Do you struggle to find creative ways to help your children memorize Bible verses? After teaching Sunday school for several years in High School, teaching at a Christian school for 6 years after university, and now having my own six children that we homeschool, I have discovered tips to help children memorize Bible verses. Follow along as I give you ten tested methods for Bible memory, which can be used by people of all ages!
1. Repeat Phrases
Divide the Bible verse into small sections. Read those sections one at a time while your child repeats each section to you. Repeat the verse over and over, a little at a time. When your child is comfortable with the small parts, lengthen the phrases by combining some of them until he or she can recite the whole verse.
Here is an example using John 3:16:
LEVEL ONE: “For God so loved the world”/ “that He gave His one and only Son”/ “that whoever believes in Him”/ “will not perish”/ “but have everlasting life.” / “John 3:16”
LEVEL TWO: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son,”/ “that whoever believes in Him will not perish”/ “but have everlasting life. John 3:16”
LEVEL THREE: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son,”/ “that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”/ “John 3:16”
LEVEL FOUR: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16”
2. Listening to the Scriptures
Do you have a child who seems to be an auditory learner? Try having your child read their verse and recording that verse on a tablet or phone. Your child can play it back as many times as he or she needs to in order to memorize it. Using some additional technology, your child can also change the playback speed or add some special effects to make the listening more fun… and easier to hold in their memory.
You could also look for places online that read the Scriptures. Listening as the text is read over and over again by the smooth voice of the reader could be a good way to memorize the verses. Try finding your verse read on an App like Audible.
3. Repetition
One of the tried-and-true methods of memorizing any thing is repetition. I have found that my children do best when we work on our Scriptures a little bit each day, not trying to master it all in one day, but repeating it over and over for 3-5 days. Build into your day a time that you work on these verses so you can master these verses through repetition.
4. Put Words to Music
One of our favorite ways to learn Scripture is to use a familiar tune then add the words of the verse to it. We like using the tunes of Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or Jesus Loves Me. It is amazing to see how quickly we can learn the words to a verse by adding them into a song.
You can also check on YouTube for songs with the lyrics of your verse. For example, when we were looking for a way to memorize the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23, we searched for it on YouTube (listen to the one my kids like here) and found several songs to help us memorize them. It made memorizing the list much simpler for all the children (and for me, too!). A few of our children will still go back to that song when asked to list the Fruit of the Spirit.
5. Fill in the Blanks
First, print the verse on a white board. Read the verse together a few times to become familiar with the words, then erase a few of the key words. Read the verse again, inserting the word from empty space. Continue to read and erase words until all the words are missing and the board is empty. Now recite the whole verse from memory!
6. Motions/Acting it Out
Do you find that using your whole body helps you to memorize things more quickly? Well, this tip is for you! Use motions that correspond with the words from your Bible verse, making sure that motions help you remember the words or phrases instead of distracting you. When you say “Jesus”, touch the palm of one hand and then the palm of the other hand (the sign language for Jesus). When you say “love”, cross your arms on your chest. The word “world” could be made by making a circle with your arms. Be creative.
While you may be excited to use lots of motions to make your verse, be careful to only use ones which will add to the verse. Too many motions can become confusing instead of helping you remember the next part of the verse.
7. Words on Cards
Read your memory verse several times together. Next, get out some scrap paper. Cut them into squares or rectangles and add one word from the verse to each paper. After spreading the papers on the table, try to put the words in order according to the verse. Once you have put them in order, read it several times together before mixing up the papers and trying again.
8. Write it Down
There is just something about writing that really helps me to remember things – maybe because I am a visual learner. You can try using different fonts of writing (printing, cursive, or calligraphy) or try using different mediums (pencil, colored pencils, markers, pens, calligraphy pens, chalk, and more). Some even find writing their verses down several times but using a different color each time is helpful in their memorization.
9. Post it around Your House
Posting your Bible verse around your home will help you to see and read it throughout the day. First, copy your verse onto a piece of paper or an index card. Now post this verse somewhere in your home that you will see it over and over again in your day. When you see the verse, pause and read it few times, trying to hold it in your memory. I like posting it on a bathroom mirror because I take the time while I am brushing my teeth kids’ teeth to review the verse with them. This helps me to be sure to read it at least one time per day with them, and it gets the verse in front of them each time they use the bathroom. You could also make it the background for your child’s tablet or phone or could put a sticky note on your computer screen.
10. Use your Voices
If your children are like mine, they love to act things out and say things like different characters! Well, use this creative spirit in your Bible memory time. After reading their verse through a few times in a normal, inside voice, have your children use volume and tone to rehearse their Bible verses. You may want them to whisper the verse or say the verse like a football coach. Pick different characters from movies or use volume to create a variety of ways to repeat your verse. Try some of these:
- In a loud, medium or soft voice
- In a drill sergeant’s voice
- In your favorite movie character’s voice
- In a whisper
- In a baby’s voice
- In an opera singer’s voice
- In a shouting voice
- In a villian’s voice
- In an old lady’s voice
- In a squeaky voice
- In a dog’s voice
Feel free to have your children help you name additional ways to repeat the Bible verses. When you have their creativity, there will be endless ways to practice God’s Word.
**Remember to always be respectful of the Word of God when you are memorizing it. If your child is beginning to rehearse his/her verse in a way that is being inappropriate, change the activity and start another one. We always want to strive to treat the Scriptures with the reverence it deserves, but that doesn’t mean the Bible can’t be fun!**
What tips for memorizing verses with children do you have?
Which of these ten tips have you tried successfully?
Please comment below.
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