Lesson

Abigail Sunday School Lesson for Kids

A free Abigail Sunday school lesson (1 Samuel 25) in four age levels, preschool to preteen, with a game, Bible story, questions, memory verse and take-home.

Preschool–Grade 6

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Free to print and copy for your church, classroom, VBS and home. Please don't resell or re-post our files; link to the page instead.

Ages: Preschool (3–5), Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Preteen (5–6)
Time: 20–60 minutes (depends on the age level)
Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:2–42
Bible story: Abigail, David and Nabal

What you need

A Bible (mark 1 Samuel 25:18 and 1 Samuel 25:32–33)
Bibles for the kids to look up verses (3rd grade and up)
4 paper strips, a marker and tape (memory verse game, kindergarten to 2nd grade)
A basket or bag with a few pretend foods, like blocks or paper "loaves" (preschool and kindergarten to 2nd grade)
A whiteboard or large paper and a marker (3rd grade and up)
Paper and pencils (preteens)
Printed take-home sheets, one per child
Printed Abigail word search and crayons for early finishers

This free Abigail Sunday school lesson teaches kids to be peacemakers. When rich, churlish Nabal answered David's men with "Who is David?" (1 Samuel 25:10), David and four hundred men girded on their swords (25:13). Wise Abigail "made haste" with a present of bread, raisins and cakes of figs (25:18), bowed at David's feet and spoke kind, wise words, and David said, "blessed be thy advice" (25:33). It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families. Everything is in the order you teach it.

Choose your age level

Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 2 pages: a hurry-with-the-bread game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("A soft answer turneth away wrath") with a motion, and a drawing activity.
Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the Soft or Grievous? game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Soft Voice Verse game with four paper strips, and a Hurry, Abigail! game.
3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a turn-it-around game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (Nabal's grievous words, Abigail's present and soft answer, David listening to her advice), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read 1 Samuel 25 out loud themselves (the two verses with rough words are skipped and summarized), then discuss answering anger with wisdom, listening to good advice and leaving payback to God (Romans 12:19–21). Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Proverbs 15:1 and Matthew 5:9).

Lesson at a glance

Bible passage: 1 Samuel 25:2–42
Main point: Be a peacemaker. Kind, wise words can stop a fight.
Memory verse: Proverbs 15:1 (KJV), with Matthew 5:9 added for preteens
Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

Opening game: a short game about kind answers and grumpy ones.
Bible story: Nabal's "Who is David?" (1 Samuel 25:10), David's men gird on their swords (25:13), Abigail makes haste with her present (25:18), meets David by the covert of the hill (25:20) and falls at his feet (25:24), "blessed be thy advice" (25:33) and "Go up in peace" (25:35). Every fact has its verse reference so you can check it.
Questions to ask: with answers, at the right level for each age.
Memory verse: a game or motion to help kids learn Proverbs 15:1.
What this means for us: be a peacemaker, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Abigail craft, a Hurry, Abigail! game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
Prayer.

Tips for teaching Abigail

Read 1 Samuel 25:32–33 straight from your Bible. David thanked the LORD for sending Abigail, and he blessed her advice.
This Carmel (25:2) is a town in Judah, not Mount Carmel where Elijah prayed.
Verses 22 and 34 hold rough words in David's angry oath. Don't read them aloud; the lessons tell what they mean in plain words.
Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.

Frequently asked questions

How long does this Abigail lesson take?

It depends on the age level. The preschool lesson takes 20 to 30 minutes, the kindergarten to 2nd grade lesson about 45 minutes, and the 3rd to 5th grade and preteen lessons 45 to 60 minutes. For a short class, do the story, three questions and the memory verse.

What is the main point of the story of Abigail for kids?

Be a peacemaker. Abigail hurried to meet angry David with a present and kind, wise words, and David said, "blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood" (1 Samuel 25:33). "A soft answer turneth away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1).

What did Abigail bring to David?

She "took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses" (1 Samuel 25:18). The younger lessons name the foods kids know and say "and more."

How do you teach the hard parts of 1 Samuel 25 to kids?

Gently and truthfully. The lessons say David was angry and set out with his men to fight Nabal (25:13, 25:21), and that about ten days later Nabal died (25:38). Verses 22 and 34 hold rough words in David's angry oath, so the preteen reading skips them and the teacher tells what they mean.