The armor of God is a great way to explain how God protects us. It’s more than a costume we put on at Halloween, this is what God instructs us to wear everyday. Here is how to explain it to your kids!

The Armor of God – The Costume That Never Comes Off

Kids love dressing up, whether it’s for play or around Halloween, it is something that inspires creativity and imagination. But when the play is done, we take the costume off and put it away.

God wants us to wear something more than a costume though, He wants us to wear His armour everyday. The wonderful thing about His armour is that it isn’t pretend. What He provides us is real and it will help us in all seasons of life, but especially around Halloween when fear and darkness are the focus in the world.

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare

It’s important that we teach our children about the dangers in our world, but at an age-appropriate level. Explaining to them that darkness is real, not just nighttime darkness but the enemy who wants to discourage us, make us afraid and pull us from God.

God has given us everything we need to stand against the darkness. His light is greater than anything in our world and He tells us that we can fight; not with fists or weapons but with truth, faith and His word.

Explaining God’s Armour to Kids

So let’s dive in to teaching this to our children, through the armour of God! The full passage to read is Ephesians 6:10-19. We will break it down into the different “pieces” of armour so you can explain them one by one to your children.

1. The Belt of Truth (Ephesians 6:14a)

• What It Is: Knowing and speaking God’s truth from the Bible
• Why It Matters: Lies and deception are the enemy’s favorite weapons; truth holds everything else together
• Kid Application: When friends say mean things or the world tells lies about who you are, you know God’s truth about you

2. The Breastplate of Righteousness (Ephesians 6:14b)

• What It Is: Living right and making good choices that honor God
• Why It Matters: Protects your heart from guilt, shame, and condemnation
• Kid Application: When you’re tempted to lie, cheat, or be unkind, choosing righteousness protects your heart from feeling bad

3. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace (Ephesians 6:15)

• What It Is: Being ready to share the good news of Jesus and walk in His peace
• Why It Matters: Gives you sure footing and readiness to move forward in faith
• Kid Application: Being brave enough to talk about Jesus at school, ready to share why you have hope

4. The Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)

• What It Is: Trusting God completely, even when things are scary or hard
• Why It Matters: Blocks the “flaming arrows” – doubts, fears, accusations, temptations
• Kid Application: When you’re afraid of the dark, worried about a test, or facing bullying – faith in God protects you

5. The Helmet of Salvation (Ephesians 6:17a)

• What It Is: The assurance that you belong to Jesus and nothing can snatch you from His hand
• Why It Matters: Protects your mind from lies about your identity and worth
• Kid Application: Knowing you’re saved, loved, and secure in Jesus no matter what

6. The Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17b)

• What It Is: God’s Word, the Bible – our offensive weapon
• Why It Matters: The only offensive weapon in the armor; the Word of God is powerful and active
• Kid Application: Using scripture to fight back against fear, temptation, and lies (like Jesus did in the wilderness)

7. Prayer – The Power Source (Ephesians 6:18)

• What It Is: Constant communication with God
• Why It Matters: Prayer activates and energizes all the other pieces of armor
• Kid Application: Talking to God throughout the day, especially when facing hard things

Practical Ways to Teach the Armor of God During Halloween Season

Download my free PDF of the Armor of God

Use the download as a teaching tool. It includes an image, as well as a cut and paste activity to help children learn the different pieces of armour.

Here are some other ways you can encourage your children to practice using their armor!

Daily Armor Check-In:

• Morning routine: “Are you wearing your armor today?”
• Before school: “Which piece of armor do you think you’ll need most today?”
• Bedtime: “How did your armor protect you today?”

Halloween-Specific Applications:

Before Trick-or-Treating or Fall Festivals:

• Pray together, asking God to protect your family
• Pray over your neighbourhood as you walk around
• Remind children that they’re wearing God’s armor even if they’re wearing a costume
• Talk about being lights in the darkness

Navigating Dark Decorations:

• Teach children they don’t have to be afraid because they belong to the God who conquered darkness
• Practice saying “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” when seeing scary things
• Use it as an opportunity to discuss spiritual realities in age-appropriate ways

Alternative Celebrations:

• Host an “Armor of God” party where kids dress as Bible heroes
• Create a “Light Party” celebrating Jesus as the Light of the world
• Focus on harvest themes and God’s provision

Scripture Memory Challenge: Challenge families to memorize Ephesians 6:10-18 throughout October, with one verse per day leading up to Halloween

The Costume That Changes Everything

We wear our Halloween costumes for one day (or one night) but God’s armor is for every day. We don’t take it off to have a bath or change into our pyjamas. We keep it on all the time.

And we don’t wear it because we are afraid of what might come at us, we wear it out of wisdom and strength. The Bible tells us to be prepared, to stand firm in God’s word every single day, not just at Halloween.

Help your children understand the importance of the armor of God. Help them wear it, use it and feel God’s protection in every moment of their life!

Don’t Forget:

• Print the free worksheets “Armor of God” for your family
• Commit to praying on the armor together each morning
• For more on fear, read “If Fear is Normal, How do We Stop Being Afraid?”
• For young children who are often afraid, grab “I’m Not a Scaredy Cat” by Max Lucado

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