Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart

"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children."  Deuteronomy 6:6-7

These words clearly instruct that God's word should be committed to memory and passed on from generation to generation.  Committing portions of scripture to memory is vital in retaining knowledge of the scriptures.

In Psalm 1 and Joshua 1:8 share that prosperity and success in life come from scripture memorization, as it creates familiarity with God's word and causes the learner to meditate upon the principles of God which promote these things.

Memorization takes discipline, and that can become tedious if not handled with some creative care.  A teacher-mom or dad can help speed along the process of memory work by building fun and interest into the process.   In her book, Building Your Child's Faith,  Alice Chapin outlines some great techniques for accomplishing this.  She recommends:

*Set up contests between adults and kids.  Offer fun prizes.  Draw up a "contract."  For instance, if the kids memorize the verses more quickly than the adults, the adults will take out the trash for a week.  But if the adults memorize them first, the kids will do the supper cleanup for a week.  Be sure to sign the contract to make it official!

*Help little children learn by repetition.  Review while rocking, bathing, and playing with them.  Repeat while driving or waiting in line at the grocery store.

*Post current memory work on the refrigerator, closet door, or kitchen bulletin board.  Or stretch a "clothesline" and clothespin verses for the month to it.

*Have memory charts.  Award stickers, stars, or seals for each learned verse, prizes for every five stickers.

*Purchase a Scripture songbook, and sing Bible verses right into the minds of the family.  Or make your own music for favorite verses.

*Use flannel-graph letters or verse flashcards.  Mix up letters and words, and take turns straightening them out.

*Write the verse on a chalkboard.  Take turns erasing one word at a time.  Repeat the whole verse after each erasure.

*Print different verses on 5x8 cards,  Cut each card into pieces.  Put the pieces for each verse in an envelope.  Pass out the envelopes, and use a timer to see who can put the verse-puzzle together the most quickly.  Have each member read his or her assembled verse.

*Let the leader begin quoting a verse, stopping after every few words to ask another person to add the next four words, or two words, and so on.  Have a stick of gum or a lollipop ready for the first person to identify where the verse is located.

*Let the small children use magic markers to print the verse of the week on sheets of construction paper.  Add stickers or magazine pictures and use for placemats at dinner.  

*Give each youngster an empty photo album with see-through plastic pages.  Insert weekly memory cards for an individual record of verses learned and for easy private review.

*Once in a while assign short Scripture verses to be memorized by the following day.  Celebrate completion of the assignment with a yummy treat.