The story of David and Jonathan is one of the greatest examples of friendship in the Bible. Though these two men weren’t blood brothers, they were brothers in spirit and in the Lord — each one wanting the best for the other, the way every friendship should be.

I included the story of David and Jonathan in my musical Bible program called “Help Me Be a Friend.” As I put the program together, I found myself wondering what game I could pair with the story. The old TV classic “Family Feud” came to mind — so instead of “Family Feud,” I created my own game called “Friendly Feud,” 

with friendship-themed categories to share with your kids.

This Bible game for kids will help your children learn the story of David and Jonathan while playing a fun, competitive review game, and for this one you will need the following:

• 2 tables, each with a “bell ringer” (the kind you’d find on a hotel desk — available at most office supply stores)
• A scorekeeper (pick one of the kids!)
• The printable slides below, either shown on a screen or printed and laminated

How to play “Friendly Feud”:

Divide your kids into 2 teams and choose a scorekeeper. Share the first part of the story of David and Jonathan, then play part one of “Friendly Feud.”

Read the category aloud. The first child to ring their bell gets to make the first choice from 6 possible answers shown on the slide — encourage them to guess the answer they think most people would pick, since that earns the most points. Then let the second child who rang in choose from the remaining list.

Move to the next slide to reveal how many points each choice is worth. The scorekeeper tracks the score.

Pick 2 new kids to play, and repeat the process with the second half of the story and game.

Suggestions for Success:

• Practice reading through the slides ahead of time — much of the wording is poetic, so a little rehearsal goes a long way.
• Remind kids the goal is guessing the most popular answer, not just any answer, to earn the most points.
• Pair this game with our [Bible Story Order Song for Jonathan and David] or the [Bible Verses About Friendship] lesson for a full week of content on this story.
• Want more friendship songs, games, and object lessons? Visit our full [Bible Friendship Activities for Elementary Kids hub].

Download everything you need — the story slides, game questions, and answer/point slides — in one printable file:

Download: [Friendly Feud Game — Script & Pictures PDF]