Lesson Goal: King David loved the Lord with all his heart. Throughout his life David worshipped God no matter what situation he faced. He wrote many songs of praise to God. The book of Psalms records these songs of praise and confession. We will learn how we too should worship God with love and honesty.
Introduction: This lesson is found in the books of Psalms. This book records many of the songs that King David wrote to praise God. Psalms is one of the Books of Poetry and is in the third section of the Old Testament Books. These books begin with Job and go through the Song of Songs. Let's say these books—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs..
Attention Getter: “Singing” Do you sing? Have you ever found yourself just wanting to bust forth with praise to God? Did you know that singing is an important part of how we pray? Being a person of praise may not seem very important to you but it is important to God! (Encourage students to share their favorite song to sing.) God wants us to glorify Him and one of the main ways we do it is through songs of praise. King David loved the Lord with all his heart and he worshipped God in many different situations. The book of Psalms records many of these songs of praise and confession. We will learn how we too should worship God with love and honesty.
Opening Prayer: "Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for the example of King David and his heart of worship to You. Help us to always praise you in everything that we do! You are worthy of all praise and glory. Please forgive us of failing to obey you with our words and deeds. Thank you for your promise to always be our strength and help in time of trouble. In your name I pray. Amen.
Memory Verse: The memory verses are 1 Chronicles 16: 34, 36 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.”
Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/Hqe_WSFom9Y King David was a mighty warrior and a great king in Israel. He loved God with his whole heart and worshipped Him throughout his life. He was also a talented musician and songwriter. David wrote many songs of praise to the Lord. His music and praise to God motivated the people of Israel to love God too. David is well known as the young man who killed the giant Goliath with a single stone from his sling shot. But David did not believe that he was great because of his skill as a warrior. No! David knew that God had given him the victory so he trusted in Him! Therefore he wanted to publicly praise God! After winning his battle with Goliath David was invited to play his harp before King Saul who was calmed by the beautiful music he played. David was skilled in writing songs of praise to God called Psalms. They were poems set to music.
In the lyrics of Psalm 8:1-2 David spoke of God’s greatness. “O Lord our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens. The majesty and glory of your name fills all the earth and overflows the heavens. You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies.” David understood that God’s power is greater than any other and that everyone should praise Him. When he was young David cared for his father’s sheep. Just as David the shepherd boy protected the sheep by killing the lion and bear, he knew that God would care for him that way. One of the most well known psalms that David wrote about God’s protection was Psalm 23. He said that the Lord Jesus was our Shepherd. He wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” This means the Lord will take care of everything I need. In fact He is always taking care of me even if there are times when it doesn’t look that way. “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” Sheep usually lie down when they feel safe and satisfied. This means that I can be happy and content because Jesus is taking care of me! “He leads me beside the still waters.” Sheep need to drink water that is quiet. This means God cares and knows about every detail of my needs. “He restores my soul.” A good shepherd wants all his sheep to be as strong and healthy as possible. God’s plan for my life is the best in every way. I can trust Him! “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” The paths of righteousness are the right ways to live. God wants me to be a good sheep, doing what is right, and staying away from all sin. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.” Before I became a Christian death was a horrible curse, but now it has faded into a harmless shadow. “For You are with me.” I cannot see God, but I see my prayers being answered. In every place, all through my life, God is in charge. Even when it feels I am alone, he is watching over me. “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” God has a rod for defending me, and he uses a staff for rescuing me. The rod is a stick for striking my enemies, and the staff is a hook for pulling me out of trouble. “You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies.” Even in the worst troubles, God's love can fill my heart. There is no problem too big for God to solve. God can help me escape or go through any trial. He is always with me! “You anoint my head with oil.” God calls me to be one of his children. He places me in his royal family. “My cup overflows.“ He has given me so many blessings I cannot contain them all. My life is like an overflowing cup. “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” I want to be a good person, and obey God in every way. I want to be just like him. I want to show mercy, and love and patience with other people. “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Heaven is my final and everlasting home. I want to always be one of God's sheep, a member of his eternal family.
What a wonderful song David wrote! Psalm 23 still brings us comfort today! Just as God protected David, our protector and Savior is Jesus Christ. He is our Good Shepherd too! We should sing songs of praise to Him for that! David experienced some very hard times in his life. Even though God has promised that he would become the next king of Israel he spent many years in the wilderness hiding in caves and running from angry King Saul who was trying to kill him. David learned to trust God in these impossible times because he could call on God for help and He would answer. In Psalm 9: 1-4 David said, “I will praise you O Lord with all my heart, I will tell of your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you, For you have upheld my right and my cause; You have sat on your throne, judging righteously.” Many times God had given David and his men victory over the armies of Saul and the Philistines. In this Psalm David showed his gratitude for God’s help in his times of trouble. Some of the songs that David wrote were prayers for forgiveness: King David was not a perfect man. He failed God on a number of occasions but God never failed him. He was even guilty of adultery and murder but He loved the Lord and sought His forgiveness. In Psalm 51 he wrote, “O loving and kind God, have mercy on me according to your love. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my sin. Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. For I know that my sin is ever before me and I have sinned against You. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. “Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and they—guilty like me—will repent and turn to you.” (Psalm 51:12-13) In this Psalm David confessed his sins and God forgave him! Other Psalms were David’s prayers for help or rescue. David experienced many difficulties in his life. His baby son died; His beloved son Absalom rebelled against him and died attempting to overthrow the throne; the nation of Israel experienced a terrible famine; and David always faced a war from his enemies. In all these difficulties David learned to trust in God in what most people would consider impossible situations. David wrote in Psalm 70, “I am poor and needy and deep in trouble. Come quickly to me O God. You are my help and my deliverer. For only you can help and save me. O Lord, don’t delay.” We too can depend on God no matter how difficult the situation. He is our help and strength! Toward the end of his life David realized how faithful God had been to him. David often sang about the importance of obeying God. In Psalm 119 David wrote “How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules. I have tried my best to find you—don’t let me wander off from your instructions. I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.” David is teaching us through this song that memorizing God’ Word will keep us from yielding to temptation. Later in Psalm 119:18-20 David said, “Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word. I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a map—and your commands are my chart and guide. I long for your instructions more than I can tell.” When we hear God’s Word preached and explained it helps us to obey the Lord! David understood the benefits of leading an obedient life. ‘Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God. Happy are all who search for God and always do His will, rejecting compromise with evil and
walking only in His paths.” Psalm 119:1-3 God wants His children to be obedient so He can bless them with happy families. “I love your commands more than the finest gold. Every law of God is right, whatever it concerns. I hate every other way.” David’s words of encouragement are for us today. Following and obeying God’s Word is always the best choice we can make for our life. David wrote and sang many other songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. In 2 Samuel 22 David was at the end of his life. Once again he sang a song of praise for God’s deliverance. He said, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock in whom I will take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies.” For hundreds of years the words to David’s poems of praise were sang by the nation of Israel in the synagogues every Sabbath Day. Many of the words to our modern day songs of praise and worship are found in the Psalms. What a wonderful heritage we have from King David as we worship God every week. The important lesson we can learn from David is that he was always honest with God. He had a heart that loved God and was always willing to make himself available to the Lord. He put God first in his life and in his worship. We should worship God the same way. Through the Psalms we learn about God’s protection, His power, His provision, His justice, and His faithfulness to us. We can come to Him no matter what circumstances we are facing. In Him we will find mercy and forgiveness as well as strength and help. Remember let's sing songs of praise to the Lord! Review Questions/ Game: “Name that Instrument” Preparation: Print the template of pictures of various musical instruments below. Cut the pictures apart on the lines. Place the pictures in a bag or basket. Say: “In this lesson David used the harp as an instrument of praise to God. We are going to see if you can name the instruments that can be used to worship God. We will also answer review questions about the lesson.” Procedure: Have children take turns drawing a picture of an instrument out of the bag. Have child attempt to name the instrument and answer one of the following review questions.
1. Besides being a great warrior and King of Israel, what is King David known for? (He was a great musician and songwriter. He wrote many of the songs of praise in Psalms.)
2. When did David begin in his life to praise God? (He started writing songs of praise when he was just a boy caring for his father’s sheep.”
3. What musical instrument did David play and what special purpose did his music serve in the kingdom? (David played the harp very beautifully. He was asked to play the harp for King Saul when he was just a young man because his music soothed the troubled spirits of King Saul.)
4. What book of the Bible records many of the songs of praise the David wrote? (The book of Psalms records many of David’s songs of worship and praise.)
5. What psalm did David write about being a shepherd and caring for sheep? Who is the sheep and the shepherd in this psalm? (David wrote Psalm 23 about God or Jesus being our Good Shepherd and we his people being the sheep.)
6. When David faced difficult situations in his battles against the Philistines and running from King Saul and his men, what were his songs of praise about? (David wrote Psalm 8 which was about his gratitude for God’s help in his times of trouble.”
7. What were some other difficult situations that David faced in which he wrote songs of praise? (He wrote songs of praise when his baby died, his son Absalom rebelled against him, when the nation of Israel faced a famine, and when the enemy Philistines were attacking Israel.)
8. When did David write a song about God’s forgiveness and mercy? (David wrote a song asking God to forgive him after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband.)
9. Toward the end of his life David wrote songs about what subject? Where are these words found in scripture? (He wrote about the importance of obeying God, reading and memorizing His Word, and following His commands. He was trying to teach the people and his son Solomon important lessons about life. Many of these are found in Psalm 119 and 2 Samuel 22.)
10. What important lessons can we learn about God through the Psalms of David? (Through the Psalms we learn about God’s protection, His power, His provision, His justice, and His faithfulness to us. We can come to Him no matter what circumstances we are facing. In Him we will find mercy and forgiveness as well as strength and help.)
11. What lessons can we learn from the example of King David? (We can learn to praise God in every situation. We can learn to come to God with a heart that is totally devoted to Him and loves Him first.)
12. What are our memory verses? (1 Chronicles 16: 34, 36 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.”)
Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Praising God” Our memory verses are 1 Chronicles 16: 34, 36 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.” Have students locate the verses in scripture and read together several times orally.
Say: “This psalm of David tells us that we are to sing to the Lord and praise Him for all his wonderful acts toward us.”
Preparation: Print the pictures of David and the children of Israel praising God from below. Procedure: Show the pictures to the class. Discuss how David praised God. Have children repeat the memory verse and say it as if they were David or the Levites were leading the people in praise to God. Say: “King David made a special place in Jerusalem to place the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was a gold covered box that contained the tablets of the Law or the Ten Commandments. This was the center of worship for the nation of Israel. David told all the men and women to come here to celebrate and worship the Lord. The only people who could touch the Ark of the Covenant were the Levites. The Levites took extra time getting ready for the sacrifices and the preparation of the celebration. The Levites chose men to sing and play instruments for the worship. The men played lyres, harps, and cymbals. David and the Levites dressed in special robes for the celebration. At the various feast during the year, all the people would gather together. The Levites would bring up the Ark of the Covenant as the Israelites shouted and played the instruments adding ram’s horns and trumpets. David gave offerings to God. Everyone gave thanks and sang praise songs to God.”
Group Learning Activity: “Harpsichord for Kids” Preparation: You will need a harpsichord or lyrical lap harp musical Instrument. These are available on line from Amazon for a low price. These toy harps have a pleasant soft sound and is well suited for young children. Older school age children can use harpsichords with wire strings but will need some adult supervision. If possible secure some song sheets for the lyrical lap harp Say: “In this lesson we learned that David was proficient at playing the harp. He used the harp to write songs of praise to God. We are going to learn to play and listen to harp music and see if we can write our own songs of praise to God.” Procedure: Show the lyric lap harp to students. Let them experiment thumbing the strings to create different sounds. If possible have an adult play a simple melody or praise chorus on the lap harp. Show the song sheets for illustrate the finger chording for a simple song or melody. Allow children to experiment with the harp to create their own “songs.” Lead the children to write their own praise songs accompanied by the lap harp. Use as much time as you can allow for this activity. Record the music and song on a video and post on your church’s webpage for interest.
Group Learning Activity: “Praise the Lord” (Grades K-5) Purpose: Children will express words of worship from a psalm. Say: “In this lesson we learned that David wrote and sang many songs of worship and praise to God. Today we are going to read another of David’s prayers of worship in Psalm 148. In this psalm David repeats the phrase “praise the Lord” many times. I am going to read this scripture very slowly to you. Every time I point to you, I want all of you to stand, lift your hands high in the air, and shout, “Praise the Lord!” I will read the other parts of the psalm.” Procedure: Practice pointing to the kids and having them do their part one or two times and then begin. Point to the kids every time you come to the phrase “praise the Lord.” Let them participate in this prayer of praise to God. Psalm 148
Praise the LORD.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above. 2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars. 4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for at his command they were created, 6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away. 7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
Say: “How does this prayer help us to worship God? (It reminds us of how great and powerful God is. He is over all creation both in heaven and on earth.) What are other words and actions that show we worship God? (We read His Word and obey it. We attend worship services regularly. We tell others about God and His salvation for us. We are kind and giving toward others. We give gifts of money to support the work of God.)
Group Learning Activity: “Sing a Song of Praise” (Grades K-2) Purpose: Children are to experience praising God. Preparation: Secure simple wooden rhythm band instruments for preschool and early childhood children. These might include sticks, xylophones, marimbas, triangles, drums, blowing whistles, shaker eggs, bells, wooden flutes, etc. Packages of these instruments are available on Amazon. Procedure: Sing the following words to the tune of “Happy Birthday”: Oh, give thanks (tha-nks) to God And tell what (wha-t) He does. Sing praises and be happy. Oh, give thanks (tha-nks) to God Oh, think what God did, What He promised to do. He kept us all safe (sa-fe). Oh, think what God did. God made ev’rything there is We sing thanks (tha-nks) to Him Oh, give thanks (tha-nks) to God (Go-d). For He (He-e) is good. After children can sing the words without too much difficulty, pass out the rhythm band instruments. Demonstrate how to play the instruments on each beat of the words and phrases. Practice playing the instruments on a consistent beat. Sing the above words of praise to the beat of “Happy Birthday.” Combine the singing and instruments to play a song of praise to God.
Group Learning Activity: “Names of God” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To help students understand the names of God and how important they are to worshipping Him. Preparation: You will need Bibles, spiritual journal page, pencils or pens. Say: “In this lesson we learned King David worshipped God in many different situations. He wrote songs of praise which are recorded in the book of Psalms. We are going to look of scriptures about the names of God. Procedure: Have students read the following scriptures and identify the name of God and what it means when we use it in worship: Matthew 6:9—Father “Our Father, holy is your Name.” This phrase is from the Lord’s prayer and is Jesus’ example to us of a model prayer. God is our Father when we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Through our faith and God’s forgiveness we are placed into His family. We become His children and He is our Father. Isaiah 9:6—Prince of Peace “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This verse contains several names for God. God is a counselor because He has given to us the Holy Spirit whose job it is to guide us into all truth and wisdom for living. God is the Prince of Peace because through His Son Jesus He has paid the price of our sin. We are all sinners and have deserved to pay for our wrongs by spending eternity apart from God. Jesus provided a way for us to be “at peace” with God by being our Redeemer. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Psalm 24:7—King of Glory “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” Jesus the Son of God is the King of Glory because He is strong and mighty in the battle against Satan. He has defeated the enemy and provided the victory over sin and death. He deserves all the honor and praise we can give him. He is our King of Glory. Psalm 23:2—Shepherd “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” David describes God or the Lord as a shepherd who cares for His flock. We are his sheep and He provides for our needs and protects us from evil. He leads us in the path that we should go. Jesus is our Good Shepherd and as His children we are members of His flock. Say: “We have learned that God is holy and that we can worship Him when we pray. The names that we call God are important because they tell us important things about Who God Is and What He Does. Let’s worship God by praying and using some of the names we have learned.” Have all the children stand in a circle and hold hands or lock elbows. Ask each child to pray a short sentence prayer. When they are finished they can squeeze the hand or elbow of the child on his or her right and so on until everyone has had a turn. Then the teacher will complete the prayer. If a child does not wish to pray then he or she can gently squeeze the next child. No child should be forced to pray aloud unless they desire. Have students record what they have learned about the names of God in their spiritual journals.
Group Learning Game/ Activity: “David Says” (Grades K-3) Purpose: In this version of the game, “Simon Says,” children practice the different ways David said we can praise God in Psalm 150. Preparation: None, optional: musical instruments Say: “We can praise God, just like David did! Let’s play “David Says…” Listen and do what David says to praise the Lord. But, listen carefully! Wait for the words, “David says.” If you do not hear “David says” first, then don’t do it!” Procedure: Children stand together and face the leader. When the leader says “David says…” before a direction, the children follow the leader’s direction. Example: “David says, clap your hands.” (Children clap their hands.) Example: “Clap your hands.” (Children hold still and do not clap their hands.) Use the following suggested directions:
David says, raise both hands high in the air. (Raise hands.) David says, play the piano. (Play an imaginary piano.) Clap your hands. (Children do not move.) David says, clap your hands. (Clap hands.) David says, sing your Bible Memory Verse Song “Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled.” (Lead children in singing.) David says, play the harp. (Play an imaginary harp.) Read your Bible. (Children do not move.) David says, read your Bible. (Hold hands open as if reading a Bible.) David says, make a cymbal clash. (Clap loudly once.) David says, play your tambourine. (Shake an imaginary tambourine.) Tell others, Jesus loves them. (Children do not move.) David says, tell others Jesus loves them. (Children say, “Jesus loves you.”) Dance. (Children do not move.) David says, dance! (Dance.) David says, Say your memory verses. (Say verses.)
The object for the player acting as the leader is to get all the other players out as quickly as possible; the winner of the game is usually the last player who has successfully followed all of the given commands. Occasionally however, two or more of the last players may all be eliminated at the same time, thus resulting in the teacher or leader winning the game!
Group Learning Activity: “Name That Tune” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need musical clips of worship songs that the students should know to play a game of “Name that Tune.” Optional: treats for the winners. Procedure: Have at least one of the following songs (or another praise song) in instrumental version and song version for students to listen to. You can use a variety of songs – from old TV shows, hymns, oldies but goodies, pop music, etc. Make sure to include at the end though the instrumental version of a few popular Christian praise songs like Charlie Hall’s “Song of the Redeemed,” Casting Crown’s “Life Song,” or Chris Tomlin’s “Sing, Sing, Sing.” Divide the guests up into 2 teams, but if it is a large group 3 teams. Each team will send up one contestant at a time and 1 clue about the song will be read. Contestant will then be asked to say how may seconds they need in order to identify that song. Starting at 15 seconds and counting down. Based on
how many players you have and songs you have recorded, you can declare a team winner after one or two rounds. To determine an individual winner, have the winner of any individual rounds continue to play until you get down to just two players. Then have the two players face off with 3 or 5 Name that Tune challenges. You may even want to give small prizes for those that guess correctly; make it fun! Here are some favorites: (These are available at Youtube.com) “God of Wonders”; “Awesome God”; “King of the Jungle” from Great Worship Songs for Kids; “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy;” “Every Move I Make;” “I’m in the Lord’s Army”; “Rock of Age”; “How Great is Our God;” “Peace Like a River.” Have students listen to the instrumental version of one of the above Christian songs (or praise song of your choice). Ask which one touched you more, caused you to feel God’s presence, set your focus on Christ – the one with just the music, or the one with the lyrics?
Group Learning Activity: “Praise Craze” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To have students create a poem or song of praise to the Lord. Preparation: Each child will need paper and pencil. Say: “The Psalms are like poems or songs. In this lesson we learned that David was a poet and song writer. We are going to learn what it was like for David to create songs of praise.” Procedure: Children can work alone for this activity or with a partner depending on what best fits your class needs. Give each child a pencil and paper. Instruct them to write their very own praise song/poem to God. If the children are working in groups, encourage them to make up a song and have some children write the lyrics, some create a dance, and others create the music. If children are working alone have them just focus on writing a poem and then encourage them to sing the poem if they wish. Be sure to give the children ample time to complete this task. Use Praise Him, Praise Him as an example. Once most children have completed their praise songs/poems, invite the children to share their praises. Remind them that these are praises to God and He will be pleased with them no matter well they can write and sing.
Craft Learning Activity: “Thank You Flip Books” (Grades 2-5) Purpose: To understand and summarize the things for which we can give thanks to God Preparation: You will need 4-5 pages of heavy weight paper. You can use either plain white drawing paper or colored construction paper for each child. You will also need colored marking pens, crayons, or drawing pencils. You will also need a stapler. Procedure: Students will create a flip book by folding a stack of paper that has been laid in a stair step fashion. See photo. Staple the pages together along the fold line so they form the “flip book.” Each page of the book will show along the edge. The flip book can be turned so the pages are horizontal or vertical depending on preference.
Say: “In this lesson we learned that David praised and thanked God for His goodness and mercy and forgiveness to Him. We are also to praise and thank God for what He has given to us. Today we are going to make flip books about things for which we can be thankful.”
Distribute the “Flip Books” supplies and art supplies. On each page students are to write a thing for which they are thankful. Then they are to illustrate that object. Encourage children to include family, church, food, clothing, school, park, toys, etc. Optional: Print the flash cards of things to be thankful for below. Allow children to put a picture on each page of the book and write a sentence of thanksgiving below it. Review the Bible lesson as the students design their flip books. Say: “God loves everyone. He wants all people to have a relationship with Him. Anyone can repent of his sin and trust Jesus as his Lord and Savior.” Pray for each child to know how much God loves them and wants them to accept Jesus as their Savior.
Craft Learning Activity: “David’s Harp” (Grades K-5) Purpose: To help students remember that King David used a harp to praise God. Preparation: Each child will need a sturdy low box for the harp base. Old pencil boxes with the lid removed work well for this activity. You will also need a piece of corrugated cardboard and some rubber bands. To make the bridge of the harp you will need a piece of cardboard that is the same length as the box and about twice as wide. (See picture at right.) Procedure: Distribute boxes to each child. Like a violin, the elastic band harp needs a bridge. For this you use the sheet of strong cardboard. It needs to be about half an inch or around one and a half centimeters wider than the width of your box. Score this that distance in from the edge on one side, and bend it at right angles, so that it is just the width of the box. You can do the scoring with the back of the knife. The extra width that is bent will be glued to the box. The bridge will be on an angle, so flatten out the flap for a moment and measure from the base of the cardboard to the tallest height you will need (mine was five inches) and then rule on an angle down to the lowest height the bridge is to be. It needs to be higher than the edge of your box (mine was two and a half inches). Measure up above the highest point the shorter distance (my two and a half inches) and rule straight across. Cut along this straight line (as my cardboard was quite stiff, the kitchen scissors were better than the craft knife for this). Cut along the angled line. You should now have two matching pieces. Place the two parts of the bridge back to back so that one flap is on the right side and the other on the left. Glue the bridge pieces (but not the flaps yet) and hold in place for a moment until they are stuck together. If this is difficult, clamp together or put something heavy on top until they are stuck. Measure along the angled edge of the bridge so that small Vs may be cut into it at equal distances. The number of cuts you make will depend on the width of your bridge. If you can make seven or eight cuts about an inch (4-5 cm) apart, that will allow for around an octave of notes and the opportunity for playing a good tune on the harp. If your box is narrow and you can only have about four elastic bands, it's surprising what little tunes can be made with these.
Making sure that the flaps are bent at right angles, one towards the front of the box and the other towards the back. Run some glue along the flaps to the height of the box sides. Push them gently into place across the width of the box and towards the back. Hold the bridge for a moment as the flaps dry (or clip together with a clothes peg or strong paper clip). Make sure that the glue is dry and the bridge is firm and upright. Stretch an elastic band around the box and secure it in a V. Repeat with the bands until all the Vs have a band. They need to be quite taut to get a good sound. You may need to adjust the bands at the back of the bridge to get the notes as you want them to sound. The harp works best if the bands are all the same. Say: “David liked to play the harp to praise God. What else did David do to praise God? (He danced and sang.) David loved God and he loved to praise the Lord. What does it mean to “praise the Lord?” (Praising the Lord means to tell Him how great He is.) God saw David praise Him and He was very happy. What can you do to praise the Lord? (Sing, play music, dance, and pray.) Let’s pretend we are like David and praise God by playing our harps right now.” Allow children to play harps.
Craft Learning Activity: “Psalms 100 Mural” (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need a long sheet of butcher paper or white drawing paper. Mount the “mural” paper to the wall. Be sure the mural is long enough for each child in your class to have at least 12-15” of space in the mural for their drawing. You will also need crayons or colored marking pens so that each child has a supply to draw and color their pictures. Say: “In this lesson we learned that David wrote many of the songs recorded in the book of Psalms. He wrote many of these songs while he was tending his father’s sheep. These songs were prayers to God for asking for help. Some were prayers telling others how great God is. Others were prayers of worship, telling God how wonderful and holy he is. David loved God with his whole heart and wanted to show Him praise and thanksgiving.” “Many of the songs he wrote are still part of our songs of worship and praise today. As a class project we are going to make a mural of one of the prayers of David. You are going to illustrate this prayer in a mural. You may draw any illustration that you like. I will give each of you a phrase to draw.” Procedure: Assign each child a place on the mural to draw their picture. Distribute crayons or colored marking pens. Read Psalm 100 aloud very slowly with everyone listening. Then read it again slowly pointing to one or two children to illustrate the phrases in any way they like. For example, the first two children will illustrate, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,” the next one or two children will illustrate “Worship the Lord with gladness,” and so on. Other divisions of Psalm 100 for pictures could be “come before him with joyful singing,” “know the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his;” “we are his people, the sheep of his pasture,” “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise,” “give thanks to him and praise his name,” “For the Lord is good and his live endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Write the words of Psalm 100 under each of the corresponding pictures after children have completed their work. Leave the mural up for several weeks as a visual reminder of worshipping God through praise songs. Discuss the following questions: “What words or phrases in this psalm remind us that God is holy or that He should be honored? (Lord; He is good; His love endures forever; faithfulness) How did David worship God? (singing, dancing, offering sacrifices, obeying the commands of God, putting God first in his heart,
reading scripture, etc.) Which of these things do you plan to do as you praise God? What can we learn from David’s example? (Worship God with your whole heart; praise God in every situation, recognize God for who He is; etc.)” Optional: You can use large sheets of drawing paper for each group of children to draw their pictures and then post the pictures in the correct order.
Group Learning Activity/ Snack:
Purpose: Children enjoy a snack to remind them to praise the Lord with instruments. Preparation: Serve Horn or tube-shaped snack such as Bugles Corn Snacks. Say: “When we praise the Lord we are telling Him how great He is. Who remembers our memory verses? (Have group repeat the verses together in unison.) David danced and played his harp and sang to praise God. David’s friends played trumpets. Trumpets are horns. Our snack looks like a horn! Let’s pretend to play our horns to praise God, just like David’s friends! Children make horn noises as they pretend to blow on their snack. How can you praise God? (Dance, sing, play an instrument, pray, etc.) God sees when you praise Him. When you praise God, you make Him very happy!”
Life Application Challenge: “Sign Language” Say: “In this lesson we learned that David wrote and sang songs of praise to the Lord. To help us remember to praise the Lord we are going to learn this phrase in sign language. Use the sign language to tell your family and friends about this lesson “David’s Songs of Praise.” Procedure: Here are the directions for the two hand motions for “Praise the Lord.” “Praise” The forefinger is upright and moves straight forward from the mouth. Clap hands. “(the) Lord.” Extend thumb and index finger of right hand to create an “L” shape. Bring “L” shape
diagonal across chest from the left shoulder to the right hip as a royal sash. Use your sign language to tell someone about the lesson this week.
