I love when I go to a family's home and see their fridge covered in Memory Verse magnets from our children's ministry. Every month, I make memory verses magnets for all the kids, and we practice the verses every week in church, as well as encourage kids to practice them at home every time they see them on the fridge. The kids have one month to memorize two verses. 

On the last Sunday of the month, all of the kids who can say both memory verses completely get a prize out of the treasure box. We call this Memory Verse Challenge, and the kids love it! I've even had parents and volunteers tell me this is a great way for THEM to memorize Scripture. 

I like to do different things to mix it up as we help kids memorize the verses. Sometimes we play games to help them learn the verses; sometimes we make up motions, and sometimes I use songs. You can get some good Scripture song resources from Group or from Seeds Family Worship, or even from just doing a youtube search with the verse reference. 

The important thing we do is explain to the kids as often as possible how important it is to hide God's Word in their hearts. We help them understand the importance of keeping His word with you at all times through memorizing and meditating on Scripture. We remind kids that it's not just for them to be able to say the words, but to know them in their heart and let God change their lives through His Word. We ask kids to tell us what the verses mean in their own words, and how they apply to their lives. 

We also give memory verse magnets to our preschoolers (age 3-5), and they do the same thing (theirs are the same verses, just shortened a little). Some people may think that young kids can't memorize Scripture.... but we have had some of our best memorizers in our younger classes! Over the summer, one of our preschool teachers challenged her class of 3-4 year olds to memorize the entire CHAPTER of Psalm 23, and we had quite a few little ones who did it, and got the prize of their own Bible! 

We tell the kids that when they know Scripture, God can bring it to their mind when He wants them to hear it, and they can also always be ready to share God's Word with others. 

It amazes and inspires me to see kids who love the Word and get excited to learn Scripture, and I love hearing stories of how God's Word impacts their lives and how they are living out the memory verses at home!

Since I've posted a little about our memory verse magnets, I always have other children's pastors ask where I get them.... I make them every month, and it is so simple; anyone can do it! I will include instructions and a free template for you to use. 

I create the memory verses on an app called Rhonna Designs ($1.99 on the iPad or iPhone). Then I print them out and get them laminated and cut (I use Office Depot for this, but you could do it yourself), and put a small piece of magnet tape on the back of each one. 

Here are some free resources

List of Memory Verses for Kids for a two year rotation -  We do a two year cycle; at the end of one year, kids should be able to say 24 verses; at the end of two years, they should know 48 verses!

21 Ideas to Help Kids Memorize Scripture - Here is a list I've put together of 21 fun ideas for helping kids learn Scripture. We like to mix it up and help kids learn in lots of different ways!

Memory Verse Magnet Template - You can download this one and make it your own, or just use it as an idea to customize one for your church. (Tip: When you go to print them, change the settings to '6' one one page, otherwise, you'll end up with one big picture; and I adjust the space between them too, to make them easier to cut)

Earlier this month, we did a church-wide fast. I wanted to get kids involved and find a good way to teach them about fasting. So I did some research. I spent hours looking online, and not finding much AT ALL for teaching kids about fasting. The only thing I found was a fasting calendar.... then God put this idea on my heart as a fun and engaging way to teach kids about fasting. 

This was a fantastic way for kids to learn in a hands-on way that they can understand. I came up with a lesson, based on the object lesson of an empty cup- which represents us as we empty ourselves from the distractions that keep us from focusing on God, and the way God fills us up. He fills us with His love, His strength and grace, and His Spirit. 

The lesson was fun for the kids, but my favorite part was getting to give the kids their own Fasting Cups to take home. We don't just want kids to focus on what they are GIVING UP, but on what God can do to FILL them up. We didn't encourage kids to fast from meals, because their growing bodies need nutrients. Kids would get two cups: one that says "GIVE UP" and one that says "FILL UP." Each cup had slips of paper in them. They would do a drawing a few times a week; one drawing would tell them what they would give up for one day (TV, cell phone, sweets/junk food, etc.) and one cup would be something they could do to allow God to fill them up (Read a certain Scripture, memorize a verse, write a prayer, etc.). 

It was really cool to see the kids involved in the church-wide fast, and see their dedication. I had parents tell me that even when THEY started to "cheat" on their fast, their kids would remind them about fasting and the importance of it! The kids inspired me with their hearts for God. I love hearing stories of kids living out their faith at home. The fasting cups were just one simple tool to help kids connect with God at home and live out their faith. 

If you want a copy of the lesson "Fasting for Kids" or more info about the cups, click HERE to get this resource from my store. 

My husband and I finished the 21 Day Daniel fast last weekend, and it was a great experience for us, although I'm glad to get back to eating regular food!


Lynne Howard