DLTK's Sunday School Lessons
The Armor of God
by
Sunday School Teacher's Guide - this is just one possible lesson plan. Visit the Armor of God Bible lesson plan Section for further ideas to supplement this.
Introduction:
This lesson is about the armor of God. At first I thought that maybe this lesson was too advanced for these age groups but the more research I did, I realized how very important it is to teach this as soon as possible to our children. The world is constantly bombarding us with false information about who God is, never mind all the media outlets that teach exactly the opposite of what the Bible teaches us.
The message:
Preschool thru Grade 1: Put on the armor of God
everyday.
Grades 2 and 3: Use the armor of God to help protect you against the
evil in the world.
I've split this message into two separate ones depending on the age level. For the younger children, the message is simple: Put on the armor of God everyday. Younger children have so much innocence, I just didn't want to have them focus to much on the evil of the world, they'll spend the rest of their lives dealing with it. For the older children, we expand on this message and say: Use the armor of God to protect you against the evil in the world. This age should better understand the devil's schemes and how to combat them with the armor.
Make sure you repeat the message many times during the lesson. Send the Armor of God Take Home Sheet home and print off a copy of the Children's version story to go with it this week with the children to encourage parents to reiterate the message during the week. It includes a poster at the bottom that the children can color and hang on their wall or refrigerator.
Preview of the lesson:
Some people like to do craft time first and story time second and some like to switch it around. I like the first option, myself.
Always consider offering Armor Coloring/Activity Pages for further ideas for children who aren't interested in participating in the group activity (or if you get done the group activities very quickly and need something to fill in the spare time). Everyone has a need for "alone time" once in awhile. Also, sending home the coloring pages with the Take Home sheet provides parents with much needed help in reinforcing the lessons. You can make a nice little booklet each week with the Take Home Sheet on top -- I promise that most parents will appreciate the effort!
Description |
Time Allotted |
Supplies |
| Welcome! Receive name tags. Have the children use crayons, markers, yarn, feathers and whatever other materials (such as sparkle glue) that you have available to personalize their name tag. Sing the Learning our Names song |
10 to 15 minutes | Shield or helmet name tag, scissors (or adults can precut), crayons, markers, yarn, safety pins or tape. |
Craft time! Preschool thru Grade 1: Make the Armor of God Paper Craft. The craft has three options: draw on the armor, armor without words and armor with words depending on what you want to do. This craft goes very well with the "Put on the Armor of God" song. Grade 2 and 3: Make the Belt of Truth Craft. The Belt of Truth Craft is a wearable craft intended to be made in conjunction with the song "Armor of God". The Simple Version can be done by any age (they're basically just decorating a piece of fun foam or card stock). The more difficult version can be done by Age 6+ and teaches braiding.
|
15 to 30 minutes depending on your adult/child ratio |
Preschool thru Grade 1: Armor of God template. printer, paper, scissors, glue, something to color with.
Grade 2 and 3: Belt
of Truth template. Fun foam or thin
cardstock/ posterboard (12" x 4"), wool string or ribbon,
markers or gel pens, hole punch, scissors, |
Bible Story Time: Preschool thru Grade 1: Read The Story of the Armor of God (or read from your own store bought children's bible). Grades 2 and 3: It's tough to know when it's the right time to start readings from the Bible, but if the children have been read a children's version of the story in the past, I believe this is a good age to introduce the King James (or your preferred) bible reading. |
10 minutes | The Coloring Pages can be distributed to the children so they are able to color at home, or during the story. |
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Closing: Preschool thru Grade 1: depending on the time remaining ask the children if they have a favorite piece of armor. Talk about how they can make the armor stronger (prayer, reading their Bible, by trying to be truthful, etc.) Practice putting on each piece of the armor with them and remind them what each piece is for. Grade 2 and 3: depending on the time remaining ask the children what their favorite piece of armor is and why. It's important not to just wear the armor but learn about God so it will work properly. By reading the Bible we will know when the devil is trying to trick us, and by practicing truthfulness, right-living, peace, faith and prayer our armor will be that much stronger. All Grades: Sing the "Put on the Armor of God" song. Standard ending song: "We Love to Learn Together" |
5 to 15 minutes | Brainstorm Board (chalkboard, whiteboard, poster board,...)
Words to: Standard ending song: "We Love to Learn Together"
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