How to Help a Child Remember Bible Verses

Bible verses can come alive for children through play and music.

The sound of children reciting Bible verses is almost a musical experience, and teaching children to learn Bible verses by heart can be deeply enjoyable. Not only does a child learn to recall parts of Scripture, but she also engages with the lines of the Christian sacred text, giving the messages a chance to be written on her heart and her mind. Use a variety of techniques to acquaint a child with a Bible verse, and to give her the opportunity to remember these lines of her young Christian faith.

Things You'll Need

• Bible
• Pencil
• Notebook
• Paper
• Crayons

Instructions

1. Get your child into motion as you recite a Scripture verse together. Gather more than one child for an enhanced sense of play. Write the verse on a board. Ask your child to stand she recites the verse the first time, suggests the Kidz Place website. Instruct her to jog quickly in place, reciting the verse quickly. Ask your child to stand on her toes while whispering the verse. Cover the verse, but continue to recite with her. March around the room with your child as you shout the verse together. Ask your child to walk backward while reciting the verse in a normal tone.

2. Sing a song of Scripture to teach your child a Bible verse. Use a well-known nursery rhyme tune, or a popular children's song. Sing the Bible verse to the tune of the song. Sing with your child and bring a friend into the play. Practice during the day and sing the song to your child at bedtime. Ask your child and her friend to perform the singing verse for you during snacktimes and mealtimes.

3. Teach your child a Bible verse a week using a Bible, writing and drawing. Show your child a verse in the Bible, like Isaiah 53:6, suggests the Child Bible Lessons website. Ask her to copy the verse into a notebook used just for Bible verse lessons, and encourage her to draw a picture related to the verse. Hang the picture and its accompanying verse on the refrigerator. Ask your child to recite the verse whenever she gets something out of the refrigerator. When a week has passed, inquire if she knows the verse by heart.

Tips & Warnings

• Use games, playful activities and singing to teach Bible verses to children of all ages.

References

• Kidz Place: More Than 100 Missions Bible Memory Games and Other Activities
• Child Bible Lessons: Teach Scripture for Children

Resources

• 4 Children; Play: It's the Way Young Children Learn; Jean Tepperman; May-June 2007
• "Christian Today"; "Sing Up" Helps Children Learn Through Song; December 2007