10 Principles for Keeping Bible Memorization A Priority

Shirley Dobson had a Sunday School teacher when she was a child, who encouraged her to memorize Bible verses. Ultimately, the application of these scriptures in her life lead Shirley to give her heart to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Scripture admonishes us to “hide God’s word in our hearts” (Ps. 119:11).

Principles for keeping memorization a priority:

1. Explain the significance of the verse.

2. Be sure the class understands the meaning of difficult words.

3. Have the children look up the verse in their Bibles.

4. Help children make visual associations, when the verse lends itself to that. Visual associations will help God’s Word stick in the hearts of boys and girls.

5. Weave the verse into every aspect of the lesson through music, conversation, creative learning games.

6. Be prepared as a teacher and know the scriptures you are teaching by memory.

7. Be sure the scripture is posted in the room for everyone to see.

8. To lock in the reference, say it before and after the verse.

9. For all age groups, the key to memorization is repetition. Make it fun! Be creative! Verses studied once are easily forgotten. Review helps children retain what they have learned and helps make the verse a part of the child’s life

10. Be selective. It’s better to learn a few verses and remember them, than try to memorize a lot and not learn them well.