The day after Christmas, we took our kids to see the David movie in theaters.  I had heard a little bit about this film, but no one I know personally had told me about seeing it, so I was a little nervous about what to expect. It was a bit of a risk because going to see movies is SUPER expensive these days, meaning we haven't been to the theater together in several years. Would David be an interpretation that took too many liberties? Would it be too cheesy for my children, who are now 12, 10, and 8? Would it be a waste of money? 

It wasn't any of these things. It was so beautifully done and meaningful on multiple levels. At one point, my middle son turned to me and said, "This is a really good movie!" That is high praise from the boy who has claimed, many times in the past, that he doesn't like movies. 

This post may include affiliate links to share products with you at no additional charge. 

Why You Should See This Movie  

The movie starts with a scene of David in the field with his sheep. A predator comes, and he leaves the 99 to be with one sheep, Shira. When he staves off the predator and returns home, he finds Samuel there, ready to anoint him as the new king of Israel. This is where the story from 1 Samuel begins to unfold. 

All of these scenes are peppered with beautiful music, and I loved how real that aspect was. Yes, maybe David really did burst into a song while he was in the fields or while he was contemplating his fate. When we talked about what was realistic and what wasn't, my youngest thought that the spontaneous songs were not what David would have done. It was fun to show him how David did have a musical bent, writing many of the Psalms. 

The rest of the movie does well following the storyline of David defeating Goliath and hiding from Saul. His trust in the Lord during these challenging moments was something I'm so glad my children got to see an ruminate on. I wanted to follow up on the movie after we watched it for truly meaningful learning. 

Five Things to Do After Seeing The David Movie 

1. Read the story of David in the Bible- We chose to read out of a Bible storybook so that we could read just the story straight through and not have to skip around to different verses. We have the Egermeier's Bible Storybook, which is also the Bible we use in my Charlotte Mason Kindergarten classroom. As we read the stories together, some things stood out to my children that they didn't catch while watching the movie. For example, they realized David was from Bethlehem (they just sang "Once in Royal David's City" for a Christmas program they were in). They didn't think it was true that David was asked to play music for Saul, but seeing it in the Bible storybook made the movie make even more sense to them. 

2. Look up the locations on a map- You can use an online site to look up different maps of David's life. This one shows where David was when he ran away from Saul. We have this Bible map and I think it's important for kids to learn how to look things up on a map since everything is screen based these days. It was helpful to see how far David had to travel to leave his family in Bethlehem and go be with Saul in Gibeah. That kind of painstakingly slow travel is unheard of today, and the fact that he was so young (early to mid teens) when he left. 

3. Listen to the music with the Psalms in mind- Look up the songs on You Tube or Spotify, and you'll notice phrases from the Psalms. In the song "Tapestry," both David and his mother sing, "I lift my eyes above the hills." reminiscent of Psalm 121, which is attributed to David. My youngest son recognized Psalm 23 in one of the songs, a Psalm that he recently memorized and says is his favorite. There's also a song called "Psalm 8."  Listen to the songs, and then read the Psalms that go with them. 

4. Read more about David- Younger children might enjoy reading these picture books: 

• - The Psalms of King David by Demi 
• -King David Went Dancing by Grace Nsita

5. Talk about living ideas- The movie, and the story of David in general, is full of living ideas. David wasn't afraid of Goliath because he knew God was on the Israelites side. Talk about what trusting in God looks like in your life and point in time. Here are some questions to ask: 

David was brave because he trusted in God. How are bravery and faith related? 

Why didn't David kill Saul when he had the chance? 

Why didn't David want to be king? What did Samuel mean when he said that was a surprisingly good qualification for a king? 

If you're like me,  you'll love this movie and the learning it will inspire within your family. Let me know what you think in the comments below.