Sure, Superman has the power to fly, Spiderman has the spidey-sense, but you know, David had an even greater super power-faith in God. Now my appy-sense is tingling, and it’s telling me that you and your preschooler will really enjoy this great app…
Bible Heroes: David and Goliath transforms a child’s typical bible study, with an engaging and biblically true rendition, in a storybook app, complete with games that help reinforce the message, and further resources to help children apply the message.
Bible Heroes: David and Goliath, by 4Soils Corporation, is one of several apps in the Bible Heroes series; others include Daniel and the Lions, Noah and the Ark (you can get both for free now, and pay $.99 to upgrade to more game levels and coloring sheets), and more to be released soon. Bible Heroes: David and Goliath is $1.99 for the iPhone and iPad (universal app), and is recommended for children ages 2 and up.
Open the app and you’ll initially land in the Bible Heroes App Series portal; here, if you wish to purchase more apps in the series, you can access them without leaving the app. This is great if you finish with David and Goliath, and your child wants to move on to Noah and the Ark, for example. Your child won’t even have to leave the current app to jump right into the next one. Choose to play David and Goliath, and go!
On the home screen of David and Goliath, take a look at the Parental Portal, acccessed along the left-hand side of the screen. Here, you can view a Parent Guide with simple discussion questions to ask your child after reading and playing with the app, and go over the scripture used in the story. In the Parental Portal, you can also view the coloring pages your child will play in the app, along with other resources. Done? Go back to the home screen and push the play button to dive into the story!
Bible Heroes: David and Goliath is read aloud by narrator, and the words of the story are highlighted when spoken (great for assisting beginner readers). Your child can tap on the characters in the illustrations to see and hear interactive surprises along the way. When your child is done interacting on a page, press the directional arrows at the bottom of the screen to move on.
There are three different games your child will enjoy in David and Goliath: Sort the Soldiers, Collect Five Smooth Stones, and a Coloring Page. These games help reinforce an aspect of the story, and also challenge children’s motor skills, critical thinking, mastering shapes, and free, creative play. (Hint: the coloring game allows your child to take a picture of their finished design, and the artwork will be saved and accessed in the Parental Portal on the home screen of the app.)
Watch the video below to see a glimpse of the app in action.
I appreciate how this app delivers a version of this legendary story that is easy for a preschooler to understand, while being biblically accurate and containing scripture. The games were also not a distraction, but relevant, and further reinforce important factors of the story, like how different the Philistine army appeared to God’s army. I also loved how there was interaction on every page of the story, while once again, not being distracting.
Bible Heroes: David and Goliath is easy for a child to navigate on his or her own; it’s very intuitive. My three year old navigated and completed the entire app without any help from me. The jumping, page-turning arrows, are a big clue to prompt children to turn the page, and the games have easy and clear objectives which are instructed audibly. The illustrations were bright and appealing, and the narration was lively and interesting. I also thought the Summary at the end of the story, really helped to communicate the message of not fearing anything when you trust in God.
There was an obvious amount of thought about helping kids take away the meaning and importance of the story, in the creation and design of Bible Heroes: David and Goliath. There were however, a couple of technical aspects that I’d love to see incorporated into the app in future updates. One, it would be handy to have a table of contents that could be accessed within the story; the only way to advance forward or backwards is just by tapping on the directional arrows. If there was a way to access the home screen, or be able to jump to a certain page, it would be an awesome feature for families to navigate the app easier. A second feature that I would suggest, would be to include a “Read Myself” option, so older kids can read the story on their own, or a parent can read the story, too, without narration. Overall, I would recommend the app 
Bible Heroes: David and Goliath takes the message “when God is on my side, I do not have to be afraid,” and delivers it to preschoolers in an engaging way; the games and interactive features cement the message in a lasting punch in the minds of kids.
Get the other apps in the Bible Heroes Series
Bible Heroes: Daniel and the Lion – universal app for iPhone and iPad (FREE)
Bible Heroes: Noah and the Ark - universal app for iPhone and iPad (FREE)
Disclosure: I do not receive compensation for writing this review. The photos used were taken as screen shots from my iPhone or iPad. Views expressed in this review are purely and only mine. Pricing was accurate at the time of this review.