Leader Guide
Teaching Time
- Vegetable Card Page (6 cards) from the Opening Game "Better Choices"
- Toy crown (or made from template provided)
- Optional: Crown Page and crayons
- King's Food Page
- Paper plates (2)
- Optional: empty paper towel tube (king's scepter)
- Cardstock (6) for handcuffs or substitute sheets of paper
- Bottle of water
- Tape or glue stick
- Scissors
- Table
- Chair (throne)
- Actors: chief official, king, Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, Abednego, two (unhealthy) servants
- Optional: costume beards and headwraps for one or more characters
- Bible or Superbook Bible App
Note: Save the props (including the assembled King’s Food Plate and the Vegetable Plate) for Lesson 2 and Lesson 3 so children can act out the story again.
Make one copy each of the King’s Food Page and the Vegetable Page.
Cut out the six individual cards from each page.
Glue or tape the six Vegetable Cards to the front of a paper plate.
Glue or tape the six King’s Food Cards to the front of a second paper plate.
Optional: Make a copy of the Crown Page on cardstock. Color the crown if it’s in black and white. Cut out the three pieces. Size the bands for a child’s head, and tape pieces together.
Place the table and chair in the presentation area. Place the plates of food on the table.
Assist the actors with costumes and props as necessary.
Slowly read the Bible story as outlined below. Pause at the bold text to direct actors.
● A long time ago, the King of Babylon’s soldiers attacked God’s people, the Israelites. The king with the crown on enters, holding the scepter, and sits on the throne.
● Many Israelite men were taken as prisoners to serve the king. Four of these men were named Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel and his three friends enter, arms down, with sad faces, and stand beside the table.
● These four men and other Israelite men would be trained to serve the king.
● The king ordered his chief official to give the men the best food and drink from the king’s table. The king holds out scepter to the chief official. Chief official enters, bows, and takes the King’s Food Plate to Daniel and his friends.
● The Israelite men did not want the king’s food. It was against God’s law to eat and drink it. The four men make sad faces, put their hands up to resist, and shake heads "no."
● This was a problem because the king ordered the men to eat his delicious food!
● But Daniel and his friends used self-control to resist the temptation to eat the king’s food and did what they knew was right!
● Daniel had a plan—a kind of test. He asked the king’s official to give them only vegetables and water for ten days while the other servants ate the king’s food.
● The king’s official was afraid of letting them disobey the king’s instruction, but then he thought about it and said yes to the test.
● So he brought them the food they wanted. He brings the Vegetable Plate to Daniel.
● Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were very happy. The four men smile and jump up and down.
● After ten days, Daniel, his three friends, and the other servants stood before the king. Daniel and his friends walk over to the king with big smiles and stand up tall and straight at one side of the king, facing the audience.
● The other servants came and stood before the king too. The two servants enter with handcuffs on and sad faces, then shuffle slowly to the king and stand on the other side, opposite Daniel, facing the audience.
● The king stood up and looked at the two servants who had eaten all the best food and drinks from his table. The men looked sick, tired, and sad. King stands up, looks at the two servants, and shakes his head "no."
● Then the king walked over to look at Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He saw that they looked ten times healthier than the other servants. He was very happy! The king walks over to Daniel and his friends and shakes his head "yes," puts hands in the air, holding the scepter, and jumps up and down with a big smile.
● Daniel and his friends had passed the test! God had rewarded their self-control in resisting temptation to do what was right!
Optional Review Questions
Hold up the broccoli from Object to Go! Who chose to eat vegetables instead of the king’s food? Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego).
How many days did Daniel’s test last? Ten days.
How did the four men look compared to the other servants? Healthier.