Hide God’s Word in Their Heart

By Dr. Kira WilsonFamily Life, Help with Education

Hide God's Word in Their Heart

Every school day, the students at Covenant Academy recite a pledge to the Bible along with pledges to both the American and Christian flag.  The pledge is composed of Scripture, making it rich in meaning.  “I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word.  I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.” 

The Importance of Memorizing Scripture

Psalm 119:105 and Psalm 119:11 are verses familiar to us and remind us of the importance of memorizing Scripture.  Like a lamp that guides our way in darkness, His Word teaches us how to live rightly.  The practice of memorizing scripture has value for a lifetime.  Over the years I have memorized scripture along with my students, and these passages are firmly rooted in my heart.  Children generally have an easier time of memorizing, but in order to have them truly committed to long term memory, verses must to be reviewed and recited again and again. 

Once hidden in your heart, Scripture is helpful to teach, encourage, calm fear, bring peace, and offer hope.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). 

Helping Children Memorize Scripture

Here are some fun ways to commit to memory the Word of God.  I have provided ideas based on different learning styles.  For help identifying your child’s learning style refer to Learning Styles and Strategies for Learning or request my Guide to Understanding Your Children’s Learning Styles.

Visual Learners
  1. Write the verse down on paper and display it on a bedroom door, refrigerator, back of head rest in car, or other place the child will see it often.
  2. Write the verse on a dry erase board. Erase words and have the child fill in the missing word.
  3. Use color markers to write the verse.
  4. Write the verse with chalk on your driveway.
  5. Have child write the verse and draw a picture to represent its meaning.
  6. Find pictures from magazines or draw pictures to represent certain words in the verse.
  7. Write individual words on cards and place in the proper sequence.
Auditory Learners
  1. Put the verse to music using a familiar tune (e.g. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or The Bear Went Over the Mountain).
  2. Make up your own tune to learn the verse.
  3. Repeat a short phrase of the verse out loud until committed to memory before adding the next part of the verse or passage.
  4. Repeat the verse with your child, each of you saying every other word, then every two words, then every three words.
  5. Use a recorder app to record and listen to the verse.
Kinesthetic Learners
  1. Toss a ball back and forth as you recite the verse together.
  2. Recite the verse while doing jumping jacks.
  3. Jump on a trampoline or jump rope while reciting the verse.
  4. Write the verse in shaving cream or sand.
  5. Recite the verse while walking or marching around the house or yard.
  6. Read the verse from note cards while walking around an object.
  7. Clap as you recite the verse.
  8. Write the words of the verse on a hopscotch grid and play the game together.
 What Should They Memorize?

Children attending a Christian school, and many churches, have weekly or monthly passages to memorize.  I highly encourage you to keep a file, book, chart, or card system for the verses you want your children to commit to memory.  Learning a verse for Sunday or a test at school on Friday may be easy.  Remembering that verse six months or ten years from now is another matter.  If the verses are reviewed each week, there is a much better chance of retrieving them from memory for years to come.  Using this strategy, your child can learn longer passages by adding verses over time.  Remember to learn the address along with the verse.

The Psalms and Proverbs are a bountiful source of comfort, praise, and wisdom.  The book of Romans provides an understanding of our sinful state and the grace offered by God to forgive us.  Some passages provide foundational understanding of Creation and God.  Here are just a few of my favorite passages for children, which can be memorized a verse or two at a time:

Genesis 1:1-5                        Creation

Luke 2:1-14                            Birth of Christ

Psalm 100                               Psalm of Praise

Psalm 23                                 Psalm of Comfort

Psalm 139:7-16                     God’s Omnipresence

1 Corinthians 13                   What is Love?

Ephesians 4: 26-32              Conduct Toward Others

Do you have a fun way to memorize Scripture or a favorite passage your children have memorized?  Please share your experience with me.