Why Kids Should Memorize Scripture

The other day, I heard my three year old son playing with his toys, saying "For God so loved the world, He sent His one and only son" to his toys. My heart melted. He had about ten Scripture verses memorized before he even turned three. He loves learning and saying his verses, and I love knowing he has God's Word in his heart, before he can even read.  

My son isn't scared of much (he's almost TOO fearless!), but one thing he is scared of is shadows on the wall. I have one particular vase of flowers that makes a shadow that scares him, and the other day, I ask him if God can help him when he's scared. He said "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid, God will be there wherever you go." That was the first time God brought a Bible verse to his heart to remind him of His truths! And he's three years old!

Teaching kids to memorize Scripture is important, because if they have God's Word in their heart, then they can remember that God loves them, God gives them strength and courage, they can trust God, and they can internalize those truths. 

A mistake I've seen when teaching Bible verses to kids is giving them verses that are too long/difficult for their age, and teaching them too many at one time without repetition. Kids are like sponges! They are better at memorizing things than even adults. But if we don't repeat and reinforce what they know, it can get lost. My strategy for teaching kids memory verses is to keep it simple, and it's a strategy I've developed over the past 10+ years. I have come up with a list of verses that are age-appropriate for elementary and preschool kids, and we teach one verse a month for preschool kids, and two a month for elementary kids. When we learn a new verse each month, we go over all the previous month's verses. We talk about what the verses mean and how they show us who God is and how we can live. 

These memory verse cards are the perfect way to teach kids memory verses every month! I laminated them and punched holes in them to make a little flip book, which my son loves to look at. You can make them into flash cards or put magnet tape on the back to make magnets for the fridge! This product is all downloadable and customizable, and includes:

• 12 memory verse cards with verses for preschoolers and elementary aged kids
• 20 ideas to help kids learn memory verses
• Instructions for creating your own memory verse flip books, cards, or magnets for kids
• JPEG files of all verses (for sharing in emails, on social media, etc.)
• PDF files of all formatted verses
• Blank Word document versions of the card designs for creating your own memory verse cards

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