Today’s Work, Tomorrow’s Strength
How do we get stronger?
by Alexandra Palmer
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To use the Bible story of David and Goliath to consider different types of strength.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Today's Work, Tomorrow's Strength) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘Slapstick Theater (David and Goliath)’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 3.10 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/NuedVFB8-7Y
- Optional: you may wish to use the extension activity (Today's Work, Tomorrow's Strength - Extension Activity) that accompanies this assembly.
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Ask the children, ‘What does strength mean?’
Listen to a range of responses. - Show Slide 2.
Explain that there are different meanings for strength. We might talk about physical strength, where we can pick up something heavy, or where our strong legs enable us to run fast or jump far.
Strength can also mean that we are good at something, whether that is Maths, English, sport or something else. We might have a talent for creative things such as painting or singing, or we might have an inner strength that helps us to cope in difficult situations. - Explain that the Old Testament part of the Bible tells the story of David and Goliath. When David grew up, he became the second king of Israel, but when he was a boy, he looked after his father’s sheep while his brothers fought one of Israel’s enemies, the Philistines.
While David cared for the sheep, he discovered that he had a particular strength.
Show the YouTube video ‘Slapstick Theater (David and Goliath)’ (3.10 minutes long). - Show Slide 3.
Ask the children, ‘What strengths did Goliath have?’
Pause to allow time for discussion before listening to a range of responses. - Show Slide 4 and go through the answers on the slide.
- Muscles. Goliath had strong muscles, so he would have been good at using different weapons to defend himself and attack his enemies.
- Height. Goliath was very tall. At 2m 6cm (over 6 foot 7), his height was unusual, especially for the time when he was alive, thousands of years ago. It was another reason why people were terrified of him.
- Armour. Goliath would have worn the best available armour, which would have given him added strength.
- Self-confidence. Goliath had been undefeated for a long time, so he would have been confident of success. However, this could have given him too much confidence, causing him to be boastful. - Show Slide 5.
Ask the children, ‘What strengths did David have?’
Pause to allow time for discussion before listening to a range of responses. - Show Slide 6 and go through the answers on the slide.
- Slingshot skills. David looked after his father’s sheep, so he had years of practice at using a slingshot to protect the sheep from predators.
- Courage. David was an expert at using a slingshot, which would have given him courage to stand his ground with Goliath.
- Determination. David was shocked to see that the king of Israel (Saul) and the Israelite army feared Goliath. This made David determined to defeat Goliath.
- Faith in God. David had a strong faith, so he knew that he could trust God when he faced Goliath. - Show Slide 7.
Explain that there are many types of strength, not just the ones that David and Goliath had.
Ask the children, ‘What other strengths are there?’
Pause to allow time for discussion before listening to a range of responses. - Show Slide 8.
Read through the list of strengths on the slide and explain that these are just some of our strengths - there are many more.
- Setting goals
- Friendships
- Perseverance
- Academic work
- Art
- Music/singing
- Kindness
- Bravery
- Sporting activities
- Problem-solving
Time for reflection
Show Slide 9 and read out the words on the slide.
Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. Strength comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t do.
Ask the children, ‘What does this mean?’
Pause to allow time for discussion before listening to a range of responses.
Explain that we get stronger through learning how to do new things or working at the things that we find difficult.
Show Slide 10.
Explain that the table shows four examples of how we might gain strength.
Read through the table including the headings.
- If today’s work is learning our times tables, we could play times tables games. As we learn our times tables, our recall will improve and we will feel more confident, giving us tomorrow’s strength.
- If today’s work is learning how to dribble a ball, we could practise with a family member or friend. As our dribbling skills improve, we’ll gain confidence, giving us tomorrow’s strength. We could even end up representing the school or a local team.
- If today’s work is learning a musical instrument, we could practise how to play the notes or chords. Doing so will improve our confidence so that we enjoy playing in front of our friends, in an assembly or even with an orchestra or band.
- If today’s work is learning how to ride a scooter or a bike, we could put on a bicycle helmet and practise in a safe place like a local park. This would give us tomorrow’s strength to ride our scooter or bike to school.
Show Slide 11.
Explain that if we want to find tomorrow’s strength in whatever we do, practice makes perfect. So, if we want to get better at something, we need to do something many times to help us learn or develop a skill.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the story of David and Goliath, and the lessons that we can learn from it.
Thank you for the skills that we already have.
Thank you for the work that we can do today, which will give us strength for tomorrow.
We pray that we will have the determination to keep practising new skills to make us stronger.
Amen.
Song/music
‘The climb’ by Miley Cyrus, available at: https://youtu.be/NG2zyeVRcbs (3.48 minutes long)
Extension activities
Give each child a copy of the sheet that accompanies this assembly (Today's Work, Tomorrow's Strength - Extension Activity). Ask them to reflect on their strengths and the areas in which they would like to become stronger.
