How to Help Your Children Memorize Scripture

Nov 9

7 Tips to Help Your Kids Store The Word Of God In Their Hearts

If you’re wondering how to get your child to memorize Scripture, you aren’t alone! Children are like sponges, always soaking up information, especially during their young years. They want to know how things work and they have a lot of questions. But what are they memorizing?

My toddler loves to memorize, especially songs. Most children like to be able to memorize and do word games, especially if their parent is teaching them and leading them in it!

Do you memorize scripture as a family? Here’s a few tips that may help your family get started, or if you already do? Here’s some new ideas to keep things fresh.

How to get your child to memorize Scripture

There are two methods on how to get your kids to memorize Scripture. One is direct, and the other is indirect, or by immersing them in Scripture.

Direct Methods on how to get your child to memorize Scripture

Do it in a Structured Family Time, but Start Small

Memorize just a phrase or a portion first, and then keep building onto that. Start with just one verse a week. Move on to the next week, but review the ones you’ve done up to this point to keep it fresh in their minds!

Also, don’t assume they have it after one time. Repetition is important.

Make it a game.

Write the verse on a chalkboard, or whiteboard and ask your child to read the verse out loud. Then erase one word and ask them to read it out loud again, with adding in the word that you erased. Do that several times, slowing down when you can tell they might need to work on it. Then eventually, you’ll have an empty whiteboard and a child who has memorized a verse! Make sure to reiterate the verse later on in that day or the next day.

Get hands-on!

If your child is a hands-on-learner like mine, they might really take to this idea! Use hand motions to drive key words into their memory banks.

Another hands-on idea… Open up a physical Bible. Help your kids find that verse in their Bible. Also, maybe let them highlight it or mark it in some way. Or if you would rather not mark in the Bible, have them copy it into a notebook and doodle there.

Expand and connect

Talk about what that particular Bible verse really means. Tell your children stories of why this verse is important to you, and why you think it’s important to memorize that verse. Your kids will enjoy having a connection point with you and might remember that story and connect it to that Scripture for the rest of their lives!

Non-direct methods on how to get your child to memorize Scripture

Add music, or find music that allows the child to learn easily!

Three resources I recommend for this: Seeds Family Worship, Steve Green, and Hidden In My Heart (Scripture Lullabies).

I was given the Seeds and Steve Green CDs as gifts and they are amazing. I don’t own Hidden in My Heart (yet) but I will soon and the reviews are unanimous – a must buy for parents seeking to get their kids excited about the Bible. (Or maybe sleepy and meditating on good things, or maybe both!)

Have your kids make notecards and post them where they will see them.

You can try to keep them in the car or hang some on the fridge or on the wall next to their beds. It’s a good idea to let your child choose where they will be hung, but you can guide them in their efforts!

Let them see you memorizing Scripture.

Memorize God’s Word alongside them. I know it can be daunting, but if your kids can do it, so can you! You need to be memorizing Scripture as a parent. Put notecards up in your house at common places, perhaps above the sink, above the dishwasher, in the corner of your bathroom mirror, etc. I once took a shower at a friend’s house and she had laminated several Bible verses and hung them up to memorize while she was cleaning! Better than memorizing the ingredients of your shampoo. 😉

What about you?

Do you have any ideas on how to get your child to memorize Scripture? Anything that’s worked for your family that you’d like to share?

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Sarah Hardee