By Jenna Townson 

What’s your go-to method for remembering important things? Personally, I make a lot of lists and set phone alerts. What about remembering Scripture? Can you memorize Scripture with the same tools? Memorizing Bible verses is important, but it can be hard. It can be hard for kids, too, but this is the time of their lives when they can more easily memorize and then have that truth in their heart for the rest of their life.  

Here are four methods you can use with kids to help them memorize Scripture. 

The first idea is to make verse cards with the kids. Hands-on learners will memorize more easily if they write the verse down and put it in a visible place. Verse cards can also be helpful for visual learners and for artsy kids. Write the verse simply or with special lettering art, or draw pictures next to the verse to remind kids of what the verse means. For example, you can draw hearts, people, and the earth on your John 3 verse 16 card to remind you that God loves the people of the world. This is a chance for you and the kids to get creative. Then, encourage kids to put their work of art somewhere they’ll see it every day. Like their bedroom, bathroom, or schoolbag. Challenge them to say the verse out loud whenever they see it to help them remember it. 

The second idea is to learn the verse with music! I know a lot of kids who learn songs the first time they hear them. I’m sure you know kids who can sing their favorite musical soundtrack without missing a single lyric. Why not apply that to memorizing verses? It’s a fun way to help kids remember Scripture without trying too hard. U-Nite TV offers free online verse song music videos. These can be used at home or in a Sunday school classroom. Some of the music videos include verses like Ephesians 4:32 and James 1:5. You can sign up for the U-Nite TV app at unite.cefonline.com. 

My third suggestion is to set goals with kids. This isn’t a memorization method, exactly, but it’s a great way to motivate kids to memorize Scripture. It may take a while for kids to see the spiritual rewards of Scripture memory, but they can have a short-term reward to look forward to when they set goals. Help kids even further by visualizing their goals. You can make a simple chart with the kids’ names and the verses they want to memorize. There are lots of creative ideas for making charts on Pinterest or other places online. Charts help with a sense of accomplishment on the way to the larger goal. You can offer a prize for when they reach their goal. I find that 10 verses are a great start for a chart and a prize. 

My final suggestion is to play memory verse games. Games are a great way for kids to see that memorizing verses can be fun. Here are a couple game ideas. The first game is called “Choose a Letter.” For this game, you’ll need the verse visualized on a flashcard or on a whiteboard where they can all see it. Read the verse together, then let one kid choose a letter found in the verse. Pick a second kid to choose an action. Read the verse again, but this time do the chosen action whenever you read a word with the chosen letter. For example, if the first kid chose the letter “a” and the second chose “hop” the whole group would hop every time they read a word with the letter “a”. Another game you can play is “Follow the Leader.” For this game, the kids repeat the verse as they follow the motions and movement of the teacher or another “leader.” 

I hope you have fun helping kids memorize Scripture and learn some for yourself along the way!