Updated for the 2026–2027 school year.
Going back to school is an exciting and challenging time for kids. They can make new friends, adjust to new teachers, and get back to a more structured lifestyle. It can also be a time of testing for their faith. This free back to school Sunday school lesson helps children find strength in Jesus Christ when challenges arise, dealing with issues like temptation and resisting Satan’s lies. The printable lesson plan works equally well for Sunday school, children’s church, or kids church — teach it on Back to School Sunday, or use it as a welcome-back-to-Sunday-school kickoff for the new year.
📩 Download this lesson as a free print-ready PDF — no email required.
*This is a guest post by Lindsey Whitney from Growing Kids Ministry.
Lesson Title: The Armor of God (at school)
Bible Lesson Reference: Ephesians 6:10-20
Target Age Group: Kindergarten – 5th grade (easily adapted for preschool or youth ministry)
Learning Context: Sunday School, children’s church, or kids church
Target Time Frame: 30 minutes
Supplies You Will Need:
- Bucket and strips of paper: put inside the bucket common struggles for kids such as: not doing homework correctly, leaving someone out, talking bad about someone, not listening to a teacher, being selfish with your stuff, not helping others, making fun of others, etc.
- Items to represent the Armor of God (belt, helmet, sword, shield, shoes, breastplate). Look for toy versions or make props from cardboard. Low-prep option: skip the props entirely and use the free printable cutouts from our Armor of God activity pages.
Children’s Bible Lesson for Back to School Sunday
Well, kids – it’s here, the start of school! Some of you are already in school (raise your hand if that’s you), some of you are just about to start (raise your hand if that’s you) and some of you are waiting another year before starting school.
One thing many people do to get ready for school is go school shopping. I love back-to-school shopping so much, I did a little myself. I got some glue (show glue), crayons (show), and some books for my daughter (show). Of course, that was just for fun. You probably got all the things you needed while back-to-school shopping.
Well, I’ve been thinking… there’s something everyone in this room needs for school that you probably haven’t even thought about. You need it (point to a child), you need it, and you need it. Everyone needs it!
What is it? It’s the armor of God. Now, don’t sweat it if you’ve never heard of the armor of God. That’s what we’ll be talking about today! If you’ve brought your Bible with you, you’ll find the armor of God in Ephesians 6, and that’s what we’ll be reading from today (pause to let kids find it in their Bibles).
Okay, we’ll be starting in verse ten. Would someone like to read that? (Allow child to read) So, God wants us to be strong, and He tells us how to do it too! In the very next verse, verse 11, the Bible tells us to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the devil’s tricks.
Bucket of Trouble – a New School Year Can Be Hard
Now, you may be wondering what kind of things the devil might try to trick you into doing. To help us out, we’ve got this bucket of tricks. I’m going to pull a few out and I want you to think about whether this is something the devil maybe tried to trick YOU into doing. (Pull out a few strips and read, pausing to let kids think.)
So, there are all kinds of tricks we need to be prepared to fight against. That’s why we need God’s armor! Let’s keep reading for more instructions. Verse twelve tells us our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. Even if you attend a Christian school, you need God’s help every day. The Bible gives us some awesome equipment.
Armor of God Coloring Pages PDF – Download
Bible Application: You Can Wear God’s Armor Back to School
We’ve got to get ready for battle!
Now, if my helper could come up (invite an adult leader or kid to help), we’ll get this armor on!
Let’s check out verse 14 – can someone read it for me?
So, we start with the belt of truth – hand belt to helper (you can try to be realistic or give them a crazy belt to wear). In order to fight the devil, we’ve got to know the truth. Where can we find the truth? (Kids respond). That’s right, in the Bible! (Hold up your Bible) So, all you have to do is carry this around, maybe stick it in your book bag, maybe stuff it under your pillow and you’ll be all set, right? NO! You’ve got to READ it to know the truth. Maybe read one verse or one chapter a day… read it by yourself or with your parents… read it at breakfast or dinner, or at bedtime – whatever you choose, the important thing is that you (help me out kids): READ IT!
Okay, now the breastplate of righteousness (stick on helper). Who can tell me what righteousness is? Doing the RIGHT thing. Sometimes it’s hard to know what the right thing is. Sometimes you don’t feel like doing the right thing. What do you think we can do if that happens? (Read the Bible, ask our parents, ask a teacher, pray about it, ask the pastor.)
You’ve got to have something on your feet. In verse fifteen, it says to have feet fitted (put some shoes on) with the readiness that comes with the gospel of peace. Now, this was a little confusing to me – so I took out my cool Bible tool, the commentary, and read what it said about this verse.
(Read from NIV Application Commentary) It says:
- Willingness to share the gospel
- A readiness for all of life — being careful about speech and actions
- Showing peace and love to others
Well, it wouldn’t be complete armor without a shield – verse sixteen says to take up the shield of faith so we can fight off Satan’s attacks. Now, back in the day – those shields were huge! My Bible commentary says about 4 feet by 2½ feet (try to show kids the dimensions). Many times soldiers would line up next to each other and put their shields really close so nothing could get by. When they did this, they could push right over the enemy and not get hurt. We can learn something from that, kids!
Sometimes we need more than just ourselves to fight against the devil. That’s why it’s important to choose good friends who will stand and fight with you — friends who are also trying to do the right thing.
Our suit of armor is almost complete. Let’s take a look at what we’ve got so far.
- First, we’ve got the belt of _________________ (truth). Right! And where do we find truth?
- Next, we’ve got the breastplate of __________________ (righteousness). Very good. What does righteousness mean?
- Okay, here our feet are fitted with ___________ (readiness).
- We’re holding the shield of ___________________ (faith). And who do we have faith in? (God) It is our relationship with God, our faith, that protects us from evil attacks.
Our last two pieces are the helmet of salvation (put helmet on helper) and the sword of the Spirit (give sword to helper) — and both are very important!
Our heads are pretty important — that’s why you have to wear a helmet for so many things. Riding a bike? You need a helmet! Skateboarding? Same thing! Playing football? Strap that helmet on! What are some other things we need helmets for? (Allow kids to respond.) We wear helmets for all these things because our heads need protection! Likewise, salvation is our ultimate source of protection. When we are saved, we are a child of God, and we can see the tricks of Satan better.
Last, we’ve got the sword of the Spirit, which the Bible tells us is the Word of God. We can fight Satan with the Word of God, the Bible! That’s why it’s important to memorize Scripture. When Satan tries to tell us to start a rumor about someone we don’t like, we can think of the verse that says, “Love your enemies.” When Satan tries to tell us to blow off our homework and not do a good job, we can think of the verse that says “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” (Colossians 3:17). And if you can’t think of a verse, what cool Bible tool can you use? (Concordance)
I want us to read the last verse of this passage too, to finish out. Can someone read verse 18 for me? What does it command us to do? Pray! So, let’s close in prayer and do just that!
Bonus: “Back to School” Supplies Object Lessons (Optional Extras)
These quick object lessons and children’s sermon ideas use everyday school supplies to teach Bible truths. They are not part of the 30-minute lesson above — pick one or two as an opener, or save them for another week of your back to school Bible study for kids. For a full children’s sermon built on this idea, see our Back to School object lessons (school supplies backpack).
Backpack – You can carry God’s Word with you.
“Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11
Pencil & Paper – You can write out Bible verses to remind you of God’s love.
“Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 7:3
Eraser – God’s forgiveness erases my mistakes.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Crayons – God created this wonderful world in color for us to enjoy. He also gave us the rainbow to remind us of His promise.
“When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” Genesis 9:16
Tape – Tape can mend a ripped page, just like God’s Word can bind up our hurts.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me… he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted…” Isaiah 61:1
Water Bottle – Water is refreshing and quenches your thirst. Jesus is the living water that is eternal.
“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst…” John 4:13-14
Books – God’s Word is THE most important book we have. Math and English are important, but they are not eternal.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Teacher (picture of one, or a doll dressed like one) – Our teachers in school guide our learning just like our teachers at church guide our understanding of what the Bible says.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Friends (pictures or dolls) – Everyone wants to have friends, but we need to choose wisely.
“Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” 1 Corinthians 15:33
Lunchbox – A lunchbox carries our lunch. It can remind us of the fruit of the Spirit that we carry with us at all times.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Galatians 5:22-23
Clothes – Getting new clothes is an exciting time for most kids. We need to clothe ourselves with Christ. Just remember WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?).
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:14
More Back to School Lessons for Children’s Church
- “Back to School” Children’s Sermon (Sharp Pencils)
- Back to School Bible Object Lessons (School Supplies Backpack Sermons for Kids)
- Back to School Devotional for Kids & Families
- Back to School Coloring Pages (Easy Printables)
- Back to School Event Ideas for Churches
- All Back to School Children’s Ministry Lessons
Want a full month of back to school Sunday school lessons? Download the free 2026–27 4-Week Sample Pack — four complete PDF lessons for ages 6–12 — or plan your whole year with the Back to School 52-Week Curriculum Bundle.
Thank you! Our lesson plans have not come in yet and I’m left teaching the children tomorrow. This lesson will fit perfectly since school will start this week. I am amazed and grateful for stumbling upon this site. Thank you to all the great people that make this site happen and to not cost anything…. You are truly doing the work of God. Thank you.
This is a wonderful site with great creativity and is a blessing to have . Thank you
Our regular Thursday nite teacher needed a substitute at short notice. My pastor sent me a link to your site. Wow what a blessing you all are!!! I may have 2 kids tonight or a dozen, they will love this. They really like reading aloud from their Bibles. We even have an armor set from Family Bookstores in the closet. I love the video and the lesson part about the Word protecting our minds. May God bless you and your wonderful family abundantly. I am adopted so I especially appreciate what you are doing for these children. When they have children of their own they will really understand just how blessed they are when they think of how bad their lives could have turned out. I must add you to my prayer list…. Thanks again
Eve W.
Thank you so much. This came at much the right time. Our children will really feel EQUIPPED to start school in a few days.
Thank you again and God bless!!
This was amazing. Thank you so much for your time.
May God bless you abundantly!
Wow! What an AWESOME lesson….I loved the Back to School supplies! I’m using it for our Youth Day service next Sunday .God bless
.School is starting soon and this is an excellent lesson for our children. Thank you for sharing. Your AMAZING BLESSING with us. May God continue to be a Blessing in your life!
IFH
thank you for this. a cute object lesson to start off an armour of God theme is give everyone an orange and then, using a clean bowl of water, show everyone how your orange floats,..let them try with theirs, and then everyone peels the armour from their oranges and try again ( the unpeeled orange should sink)