Teaching Scripture Memory to Children - By Ruth L. Snyder

“Lord, I need help! How can I encourage all of my children to memorize your word? Better yet, how can I help them think about your word throughout the day?” One summer I decided that I would like to focus more on Scripture memory with my children. After all, God’s Word is (or should be) central to all I think, say, and do. As a Christian parent, I believe one of my responsibilities is teaching my children about God and His Word. At the time, I had four children ranging in age from 9 down to 4. They had differing abilities to concentrate and memorize. Only my 9-year-old could read.

As I prayed, I thought about some of the strategies that I use as a piano teacher. For instance, practicing a little bit each day produces better results than oodles of practice on one or two days. I also remembered a challenge one of my Bible college professors gave to friends and parents as my choir left for a tour – “whenever you brush your teeth, pray for the choir.”

After thinking and praying, I came up with a plan. I chose a Psalm to work on as a family. I typed each verse of the Psalm onto the computer along with a picture clue. Then the verses were printed and pasted onto individual pieces of cardboard. For the next few days, every time we sat down to eat, I read the first verse while my children listened and followed on the verse card. Sometimes the children asked questions and we discussed the verse. I also explained individual words and the meaning of the verse as a whole. This form of Scripture memory took very little time and became part of our daily routine. Within a matter of days, all of the children were able to repeat the verse. We continued the pattern throughout the summer. Once the whole family mastered a verse, we moved on to the next verse. Some days we were not as consistent as other days. However, by the end of the summer, we had most of the Psalm memorized.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 talks about teaching our children wherever we are throughout the day. Although this is a challenge in our busy world, it is possible. Start small, and keep building. God’s Word is one of the richest treasures we can share with our children. Scripture memory will help them throughout their lives. Try it, you’ll like it!