Ever since I realized my child could repeat after me, I was excited to start memorizing Scripture with her. Scripture memory is a big part of my own walk with Christ and to share the joy of memorizing with my little wild cherub means the world to me! We started out with simple verses and a bowl of chocolate chips. As long as she repeated after me long enough to make it through John 3:16, she received a chocolate chip. It didn’t matter if she couldn’t say it on her own yet, I was rewarding her for practicing with me.
Eventually we worked our way through the Romans Road, Psalm 23, and several bowls of chocolate chips over time. Then, the Lord added a second wild cherub into our lives, and our regular Scripture memory practice was put on hold. Two little darling daughters with a taste for mischief and a bad case of the wiggles made memorizing together difficult!
Since then, we finally found a rhythm that works for us. I’m hoping that as we look forward to a third wild little one running around, we’ll be able to continue the momentum we’ve built up as a family and memorize together for years to come.
Here are some things I’ve learned about memorizing Scripture together as a family. May God be glorified and the youngest members of His Church edified!
~Rachel Eernisse, leader of Scripture Speakers.
1. Seasons change and methods should change too
When I first started working with my oldest daughter, there was nothing wrong with the method we were using. First of all, it WORKED. If your method is working for you, it’s a good method. There might be a possibility for improvement in some ways (and I may have some suggestions for you here), but the most important thing is enjoying God’s Word together and helping your little ones store it up in their hearts. However, just because your method works today doesn’t mean it will work next year, or even next week!
Children are changing all the time. This is a deep lesson I’m continuing to learn as my PB and J enthusiast suddenly decides 24 hours after eating her favorite sandwich that all peanut butter is disgusting. It’s not wrong for them to change, and it’s not wrong for you to change the way your family memorizes together. It’s not a failing on your part if something that worked before doesn’t work now. Just because your kids have a lack of interest in memorizing today doesn’t mean they are spiritually defective. Prayerfully, you can find a way to move forward. At the end of this article, you can find some more methods to try and some resources to check out that can help you do just that.
That being said, sometimes perseverance in the face of persnickety attitudes is needed.
2. Perseverance is important with persnickety kids
Sometimes my ray of sunshine wakes up as a grumpy rain cloud. She does not want to memorize Scripture. She also does not want to obey, sit up, get dressed, or do most anything that I ask her to do. It’s been important for me to ask for the Lord’s wisdom during these times to see if I should be changing my method to keep her engaged, or, if I should be persevering through her persnicketyness because no method would change it anyway.
You might be tempted to give up on memorizing Scripture all together if your kids are reluctant to participate. It’s important to remember that this habit of Scripture memory is just as important as the other life-habits we are trying to teach and require our children to follow through in, whether they feel like it or not. Dakota Lynch puts it well in his book, “Remember the Words”: “If you don’t feel bad about requiring children to brush their teeth, you shouldn’t feel bad about requiring Scripture memorization. One prevents physical decay; the other prevents spiritual decay” (Lynch, 49).
The key is to prayerfully consider if there is a need to change your method, consider other things that could be affecting your children’s outlook and motivation, or consider if this is an attitude that will pass as your kids get used to the habit of memorizing together. My ray of sunshine has always been change-reluctant, and sometimes I just need to calmly push through her grumpiness for a few days before she adjusts to her new routine. Before giving up on a new memory method, see if things get better after trying it together for a few days!
3. Memorize together
This has been alluded to already, but I greatly encourage families to memorize together, not just to ask their children to be memorizing. Mom and dad should be memorizing the same verses with the kids at the same time! This helps kids see that it’s possible to memorize and it gives mom and dad an opportunity to model Scripture memory positively. This means that when kids see mom and dad are having fun memorizing, and are happy to be memorizing, they will expect Scripture memory to be a fun and happy experience for them, too. It might feel a little demeaning at first to get up and start dancing around to that catchy memory verse tune, but showing your kids it’s okay to be silly together when you’re memorizing Scripture helps build a positive outlook on Scripture memory for your kids.
You can memorize together by choosing your own verses, looking up collections to consider together, or committing to memorize the same Scriptures your kids are memorizing in Sunday school, weekly clubs, or other Christian functions. Awana Clubs is a great choice if you can find one in your area! Scripture Memory Fellowship also publishes collections of verses, usually paired with some great devotional content.
4. Memorize as an example
One of the reasons why my little girls have been ready to memorize with me is because they’ve seen me memorizing Scripture for my own walk with Christ. They hear me reciting my review passages while I wash the dishes, and they can hear the love that I have for the Bible when I do so. If you aren’t already memorizing for your own walk with Christ, I would encourage you to start doing so. It will be a tremendous blessing in your own life, but it will also be a tremendous blessing in the lives of your kids as they watch you. Most likely, whether you are new to memorizing or if you’ve been memorizing for a long time, you can handle working on another, longer passage than the verses your family works through together. Taking this extra effort to memorize on your own time in addition to the time you spend memorizing as a family communicates to your children just how important this is to you, how powerful and meaningful the Word of God is.
Just be sure to do your memorizing somewhere they can see and hear you! You don’t need to ask them to listen as you review and recite, but if you happen to be near enough that they can hear, you can provide the example they need to see. Not only that, but kids will pick up much more than you ever thought possible when you are reviewing your passages near them each day. You might find yourself interrupted often, not just for the little requests kids frequently make throughout the day, but for genuine, deep questions from your kids about the passage you’ve been working on! I often have to pause in my dish washing and memory review to answer the question, “But what does that mean?”
5. Include understanding as a goal
It is easier to memorize what we understand; otherwise, it’s just a string of words we have to repeat together. But more importantly, Scripture memory should have a meaningful purpose behind it. This isn’t something we do just to check off a box, and it’s not something we do because it is fun (even though we aim to make Scripture memory with the family fun). If our kids only memorize Scripture for simple purposes like these, this habit will not continue into adulthood when they start memorizing by themselves with much less fun involved (some adults still have fun, but let’s face it, we adults are boring compared to kids, aren’t we?).
Part of our purpose in memorizing Scripture is to meditate in His Word and find delight in His truth. We cannot do this if we do not understand the words we are saying. So, even if it means memorizing less verses overall, we must take time to teach through the verses we memorize with our family. Ask your kids about the ‘big’ words in the passage, any words that might be unusual to their daily vocabulary. Consider working through a Scripture memory devotional that includes some age-appropriate teaching with each Bible verse. Note again: Scripture Memory Fellowship makes some great ones! You can also buy Awana club books to use at home even if you don’t have an Awana club to attend in your area.
Why is it so important to help kids understand the words they are repeating? Not only do we want this habit to continue into adulthood, but we want them to understand that the Word of God is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). If our kids don’t understand what they are saying, all they are doing in repeating these precious words is making noise with their mouths. The Word of God should never be heard as noise alone. How can someone fall in love with just noise? Help them hear the beautiful music of God’s Word, to understand and see that it is His truth that convicts, empowers, fortifies, and changes us.
6. Include delight as a goal
Overall, memorizing Scripture should bring joy because Scripture is a source of joy. How many times do the Psalmists say that God’s Word is a source of joy? Read Psalm 119 and you’ll find plenty of examples in just this psalm. If we aren’t finding any joy in our Scripture memory process, it may mean we are missing something in our memory method. Perhaps we aren’t listening to the words as much as we should, or perhaps we aren’t submitting to the Lord as we memorize and asking Him to teach us as we do.
This is also important to pass on to our kids so that the habit continues into adulthood, and they can understand for themselves the beauty and power of God’s Word. With young kids, this might include more elements of fun when we memorize. Silly dances with happy tunes can show our kids that the Bible isn’t dry, dusty, or intimidating. But it should include more than silly dances and happy tunes, it should include a reverence in our hearts as well. We can exemplify this to our kids by sharing how the Lord has used a verse in our lives that week, or talk about certain phrases that bless or convict us in a special way and why they do. As they grow up and as they continue to grow familiar with Scripture and the process of memorizing together, we can ask them more questions that invite their own testimonies of God’s Word at work in their lives.
7. Invite recitation and celebration
Taking time to hear each other recite the verses you’re memorizing provides accountability — it’s a chance to show that you’ve actually succeeded in memorizing the passage. But not only that, a time to recite to each other can provide so much more than accountability. It also provides an opportunity for celebration, to rejoice in the Scriptures that have been memorized as well as in what the Scriptures say. Celebrate your child’s victory with each verse, and show them just how much of a blessing it is to hear them speak these words of Scripture. Listen carefully and tell them how the verse encourages you or convicts you and then thank them for the blessing that they have shared with you.
As your children continue to grow, you can also provide more and more feedback on how they recite. Encourage them to speak in a way that blesses the audience to the fullest with the passage spoken. In other words, in a way that allows the audience to understand (slowly and loudly enough) and aids the audience in understanding (enunciation and emotion that communicates the meaning of the passage). Gentle encouragement and celebration of each victory (celebrating the memorized words as well as the way in which they are said) can go a long way to making Scripture memory as a family a positive experience for all.
You can invite recitation and celebration by setting aside a special, separate time for kids to share what they’ve memorized with the family. After finishing a collection of verses, perhaps you can have a special family dinner where each child shares a verse or even the whole collection from memory. This can be especially meaningful as kids get older and start to have longer passages they’ve accomplished on their own. You can also include extended family, making it a sweet and encouraging mark of completion for your child to look forward to. Even if grandparents can’t make it for dinner, they would love to have a phone call where your child can proudly share the verses they’ve worked hard to get down.
Another wonderful way to celebrate and share recitation is to attend a ScriptureFest together. These are special events independently hosted throughout the United States where families in the area gather together to recite God’s Word to each other. You can find a ScriptureFest in your local area, or find out how to host your own, by heading over to the official website: scripturefest.com. You can sign up for a passage and work on it as a family and then recite it as a family. This is a great introduction to reciting Scripture to larger audiences because you’ll be up there together and the ‘Fests themselves are put on by other amateur reciters.
There may be more opportunities for your family to share Scripture with others through recitation, which is both a beautiful way to celebrate the hard work you’ve done and to minister to the Body of Christ. Perhaps your children’s Sunday school class would like to listen to your family recite your latest collection or passage together, especially if the way you recite or sing your verses looks like fun to the other kids! Local assisted living facilities are often looking for free entertainment for their residents, and even the non-faith based locations might welcome your family to come and share a ‘performance’ of Scripture. It might be best to flesh this out into something that takes up more time, and you can see if there are members of your church who will help you with adding some hymns in between passages or a short message to teach through them. The good news is that the audience (though not necessarily the most responsive in facial expressions during a performance) is very appreciative and encouraging to young people coming to recite!
Memory methods to try:
Here are some quick ideas to try when memorizing Scripture as a family that are a little more creative than simple repetition. Don’t be too stressed about your method or if the verses don’t seem to stick at first. As I always like to say, memorization is an automatic result of repetition over time. Even if your kids aren’t actively trying to commit God’s Word to memory, as long as you are repeating the verses in some way together mostly every day, they will memorize anyway. The same goes for you too, parent! Sometimes it takes a few days longer for verses to stick for us, but stick with it and and the verses will be stuck soon enough. Simple repetition works, but creative repetition is more fun and helps keep kids engaged:
1. Hand motions
Movement helps our brains memorize information, and adding hand motions to verses helps kids stay engaged. You don’t have to have a hand motion for every single word; instead, try to motion out the main ideas. My daughters love to include facial expressions as well. For example, we motion out “snares of death” in Proverbs 14:27 with clawed hands and a growling face.
2. Singing
I don’t find it too hard to make up a tune for a single verse, especially because I have no musical training and no guilt when I break rules and keys to make the tune (or so my husband says, I’m not sure what the rules or keys are). Making up your own tune does not require excellent musical skills! As long as it’s catchy and easy to sing along with, your tune will work just fine for your family. You might find it beneficial to record a video with each other the first time you come up with it so that you don’t forget how the tune goes before you’ve memorized it fully.
There are also plenty of musical options for verses that you can find from various ministries. A couple of my favorites are listed in the suggested resources later in this article. You can also read this article on musical ministries to find more. Another option is searching for a particular reference and preferred translation on YouTube. Many people have channels where they post their tunes.
3. Acting
Jeremy Kluth is a professional reciter and actor and says that his favorite way to memorize Scripture is to act it out. In his book “Power to Remember,” he encourages families to give this a try as well, even suggesting that different family members take different roles in the passage (Kluth). This method is especially helpful when memorizing a full story in the Bible, something we discovered while memorizing Jonah chapter one with our daughters. Their favorite part was when Jonah is picked up and thrown into the sea, which we illustrated by picking up each of them and tossing them onto their beds. They giggled a lot more than Jonah probably did, but they also asked to recite through the passage one more time and one more time please!
4. Games
The classic game is the “whiteboard game,” where the verse is written out on a whiteboard and read aloud. Each time you’ve finished reading through, erase one or two words and read it again, filling in the blanks from memory. Repeat until all the words are gone. Dakota Lynch has several unique ideas to share in his book, including an upgraded version of the whiteboard game that turns it into a relay race (Lynch). Another idea to try would be to write six ways to say the verse on a piece of paper and then have each family member roll a die. Whichever number the die lands on is the way the family member will have to say the verse, reading it aloud or repeating with help if it isn’t memorized yet.
For example: 1) in a whisper 2) while jumping 3) while being tickled 4) with teeth clenched 5) upside down (bodily) 6) with opera singing
Suggested Resources:
Books to read:
“Speaking Scripture” by Rachel Eernisse. Foundational book helping answer the why of Scripture memory: to delight in God’s Word and invite Him to use it. Also covers recitation as a ministry to others and how to begin doing it well.
“Remember the Words” by Dakota Lynch. Practical book that also covers foundational thoughts on Scripture memory and delves into other basic matters, including memorizing with children.
“Power to Remember” by Jeremy Kluth. Covers foundational thoughts and delves into a greater focus on learning types applied to Scripture memory. Includes lists of suggested passages and verses to memorize.
Scripture memory devotionals from Scripture Memory Fellowship.
Videos to watch:
“Beginning with Your Youngest Memorizer” Scripture Memory Podcast from the Scripture Memory Fellowship.
“Memorizing with Teenagers” Scripture Memory Podcast from the Scripture Memory Fellowship.
“How to Memorize Scripture as a Family (+other ideas with Glenna Marshall)” from Bible Memory Goal.
Songs to sing:
Memorize Scripture with Song, Leah Coralan on YouTube.
Awana, free on Spotify.
By the Book the Bible, designed for whole books of the Bible in bite sized chunks.
The Bible Song, all of the New Testament set to music, although still working to produce all. Much is already available for free on the site.
Miscellaneous:
RHEMAin Board Game, designed for small group Bible studies. Great for families as well, especially with older kids. Each “turn” involves landing on a space that gives a new memory verse to the turn-taker.
Summer Bible memory camp, kids can earn a free week of camp by memorizing a set of verses! Bible Memory Ministries puts on several camps in a few different states for various age groups. Scripture Memory Fellowship has a camp in Louisiana that is for kids and adults, so your kids can go on their own or you can attend as a whole family.
ScriptureFests: As mentioned in the article, these are events independently hosted throughout the United States that celebrate Scripture. Families and individuals sign up to memorize a passage and recite it at the event. Find one in your area or click the link to learn how to host your own! These events vary in size.
Scripture Speakers Store, the ministry shop for Scripture Speakers, (the site you are reading this article on!). Great place to find Scripture-designed gifts to celebrate significant memory accomplishments, like t-shirts for the family when you finish working through a memory book. Also has products designed to double as Scripture memory tools.
Cited:
Kluth, J. (2023). POWER to remember: Scripture Memory That Works. Spirit Media.
Lynch, D. (2023). Remember the Words: Why and How to Make Scripture Memory a Way of Life. Scripture Memory Fellowship.