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1 Samuel 6 · Preschool

Cows Pull the Cart

Name Date

Color the two cows pulling the cart with God's ark!

Can you find these in the picture? Circle each one!

Bible Verse

“The men did so, and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.”

1 Samuel 6:10 (WEB)

Prayer

Thank You, God, for making me!

Take It Home

Read the verse aloud. Say: God led the cows straight home to Israel with His ark. God is in charge of everything, even cows!

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 6 · Kindergarten

Going Home

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace each word with your pencil.

COWS
CART
ARK
HOME
The men did so, and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

1 Samuel 6:10 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each word to its picture.

COWS
ARK
ALTAR
STONE

Mini Maze

Help find the way through the maze.

Draw It

Draw the cows taking the ark home.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for guiding every step. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How did God bring His ark home?
  • What makes you glad at church?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 6 · Grade 1

The Ark Comes Home

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace the words and the verse.

CART
COWS
STONE
HOLY
The men did so, and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

1 Samuel 6:10 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each sentence to its picture.

Two cows pulled a new cart.
God's ark was on the cart.
The cart stopped by a great stone.
The people offered to God.
The people were glad to see it.

The Ark Comes Home

Write the number 1 to 4 in each circle to show the right order.

The cows go straight on the road

People reaping wheat see the ark

The ark is set on a great stone

Two milk cows pull a new cart

Draw the cows taking the ark home.

Memory Verse

“The men did so, and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.”

1 Samuel 6:10 (WEB)

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for guiding every step. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Who made the cows go the right way?
  • What does holy mean to you?
  • What would you like to say to God about this chapter?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 6 · Grade 2

Two Cows

Name Date

Read the Story

God's ark was with the Philistines for seven months. They wanted to send it back. They got a new cart. They got two cows that had calves at home.

They put the ark on the cart. The cows went straight down the road to Israel. They did not turn to the right or the left. This showed that God was doing it.

The people of Beth Shemesh were cutting wheat. They looked up and saw the ark! They were glad. The cart stopped by a great stone. They gave an offering to God.

Memory Verse

“The men did so, and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.”

1 Samuel 6:10 (WEB)

Show What You Know

Circle the right answer, or write it on the lines.

  1. How long was the ark with the Philistines?

    Two cowsSeven monthsCutting wheat

  2. What pulled the cart?

    Seven monthsTwo cowsBy a great stone

  3. Which way did the cows go?

  4. What were the people of Beth Shemesh doing?

    Cutting wheatTwo cowsBy a great stone

  5. Where did the cart stop?

    By a great stoneCutting wheatSeven months

Word Search

Find and circle each word. Words go across and down.

URITSTONENENOOOEEYWABCVCHBLHPPOACAPCEIINAAROCANPVVRVBITGWAYTELADJBOFMSVROTCOWSTJK
  • REAPING
  • HARVEST
  • WHEAT
  • STONE
  • COWS
  • CART
  • ARK
  • WAY

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for guiding every step. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can you show you are glad when God helps you?
  • How can you show God respect when you come to worship?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 6 · Grade 3

Straight Down the Road

Name Date

Read the Story

The ark stayed in Philistine country seven months. The Philistines asked their priests what to do. The priests said not to send it back empty, but with a gift of golden tumors and golden mice, one for each of their five lords.

They set a test. Two milk cows that had never worn a yoke would pull a new cart, while their calves were shut up at home. If the cows went to Beth Shemesh, the Lord had sent the trouble. The cows went straight on the road, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside.

The people of Beth Shemesh were reaping wheat and rejoiced to see the ark. The Levites set it on a great stone, and the people offered the cows as a burnt offering. But some men looked into the ark, and God struck them. The people asked who was able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God.

Memory Verse

“The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh. They went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.”

1 Samuel 6:12 (WEB)

Answer the Questions

  1. What gift did the Philistines send with the ark?

  2. Why was it surprising that the cows went straight?

  3. What did the cows prove?

  4. Where did the Levites set the ark?

  5. What did the people ask after God struck the men?

The Ark Comes Home

Write what happened in each box.

1
2
3
4

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for guiding every step. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How have you seen God at work in surprising ways?
  • How should we act when we come to worship God?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 6 · Grade 4

A Holy God

Name Date

Read and Think

After seven months of trouble, the Philistine leaders asked their priests and diviners how to send the ark home. They were told to send a guilt offering: five golden tumors and five golden mice, one for each Philistine lord. The priests warned them not to harden their hearts as Pharaoh and the Egyptians had done.

To test whether the Lord had caused their trouble, they hitched two nursing cows to a new cart and penned the calves at home. Mother cows would normally go back to their young. Instead, the cows went straight to Beth Shemesh, lowing as they went. God steered even animals against their nature to show His hand.

Beth Shemesh rejoiced, and the Levites set the ark on a great stone and offered sacrifices. But some men looked into the ark, treating the holy as common, and God struck them. The people asked who could stand before this holy God. The ark was then taken to Kiriath Jearim.

Show What You Know

  1. What warning did the Philistine priests give?

  2. Why was it unnatural for the cows to go straight?

  3. What did the men who looked into the ark do wrong?

  4. Where was the ark taken at the end?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

cowsarkstoneGod
  1. After seven months of trouble, the Philistine leaders asked their priests and diviners how to send the home.
  2. To test whether the Lord had caused their trouble, they hitched two nursing to a new cart and penned the calves at home.
  3. steered even animals against their nature to show His hand.
  4. Beth Shemesh rejoiced, and the Levites set the ark on a great and offered sacrifices.

Think About It

  1. Even the Philistines remembered God's power in Egypt. What stories of God's power do you remember?

  2. How can we treat God and holy things with respect?

Memory Verse

The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”

1 Samuel 6:20 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for guiding every step. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why did the priests mention Pharaoh?
  • Why do you think God cared how His ark was treated?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 6 · Grade 5

Who Can Stand?

Name Date

Read and Think

The Philistines' seven months with the ark brought only distress. Their priests and diviners advised a guilt offering of five golden tumors and five golden mice, matching the five Philistine lords and the plagues on their land. They urged the people to give glory to the God of Israel and not to harden their hearts, recalling the Lord's acts against Pharaoh.

The test with the two milk cows was designed to rule out chance. Cows that had never borne a yoke, separated from their calves, would naturally turn back home. Yet they took the straight road to Beth Shemesh, lowing as they went, and the five lords followed to the border. The God who had shamed Dagon now guided the return of His own ark.

At Beth Shemesh the joy of the harvest turned to worship, then to fear. When some men looked into the ark, God struck them, and the people asked, Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? It is the right question. God's presence is a gift, but He is not a common thing to be handled carelessly. Israel had to relearn reverence before the ark could rest among them.

Show What You Know

  1. Why did the offering include five golden objects of each kind?

  2. Why was the test designed with cows separated from their calves?

  3. What question did the people of Beth Shemesh ask?

  4. What did Israel have to relearn?

Crossword

2341

Across

  1. Two milk ____ pulled the cart (6:10).
  2. People were reaping their ____ harvest (6:13).

Down

  1. The ark was set on a great ____ (6:15).
  2. The Philistines made a new ____ (6:7).
  3. The cows took the straight ____ (6:12).

Think About It

  1. How do we balance joy in God's nearness with reverence for His holiness?

  2. Who is able to stand before a holy God? How does God make a way for us?

Memory Verse

The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”

1 Samuel 6:20 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for guiding every step. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How did God show His control over the return of the ark?
  • How can joy and reverence go together in worship?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.