We all remember commercial jingles from when we were little. We had a VHS of the real people Peter Pan when I was little and it started with a Raisinets commercial. I could sing the whole thing for you. I could also sing you all the songs from Peter Pan. Just come and test me.

But now that I’m old and decrepit, memorizing things is not as easy. Even remembering little things is not as easy. My husband likes to joke that when he asks where something is, I respond with 100% authority and about 45% accuracy. So when we read the charge in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, the challenge can feel a little daunting:

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

I mean, for example, I have quoted this verse in numerous blog posts, and I still had to go look it up, estimating what part of Deuteronomy it was in. Memorizing God’s commands can be hard. It’s not always my first priority, and then when I need it, I often scramble around in my brain for something that sounds about right. But I will tell you, most of the Scripture that’s stuck up there is Scripture that I memorized in Sunday School as a kid.

It’s clear that there’s a window when kids are little where their brains work like little sponges, soaking up everything that comes in, tucking it away for later. So let’s take advantage of these amazing memory skills and help them to hide God’s word in their hearts for those days, hours, and moments that we know will come when they need to feel God’s nearness. Great idea, Rachel, but how do we do it?

Our kids’ main encouragement for Scripture memory has been school! Whether it’s shorter verses aligned with phonograms in TK, the Christmas story of Luke 2 in first grade, or the entire Sermon on the Mount in third grade, Whitefield does an amazing job weaving Scripture memory into the daily curriculum.

A lot of Whitefield kids have also had great Scripture memory encouragement at church programs and Sunday School. Awanas has been a fun program through the years and is such a fun way for kids to consistently memorize Scripture.

Recently, one of Whitefield’s fourth graders, London Lovelace, has been competing in the Junior Bible Quiz. Her team recently placed second at Regionals and she placed first as an individual! A good portion of the questions she learns are “quotation questions” which are direct quotes from the Bible and have to be said perfectly to be counted correct. Think of how much that will stay with her as she grows up! Such a fun way to memorize Scripture.

Whether it’s at home, at school, or at an extracurricular activity, memorizing Scripture is of the utmost importance for our children. I am personally so grateful for these people who have come alongside me in my parenting to help fill in my missteps by training this next generation in Scripture memory.

 

 

Have young students who are really into memorizing? Have them get started on their phonograms! Click below to watch.

Are you considering transferring into a classical Christian school but your child has not done a lot of memorizing before? Click below to see how we ease the transition process!