Tips to teaching children scripture memory

Can you recite any Bible verses you learned as a child? John 3:16, James 2:10, and Romans 3:23 are three that are ever etched into my heart as they were the emphasis of my church’s Bible program growing up. In fact, if you say “For God so Loved”, my brain automatically finishes the statement with John 3:16. I want to give my children these same lifelong gifts and therefore, scripture memorization is a core component of our child training.

While I am still a “new” mom (my oldest is only 7), I would like to share some things that have helped my three talking aged children hide many passages in their hearts.

Raise your expectations: One verse a week for preschool aged children is much too low of an expectation. Think about how a young child can recite numerous of their favorite books and songs. Or how the phrases you repeat often suddenly become a part of a child’s vocabulary. If a child’s mind is bright enough to quote things around them just from absorbing their world, then they are very capable of learning much more through intentional instruction.

Expectations should be set based on your commitment level not based on the ideas you have regarding your children’s capabilities. Your children are quite capable of memorizing long passages if you are committed and capable of putting the time and effort forth. Long term consistency is the key to long term retention.There was a six month period when my children were two and four that I put in a half hour of memorization in the morning and a half hour in the evening with moments sprinkled through the day. During that season they learned an average of 14 verses per week and were set to have the entire book of first John and all of Psalm 119 memorized within the next two months. Unfortunately I burnt myself out and as a result let that all slide. Today, they can’t say very much of either of those passages. The passages that we have reviewed every other week year after year are the ones that have been retained. Evaluate, discern, and pray about how much of your day to commit to this cause and set the expectations accordingly.

Minimize unnecessary input: Screentime and audiobooks are excellent tools when used as tools, not as a crutch. At three and four years old my children are not exposed to much of either. Why do my children get excited when I hand them my phone to listen to a passage on repeat ten times? Because that is the only time they ever get to touch my phone. Why do my children get excited to sing scripture songs? Because we don’t spend time on Baby Shark, Deep and Wide, and other twaddle. They are excited to hold my phone or excited to sing songs with mama!

The second benefit of minimizing other input is saving brain space for memorizing scripture. We can’t hide from it forever, nor should we, but while I can, I do. My seven year old begs to listen to audiobooks or watch documentaries, but when he was three he didn’t even know they existed. I am grateful he is learning about his world through good books but I am also grateful for those younger years when most of his brain space was dedicated to scripture.

Utilize songs: In our family, we get the children ready for bed then everyone sits in the younger children’s room for song time before nighttime prayers. This particular time of singing is dedicated to scripture only. If the children start being disruptive, song time is over. Children learn very quickly that a way to delay bedtime is to behave and engage in songtime. We have all our scripture songs typed or written on paper and hung on the walls so as the children learn to read they can help choose the passages they want to sing that evening. This also helps Daddy and I follow along in case we get stuck or need help with a new song. New songs are introduced regularly. For a youtube playlist with some of our favorites click here.

Choose passages that are relevant to your life or ones likely to be referenced in regular life. Perhaps there are verses or phrases that are commonly quoted at your church or fellowship gatherings. Think about passages you want your children to know so that when you are training them in character matters you have verses (1 Corinthians 13 for example) to point them back to. What passages will support your family’s core beliefs and doctrines? I adore when my children’s ears perk up in the middle of a sermon because the speaker quoted a verse from one of their passages. Choosing good passages engages children in scripture in and outside of the home and inspires them to keep learning.

Have a good attitude. I smile, make eye contact, choose a peaceful countenance, and remain focused on the task at hand during recitation. My children love the eye contact, smiles, and affirmation they receive during recitation. The baby should not become a distraction or a consistent disruption of this special time. I prioritize scripture memory to happen during a half hour that I know the baby will be content or occupied whether it is with food, toys, or a nap. Do not give your children a reason to despise memory recitation time due to your poor attitude. They will eventually express hesitation but let that not be from your example. I have found that during the preschool years children are excited to spend quality time with Mama and have a sense of self-worth when they get to quote verses. Keep that momentum for as long as you can by being excited to spend this quality time with you children.

On a more practical note, record yourself saying the passage with a sing-songy, inflected, happy voice and save it for easy access. I keep all my children’s passages saved to a voice notes folder on my phone. While I am eating my breakfast I will have either the newest passage on repeat or the whole list playing. When the passage is recorded, it is being said with the exact same inflection every single time. I have found that my children learn the passage so much faster with the consistent inflections. And it is stinking adorable to hear a three year old over-inflecting! I also have found that my children learn faster when it is my voice versus someone else’s voice so if you can, record it yourself instead of finding someone reading it out loud on youtube.

Write or type up the passages on a piece of paper. Each of my children have a printed copy in their hands for the first week we are working with a passage. This gives the preschoolers something to do with their hand, helps the emerging reader with their reading, and helps the visual reader visualize the passage. When I handwrite, I will use a different color for each verse or line to help with the visualization.

Stay consistent! This was already mentioned twice in this article, but here is your reminder that consistency is key. During busy seasons or busy days we still prioritize scripture memory, even if it is just doing a review passage. The constant reinforcement is the ticket to long term retention and long term retention is the fruit of our labors.

Typical scripture memorization routine in our household: The children listen to a Bible story while they are eating their breakfast and are then finishing up their breakfast when we transition to scripture memory time. The baby is not yet fussing for their morning nap and the children have full bellies and hence better attitudes. We read together the new passage then focus on working on a verse or two from it that day. We already listened to the new passage from my phone recording several times while we all were eating. Then each child recites one of the review passages. Typically, the oldest child’s passage is the one the next oldest will recite the following day. Even a four year old is expected to know a whole passage and rotate through them. The two and three year olds will usually have a favorite passage and want to do the same one every day.

While I did put alot of energy into teaching my oldest child each passage, I have found that I don’t need to go back re-teach the younger ones since they have been hearing them quoted. If a child does need some help, I will play the phone list of recordings during some quiet playtime.

I hope these tips help to both inspire you to hide God’s word in your children’s hearts as well as help you practically walk it out. Happy learning!