How to Help Your Children Memorize a Bible Verse

Most parents would agree that having children only strengthened their faith. What better example of Christ's love than the gift of our children. Memorizing Bible verses is an excellent way to instill a fundamental understanding and appreciation of God's Word. Simple Bible verses can be taught to children as young as two years old-depending on their language skills-and older children will comprehend not only the meaning of the verse, but the message. Children have an amazing capacity for learning and when given the opportunity, take immense pride in being able to store up God's Word in their heart.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Pencil
• Paper
• 5x7 Index Card
• Reward Chart/Reward

1. Pray: Choosing a Bible verse is more than picking a random phrase. Pray on where your children are emotionally and developmentally and choose a verse that can be applied to every day experiences. Pray for God's wisdom and guidance and for your children's receiving of the verse and it's meaning.
2. Choose a Verse Appropriate for Your Child's Age: To begin, small children should be given short Bible verses. Avoid verses too long or with difficult wording to prevent frustration. When choosing a verse, be prepared to describe the verse and its meaning, explaining any word or phrase that they do not understand. The verse should be applicable to every day life and experiences.
3. Write it Down: If your children are of school age, have them write their Bible verse on a 5x7 index card. Post the index card on the fridge or in plain sight where it can be reviewed and repeated multiple times daily. If your children are too young to write, do it for them! Write it in bright ink or crayon to catch their attention and place it at eye level.
4. Have Fun!!: Learning is fun!!! Make it an enjoyable experience for your children. Just think, they are learning the Word of our Creator and Savior-there is nothing better than that! Take advantage of music, nursery rhymes and word play to make memorization easier. Clap, beat a drum, pat or put spoons to pans. Tell your children the story and meaning behind the verse and create activities to reiterate your verse. For example, if you are learning Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth", color pictures illustrating God's creation or take a walk outside to point out the beauty of His creation.
5. Reward: Positive reinforcement comes in all shapes and sizes. If your family already has a daily chart of responsiblities, add "learn bible verse" and incorporate some kind of special reward for being able to recite it at the end of the week. My children love stickers and enjoy a little treat after successfully reciting their verse. Encourage them to call grandma & grandpa to recite their verse and the praise they will recieve is a reward as well as encouraging and will fill them with a sense of pride for their accomplishment.
6. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: The best tool to memorization is repetition. Keeping it fun as described in Step 4, also implement the Bible verse as a teaching tool. For example, if your Bible verse is Luke 6:31 "Do unto others as you would have them to do you" and you find your children in conflict, use their verse to teach them God's daily expectations regarding his or her attitude and behavior. Allow these verses to transcend into ACTION!! that they can see and touch.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many resources online for finding appropriate verses for children. I would suggest using Google to do a search and create your own plan for your family
• Set a good example! Let your children see you practicing your bible verse for your upcoming bible studies! Children love to imitate their parents and this example with carry them through the rest of their lives!