Question: How can I help children memorize a Bible verse?
Think! Do these symbols remind you of a Bible verse that gives believers motivation for memorizing Scripture?
Click here to see if you guessed correctly.
You want your children to memorize! You need IDEAS on how to help them.
Use the word IDEAS to help you memorize a method that works.
Introduce the
verse to the children and Include
a visual.
Draw the children's attention to what the verse says and how
it relates to their lives.
Use a question, puppet, dialogue volunteers can read, short
illustration, picture ...
Be creative!
EXAMPLE: Choose one or three children to respond to each of these statements:
Then say, "God tells you one thing He wants you to do in the evening, and in the morning, and at noon. We find out what it is in Psalm 55:17." Show a visual next.
The words can be written on a board or poster, projected by overhead or PowerPoint . . . whatever!
After you Introduce the
verse to the children and Include
a visual,
Demonstrate where to find the verse in the Bible.
Read the verse from your Bible or have a child do this.
By using your Bible you can be sure the words match your
visual.
Encourage the children to find the verse in their Bibles.
Yes, this will take longer!
Yes, it is important for a child to use his Bible!
Yes, the children may have different versions.
CAUTION!
Avoid
saying, "Does your Bible say something different?"
Instead say,
"Does your Bible say the same thing using other words?"
You may want to memorize the second question
as you will probably need it!
Some children will not realize the verses come from the Bible if you only use
your visual aids. In our Good News Club® we were teaching the names of the
books of the Bible.
Patrick arrived early one day so we asked
him, "What's the first book in the Bible?"
"Genesis!" he answered confidently.
For some reason, we opened a big family Bible
on the table to Genesis as we asked, "What's the second book?"
"Exodus!" he said. You should have
seen the amazement on his face as we turned to that book. "Leviticus!"
he said, turning the pages himself. He never connected the words he was learning
with the Bible. Children are very excited to see memory verses right in a copy
of the Bible, especially if it's their own.
Explain what the verse means.
Briefly
explain any unfamiliar words or concepts.
In
future weeks review the meaning of
the verse as well as the words.
Children will not apply a verse if
they don't understand what it means. Deuteronomy 30:14 says, "But the word is very nigh
unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy ,
that thou mayest do it."
Samantha was learning the meaning of
Good News Club verses
even before she mastered the words. Our new verse was Proverbs 3:5, and this
eight year old couldn't remember all of it. Creatively she said, "I like to
make up my own verses!"
"Like what?" we asked.
Without hesitation she said, "Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and you will be saved!"
Yes, we explained the importance of Bible
verses and learning exactly what God said, but we loved Samantha's combination
of Proverbs 3:5 and Acts 16:31, learned months earlier.
Review the first three steps:
I___________
and I______________
D____________________________
E____________________________
The next step:
Apply
the verse to both unsaved and saved children if possible.
Example: For Psalm 55:17 cited earlier you can say,
If Jesus is not your Savior, the only prayer God is waiting to hear from you is
that you want to receive him as your Savior from sin.
If
you've called on Jesus to save you, you can pray about lots of things. You can
tell God when you're glad or sad or mad. You can tell Him how much you love Him,
and thank Him for all He does for you. You can talk to God anytime!
Help children see how verses apply to them:
Is it a fact? Then remember it!
Is it a promise? Then claim it as your very own!
Is it a command? Then do what it says!
The last step:
Say
the verse together 8-10 times and Send
a copy of the words home with each child.
The way you choose to repeat a verse can add excitement and activity.
Do you need suggestions on a variety of ways to repeat verses? We have suggestions!
First, here's an idea. Print this page, cut out the section that shows the five steps and put them in your Bible until using IDEAS becomes a habit.
(Click here for a single sheet you can print.)
Introduce the
verse to the children and Include
a visual.
Demonstrate where to find the verse in the Bible.
Explain what the verse means.
Apply
the verse to both unsaved and saved children if possible.
Say
the verse together 8-10 times and Send
a copy of the words home with each child.
It's not just children who need to memorize God's Word. Even older people like us need to apply the truth of Psalm 119:11 because
What was the last
verse you memorized?
What will be the next one?
Where do you want to go next?
To
the next question:
What are some interesting ways to repeat the words while helping children memorize a Bible verse?
What
Bible verses should I challenge children to memorize?
To the place for encouragement (changed each week)
