Note to parent or teacher: Here’s a lesson plan on Deborah (can be broken into shorter parts), which highlights the following lesson objective: “Learn more about the lives of the great men and women of the Bible.” (Christian Life and Faith: Witnessing and Missionary Training: Great Men and Women of God-2a)

Read “Heroes of the Bible: Deborah.”

Have an impromptu discussion on what your children know of Deborah’s life. Read and discuss the following background points:

• Moses and Joshua had led the children of Israel to the Promised Land, and the Israelites were now living in Canaan (Israel).
• After Joshua died, the people of Israel were led by a series of “judges” who helped the people settle disputes and reminded them to obey God’s laws. (See Judges 2:18.)
• The judges of Israel up to this time had all been male.
• Read “The Judges of Israel” or this chart, which goes into greater detail about the individuals who served as Israel’s judges during this time.

Read the story of Deborah, either from the Bible, or from an adapted retelling of the story. Here are some links to Deborah’s story retold for children:

• “The Story of Deborah”: a dramatized audio of Deborah’s story. [Note: good for both older and younger audiences.]
• “The Story of Deborah”: retold in story format, with illustrations. [Note: good for older audiences.]

Note: The story of Deborah and Barak’s victory over Sisera can be found in Judges 4. Judges 5 is a song of praise to God that Deborah and Barak sang after the victory was won.

Look at this map showing the various places that are mentioned in Deborah’s story.

After reading the story of Deborah, discuss the following with your children.

• God likes to use unlikely heroes to save the day in order for His strength to be shown: Deborah and Jael were women and not military leaders. Can the children think of any other unlikely heroes that God used as saviors for His people? (For example, Moses was a shepherd, David killed Goliath when he was only a boy; Jeremiah was young and shy, etc.)

Color “Hero of the Month Coloring Page: Deborah.”

Take the “Hero of the Month Quiz: Deborah.”