Players will need items to wear that represent the armor pieces, such as a
Bible for the Sword of the
Spirit (or make the Sword of the Spirit Bookmark
from this website), a
waste can lid for the Shield of Faith, a hat for the Helmet of Salvation,
etc. Suggestions on how to
create the armor pieces may be found at the bottom of the page.
What You Need:
To begin, children make an Armor of God Cube* (purchase cube pattern) The
cube pattern allows children to make their own cube and take it home. It's
a great memory tool! Print as many patterns as you need for
"single-classroom" use; for one low
cost price!
How To Play: Divide players into groups of 3-4 players. Place all the
player's armor pieces into the center of the playing area. Players take turns rolling the cube. When a player rolls one of the armor pieces he or she puts it on. If a player rolls an item he or she already has, player loses that turn. The next player takes his or her turn playing as before.
How To Win: The first player to put on the full armor of God wins!
Suggestion: By incorporating additional games, adding
song-time (suggestions below), and
Scripture memorization, the following lesson may be used over a span
of a few weeks or up to six weeks time. During lesson time discuss one
or two of the armor
pieces and then make them. If you have time, play a Bible game to
coordinate with the armor.
Once all the armor pieces are created, use the Armor
of God Playing Cube to play the Armor of God
Game.
Read Ephesians 6:10-18 from an easy-to-understand Bible and explain
the following:
Bible Lesson: The Bible says God's children are protected by
supernatural armor; it is invisible, you can’t see it or feel it. We
are told to "put on the full armor of God" to
protect ourselves from Satan’s power and influence, "his
schemes," as the Bible puts it. Schemes means to plot or to conspire
against someone. Satan is plotting and conspiring to defeat us. (Spend a few minutes discussing
sin and how Satan tempts us.) The Bible gives
us a description of an ancient Roman soldier's armor and tells us how
we can put on supernatural armor to protect and defend ourselves from
Satan's fiery attacks.
(Click here to get a picture of an armored soldier.)
Enrichment Idea: (Originally shared through the teacher's
network) Have children take turns
tracing one another's body while lying down on large sheets of
butcher paper. Then have them draw the armor pieces on their body
tracings as you explain them.
Bible Memory Verse:
Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand
against the devils schemes."
The Belt of Truth - A soldier's belt tied up his
tunic so he wouldn't stumble over loose clothing.
Why do you think we are told to put on the "Belt of Truth?"
How would this invisible piece of armor help us and protect us? (Jesus is the True God. He shows us the
right way to go in life so we don't stumble and get off track. Jesus will
never lie to us or mislead us. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.)
Optional Memory Verse: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6.
Coordinating Activities: Spend some time memorizing Ephesians
6:11; make a Belt (see suggestions below); play Narrow
Way Relays, you will need to
substitute John 14:6 for the Bible verse.
The Breastplate of Righteousness - The breastplate
protected the vital organs of a soldier.
What does the word "righteousness" mean? (It comes from
the root word, "right," meaning "correct.") How
does this invisible piece of armor protect us? (Jesus makes us righteous
"right with God." He protects our hearts. The Bible says we
are to guard our hearts in Christ Jesus.)
Coordinating Activities: Practice the memory verse; make a
Breastplate (see suggestions below); make the Yummy
Devotion - Breastplate Brittle.
Feet fitted with the Gospel of Peace - The
Roman soldier wore
protective and supportive footgear.
Why do we wear shoes? (They protect our feet by allowing us to
walk on various surfaces that could harm us. e.g. hot pavement, thorns,
rocks, etc.)
Why do you think we are told to
have our feet fitted with the Gospel of Peace? Why would this
invisible piece of armor be important to us? How does it protect us?
Gospel means "Good
News." The Good News of protection is that Jesus has made peace with God in our
behalf. Without Jesus in our lives, we are enemies of God. As
Christians, our feet should always be ready to take us places to tell
the Good News to others, to support the work of the ministry, and to
protect Christian influences in our world. The Bible says,
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
have" (1 Peter 3:15). Telling others about God may not always be an easy thing to do. In
fact, it can be quite "rocky" at times. But we need to bring the
Gospel message to others so they can have peace with God.
Coordinating Activities: Practice the memory verse; make shoes (see
suggestions below); play Evangelism
Tag.
Shield of Faith - The Roman soldier used a large
shield covered in leather that could be soaked in water and used to
put out flaming arrows that were thrown at him.
Why do you think we are told to use the "Shield of Faith"
to protect ourselves? How does our faith protect us? The Bible tells us without faith it is
impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). God is willing to give us the faith we need to
defend ourselves against Satan’s fiery attacks.
Coordinating Activities: Practice the memory verse; make a shield (see
suggestions below).
The Helmet of Salvation - The helmet protected
the Roman soldiers' head.
When do we need to use a helmet? (Biking, sports,
motorcycles.) How
do helmets protect us? (They protect our brains, our minds, from being
damaged.) How do you think the "Helmet of Salvation" protects
our minds? We are to believe in the LORD Jesus Christ to be
saved. The Bible says we are to guard our minds in Christ Jesus. We
must ask ourselves, what
are we reading and watching? Is it good for our minds? We are to think on good
things (Philippians 4:8).
(Super
Heroes of The Bible has an expanded lesson on the Helmet of
Salvation, along with directions to make a helmet by folding newspaper
a special way.)
Coordinating Activities: Practice the memory verse; make a helmet
(see suggestions below).
Sword of the
Spirit -
The Bible. A sword is used to
protect one's self and to attack one’s enemies.
How might we use the Bible, our sword, to protect and defend
ourselves? God’s Word tells us what is
right and wrong, shows us how to live, and tells us how to defeat
Satan. Our battle is fought by prayer. It is fought in God's strength and
in HIS mighty power.
Optional Memory Verse: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the
heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
Coordinating Activities: Practice the memory verse; make a sword (see
suggestions below).
Purchase the
Armor of God Cube pattern, click here.
Copyright 2003 Sarah A. Keith --
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Susie
had her kids create armor pieces with
newspaper and then
suited up Marissa, her teen helper!
Susie Meredith
Lone Pine MB church
Hensley, AR
randsmered2@yahoo.com
Sally
from Wichita writes, "I
just want to let you know how much fun my group had playing the Armor
of God game with the playing cube. The kids were all so thrilled
to take their cubes home to play with later. During class, we
looked at pictures of Roman Soldiers and also discussed all the armor
pieces. For shoes, we used socks. For the
breastplates I went to our local
thrift store and bought old sweatshirts (adult small, all plain with
no logos or pictures, but in an array of bright colors) and bought old ties for the belt of truth. When I
told the thrift store what I was going to do with the items, they sold
them to me at a really deep discount. I bought metallic party
hats from the dollar store for the helmets and a bag of colored
feathers so each child could add a feather plume to his/her helmet.
For swords, I went to a local paint store who donated paint stir
sticks (smooth, no points). And for shields, I used what are
called "pizza rounds" which are 12-inch round pieces of
corrugated cardboard which I got really cheap from a packing supply
store. Then I punched two holes in each shield and ran a
pipe cleaner through them for a handle. The kids also got to
color and decorate their shields and swords. Then they all got
to take their whole outfit home with them (except for my husband's
socks) along with their own cube. We had a blast; the time went
too fast for the kids. I really recommend this game. Well
worth the cost."
*
Additional
suggestions for making some of the Armor pieces:
Belt - tear long strips of cloth and allow children to
decorate them with permanent markers.
Breastplate - make a paper breastplate vest out of brown
grocery bags, or use heavy-duty tinfoil.
Shoes - decorate socks with buttons and markers.
Sword - make the Sword of the
Spirit Bookmark. Click here.
Song Time
Suggestions
"Soldiers of Christ Arise
- Traditional Hymn", "Soldiers
of Christ Arise - Rap" (listen to rap), "Onward
Christian Soldiers", "I Am A Christian, A Mighty, Mighty Mighty Christian"
(by Ronnie Caldwell-Children's Church Classics Volume Two) "I'm in the Lord's Army"
(by Cedarmont KIDS Classics: Action Bible Songs), "The Battle Belongs to the Lord"
(by Maranatha! Music Praise Classic Songbook), "My Shield"
and "Power" (both songs are from
"How I Praise You! 150 Little Psalms in Song" - type the
title into the bookstore search box to find it), and "Armor of God Rap" (from
Sunday School Specials 4 by Lois
Keffer. It contains 4 lessons on the Armor of God for mixed age Sunday school. It
ends with the Armor of God Rap, you march in cadence and say it - our kids loved it.)
Have any other song ideas? Email: sarah@sundayschoolnetwork.com
Get an
Armor of God Sermon to accompany this lesson. Click here.
* The Armor of God game is also
included in Super Heroes of
the Bible - The Willing Hearts Who Changed The Course Of
History. The cube pattern may be purchased separately now or in
the lesson series.
Click
here to tell your friends about this game. Invite them to visit
SundaySchoolNetwork.com.
Return to
the Games page
