5 Smart Ways of Memorizing Scripture Yourself & with the Kids

Ever wanted help memorizing scripture? The following tips will help you memorize scripture yourself and then help your kids learn how to memorize scripture too!

Have you ever had a moment when the perfect Bible verse popped into your head from memory, just when you needed it most?

Maybe it was a word of encouragement or a bit of wisdom from the Scripture.

Regardless, that scripture verse probably came to your mind because you memorized it at some point in your life, maybe even as a child.

How to Memorize Scripture

Memorizing Scripture is a wonderful practice to begin with kids when they are very young, but sometimes it’s tough to know where to begin!

Since all adults and kids learn different ways, I decided to go with suggestions tied to different learning styles!

Here are five fun and easy ways of how to memorize Scripture with your kids, because we can always stand to memoize scripture as adults too.

Plus, if we take the time to do it ourselves, our kids will see our example and learn to emulate it.

Memorizing Scriptures for Visual Learners

This type of kid (or adult) loves pictures and images, so plug into their illustrative tendencies when you’re memorizing Scripture.

After selecting a monthly family memory verse (here is a good list of 12 scriptures to memorize about God, and here are 12 more scriptures worth memorizing), have your child draw a picture to coordinate with the Scripture.

For example, it could be a super intricate heart (older kids) for John 3:16 or a simple sheep for John 10:11.

You can even find Scripture texts turned into coloring pages at places like:

• Coloring Pages by Mr. Adron
• Flame: Creative Children’s Ministry
• Look to Him and Be Radiant
• What’s in the Bible Coloring Book

You can of course print off beautiful scripture printables or scripture posters for their rooms as well!

You can download free printables online (including here on my website via the form above) as well as buy nice prints and wall decor online of scriptures to memorize at places like:

• Amazon
• DaySpring
• ChristianBook.com

Really, anywhere that you can display the verse visually will help yourself and your child learn and memorize that scripture! Coffee cups, wall decals, post-it notes, jewelry, throw pillows, book marks, and more!

Memorizing Scripture for Auditory Learners

There are so many high-quality Scripture-based songs and CD’s on the market right now.

Groups such as The Rizers, JumpStart3, and Seeds Family Worship compose songs that are almost strictly Scripture and have a catchy beat!  

Play these songs in the car or in the house, and sing them yourself as you go throughout the day!

Memorizing Scripture as a Verbal Learner

If you’ve got an especially verbal kid, make reciting Scripture to memorize it a regular family practice!  

For our family (kids are ages 3 & 4), we found the most effective way to hide God’s Word in our hearts is to make it the last thing we do when we leave the dinner table.

If the kids are done with their dinner and want to be excused, they first recite the month’s memory verse!

We make up motions as a family to help with recall and I’m constantly surprised not only at the length of the verse these kids can memorize but how many verses they can continue to recite as the months go by.

Memorizing Scripture as a Physical Learner

Some kids learn best while moving their bodies. Some adults do too!  

Why not make up some memorizing scripture games surrounding the family’s monthly memory verse?

It can be as simple as writing one word per note card, placing them across the room and having kids run to get them and assemble them in the correct order as fast as possible.

Or have them jump from one note card to the next in the right order.

Or you could get really crazy and design a scavenger hunt or clue-based hunt around a particular scripture memory verse.

You could do jumping jacks every morning as you recite your month’s scripture to memorize… okay, that’s too much.

But, hopefully you get the idea!

We played a wet and wild game at our church called Scripture or Squirted, that would be sure to leave an impression!

You can check out Vibrant Christian Living’s list of 21 Games to Memorize Scripture for even more ideas.

If you want fun activities to do related to some popular scriptures to memorize, check out the ones Katelyn did for her church’s scripture-themed carnival.

Memorizing Scripture as a Logical Learner

For the logic based kid, crosswords and fill in the blank puzzles are always fun for memorizing Scripture!

You can even make your own puzzle based on your family’s monthly memory verse at Discovery Kids or A to Z Teacher Stuff.

If you don’t want to make your own, you can find scripture crossword puzzles on Amazon and ChristianBook.com and scripture word searches on Amazon and ChristianBook.com.

If your kids are older, you could also dive into a Bible concordance and link the month’s memory verse to similarly themed verses (for example, what other verses talk about sheep or courage?).  

Whatever method you choose for memorizing scripture, remember, the important thing is to get started!

Start small with one verse a month (or one verse a quarter) and stick with it until everyone in the family really has it in their heart.  

We know that the Word of God is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and instilling a love of Scripture is an amazing gift that you can begin to give your children today.

Here are some additional resources for you on how to memorize scripture:

• 30 Easy Bible Verses for Kids
• Free Memory Verse Printables (Handwriting Practice)
• Why my Kids Learn Bible Memory Verse Songs (by Oh Amanda)

How have you started memorizing Scripture with your children? What verses did you learn first?

Lindsey Baker-Whitney was a blogger at Growing Kids Ministry, kidmin director, freelance writer, home daycare provider, wife and mom of two. She loved to read, sew, visit the library, and take walks in the neighborhood. She went up to the Lord on August 24, 2018. This post was originally written September 23, 2014.