One of the most impactful things we can do to set kids up for spiritual success is helping them memorize Scripture.
So many promises are listed for those who "hide" God's Word in their heart.
One day, the children we minister to will be on their own spiritually. They will face trials, temptations and attacks from the enemy.
But if their faith is grounded in the Word of God, they can thrive as a follower of Jesus.
Knowing key passages will give them the "Sword of the Spirit" whereby they can stand strong.
Let's look at 10 ways you can help children memorize God's Word.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
If you want children to memorize Scripture, then have them repeat the verse over and over and over.
Look what it says in Deuteronomy 6.
REPEAT them AGAIN and AGAIN to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
Did you know that if a child hears something one time in a month, their retention rate will only be 10%. But if they hear something at least 6 times in a month, their retention rate goes up to 90%.
Repetition is a vital part of kids memorizing Scripture and moving it into their long-term memory.
Use the "missing word" game.
Show all the words of the verse and have kids repeat it a couple of times.
Take out or cover up a word of the verse. See if the kids can still say the verse. Keep going until all of the words are taken out or covered up.
The Mix-Up.
Put the words of the verses on individual cards.
Turn them over and mix them up.
See how quickly the kids can put the verse back in order.
Motions
Have the kids make up a motion for each keyword in the verse.
Have them repeat the verse several times while using the motions.
Say the Next Word
Point at a child and ask them to say the first word of the verse.
Then point to another child and have them say the second word of the verse.
Keep doing this until the kids have said the entire verse.
Sing It
Have the kids make up a song with the words of the verse.
Balloon Burst
Write the words of the verse on small pieces of paper that you can fold up. One word per paper.
Place the papers in balloons and blow them up. One or two words per balloon.
Divide the kids into 2 teams.
First child from each team will run down, grab a balloon and pop it.
They will then grab the piece of paper and place it on a table or ground.
The next child will go down and do the same thing.
The first team that has all of the words of the verse in order wins.
Word Search
Place the words of the verse in a word search puzzle.
See who can find all the words from the verse and then quote it.
There are plenty of sites that can create puzzles for you free of charge. Do a google search to find them.
Bible Art
Have kids draw pictures that represent the words of the verse.
Have kids use the drawings to say the verse.
Circle Pass
Have the kids get in a circle.
Hand one child a soft item (ball, stuffed animal, etc.).
The first child will say the first word of the verse and then toss the soft item to someone else. The person that catches the item will say the next word of the verse. Keep going until you've said the entire verse.
*A big part of kids memorizing Scripture must be their parents getting involved. Put tools in the hands of parents to help with this.
