for him.

Teaching Tool #3:
When your child asks why David ran off, explain that he was trying to find a place of safety, away from Saul—who was extremely angry with him. Make sure he knows that running away is not always the best way to solve problems, but, in David’s case, it was the only way he had to stay alive.

Teaching Tool #4:
When we don’t have good friends, it’s very easy to become lonely. Stress the importance of making friends at daycare and school. Let him know that you will always be there, but encourage him to find others his age to talk to and play with when you are not around (at work, in church, etc.).

Learning Concepts and Unfamiliar Words

Not only has your child learned a fundamental truth about God’s character (that He will provide for our needs), but he has also learned the meaning of devise.

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Parents' Guide

Dear Mom and Dad,

If you have children that are older (ages 7 to 10) and may enjoy learning more about Abrham, help him to understand the following questions. You may want to help your child write his/her answers in a journal.

What we will learn
• Violence does not solve our problems
• Good friends are very important
• God knows everything we do

HOW TO APPLY WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT DAVID

Any time we experience success, there will be someone waiting to criticize us. When this happens, we must rely on God to protect us. Instead of acting vengeful and attacking, it’s vital that we leave the issue to God and allow Him to pass judgment, rather than taking the burden on ourselves.

Journal: Have you ever had someone criticize you after you accomplished something important? How did you react? Did you insult them or allow God to work in their lives? Write about your experience and think about ways that you can better demonstrate God’s love to someone when they criticize you.

- Saul allowed anger to overcome him. He acted on his jealously by trying to kill David and even his own son, Jonathan. Violence never solves anything, but only makes the problem worse.

Journal: When was the last time you became angry with your parents, friends, or someone else? How did you express that anger? If you responded with mean words or even violence, it’s important that you ask God to help you correct this area of your life.

Journal: Just as God knew the promise that David and Jonathan made, so He knows everything going on in your life—promises you’ve made to friends, family, and loved ones; God knows everything you’ve ever done and will do. Ask Him to make you aware of your sins, and that He sees you and loves you, so you can do your best to live for Him.

- God wants to help you just like He helped David and Jonathan. It’s up to you to allow Him into your life. In Proverbs 8:17, God tells us: “Those who search for me shall surely find me.” God is always ready for those who seek Him.

Journal: Do you believe in God? Have you ever asked Jesus into your heart? Talk to your mom, dad, or pastor about this life-changing decision.

Lessons from David’s life:

· God wants us to have friends we can trust
· God wants us to solve problems without violence
· God wants us to rely on Him, not ourselves, to solve our problems

Memory Verse: “And may the Lord make us keep our promises to each other, for He has witnessed them” (1 Samuel 20:23 TLB).

Remember Rhyme

David killed Goliath
And a hero he became.
Glory and honor he received
while many cheered his name.

King Saul envied David
and tried to bring him down.
But Jonathan was David’s friend
and told him to leave town.

Even though David had to leave,
Jonathan remained his friend.
Their friendship and love was tested
and remained strong until the end.

Learning Concepts and Unfamiliar Words

Not only has your child learned a fundamental truth about God’s character (that He will provide for us), but he has also learned the importance of true friendship.

"Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. "

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