# 225 02/16/04 Teaching basic concepts about the ‘armor of God’

I am writing a series about teaching preschoolers how to “put on the full armor of God.” Ephesians 6:11a. If your child understands the basic concepts of God’s armor when he enters school, he will be better “armed” to withstand the onslaught of the evils of our culture.

I will begin with the belt of truth. Paul writes, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, …” Ephesians 6:14a. Using a belt as a prop, we can teach our preschoolers about truth. Choose a belt that is small enough to buckle around a youngster’s waist. It would be nice if the belt had the letter “T” on the buckle.

Preschoolers have a tough time understanding truth. They listen to stories about animals that can talk. Many other fanciful tales fill their books. Truth and fiction are not separate to small children.

We can begin by teaching that some stories are pretend and some are real. Tell your child a story about an event in the life of your family to illustrate a “real” story. Then tell him a silly made-up story that he will recognize as “pretend.” Explain that when we tell real stories we are telling the truth. Show him the belt of truth as you paraphrase Ephesians 6:14a in this way, “When you wear the belt of truth, it helps you be strong against bad guys.” Say that if you do not have the belt you can pretend to wear it.

Use the belt to help your child differentiate between truth and falsehood. Have him tell real stories wearing the belt and pretend stories without it. Later you can role-play with him about situations that he might face in school. Pretend to be his teacher who has told the class, “No talking.” Have your child pretend to talk to a friend while you stand at the door talking to a parent. While he is wearing his belt of truth ask, “Who was talking while I was in the hallway?” Congratulate your child for wearing the belt of truth when he says he was talking.

This may all seem silly to an adult, but it is the first step in learning to face the world knowing what is truth and what is not. Our newspapers are filled with stories of business leaders who needed this lesson before they started to school.

Next week we will add a breastplate to our child’s armor.