Scripture Memorization for Young Children

  

There are many ways to teach scripture memory to children – many of them no doubt more creative than the way we do it in our home! However, this works for our girls (ages 2 and 4). 

First, I ask Dan what scriptures he would like them to memorize. We work together to choose scriptures that are appropriate and can be easily understood at their ages. 

Next, I find clip art or photographs that show a word or action discussed in the scripture. For example, for John 3:16, I chose a picture of the world and a picture of a heart (love). This triggers the words “world” and “love”, which helps them remember the beginning of the verse “For God so loved the world…” Once they remember how the scripture starts, they can usually finish it. 

I have one non-reader and one very beginning reader, so the pictures help trigger their memories. I still type the entire scripture out, so as they grow and learn to read, they can read along with me. 

I type the scripture in large print in a Word document and add the clip art. I then attach the paper to a brightly colored background. Finally, I hang them at a child’s eye level near their play area. On many occassions during playtime, I’ve seen the girls stand along the “scripture wall” and run their fingers along the words while they recite the verses that they know. 

We’ve added one new scripture every 1 to 2 weeks since starting school. Each time we learn a new scripture, I read it once through slowly. Then I repeat the scripture in small chunks, with the girls repeating after me. (I include the book, chapter and verse as well.) We do this every day until they can recite the entire scripture on their own. 

We discuss the meaning of the scripture and I ask them how they think the picture that I’ve chosen describes the verse. We discuss how it can be applied in their *young* lives and sometimes, where it works, we draw pictures of the girls acting out the Scripture. For example, for I John 4:21, Abigail drew a picture of her doing something loving toward Iliana – sharing a toy that she really wanted to play with. I’ve often referred them back to their memory verses during times of conflict or bad attitudes. I ask them to go to the applicable scripture and recite it for me. Then we discuss how they did or did not follow God’s Word in that situation. By doing this, they are learning that the Word of God is an intricate part of our everyday lives, not just something we memorize!  

Each day during our Bible Time, we go back over all of the ones that we’ve learned. Even Iliana, at her young age, can recite many of the scriptures. I know that she cannot fully comprehend all of the meaning of each scripture, but for some of them she can.

Children have an amazing capability to remember things. What information could be more important to memorize than scripture? I want these words to be a part of their minds from as early as they can remember! 

We’ve found that this is one way that we can fufill this mandate for parents: 

“You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”  

Deuteronomy 11:19 

 

Here are some more examples:  

 

 

Additional Scripture Memory resources - scripture set to music!

• A wonderful set of Scripture Memory CDs over at Beloved Books, an online bookshop with many Christian educational books and materials. These CDs, called Scripture Songs, consist of songs that are simply the scriptures put to music – some of them slow and lyrical, some of them upbeat. They have a folk-song sound. This are CDs that I definitely plan to purchase in the future! You can listen to some samples here.
• Hearts for Family has a great CD entitled By Heart Scripture Songs. You can listen to clips here. I’ve just purchased this CD and can’t wait to listen to it!!