It’s Sunday morning and the girls are sick so we’re watching Veggie Tales…and I can’t stop singing along. Have you been there? you just can’t help but sing along? What movie/song is it for you?
Hi, I’m Kristi from Start With One Verse. Wife, daughter of the King, and Mama to two beautiful daughters that I daily disciple towards a deep connection with their Lord and Saviour. How do I do this? I keep it simple and start with one verse.
Now I don’t know about you, but I’m terrible at remembering quotes/exact wording. I’m generally more of a ‘remember the big idea’ person. So why is it that I remember the exact words from songs in a movie I watched at least 20 years ago?!
Our brains are designed so beautifully that we’re only beginning to understand some of how God created it. One thing scientists agree on, is that music acts as a cue for memory retrieval, and that musicians have better memory than non-musicians!
“But I’m not a musical person…” Ok, some people claim to be musical and some are quite happy not to be musical. Whether you’re “musical” or not you can still benefit from using musical components in your scripture memorization strategy.
You don’t have to be musical or have a melodic voice to use music to help your kids memorise scripture.
But how does music help? Structure and a cue aid memory. Rhythm and melody give structure and the specific combination of melody and/or rhythm provide the cue.
So here are 15 fun ways to memorise bible verses with music and rhythm:
1. Find a scripture memory song on Spotify or YouTube to play in the background like Scripture Lullabies
2. Find Bible memory verses with actions and music on YouTube to act out like CCBC kids
3. Create your own song and actions
4. Adapt a favourite song to a scripture
5. Make up a song on an instrument e.g. piano, guitar, or rice in a bottle
6. Create a rap
7. Have a hymn of the week or month – most hymns have scripture in them. Use the hymn to inspire your memory verse. @happyhymnody on Instagram learns one hymn a month.
8. Video call a family member and have your children “perform” your recite or song, or perform it as a family
9. Say or sing your scripture and replace a word at a time with a clap
10. Sing/recite the rhythm slow then fast
11. Sing/recite while skipping or standing on your head
12. Take turns challenging each other to complete a task while singing/reciteing the scripture
13. Have a dance party to the song!
14. Make it silly by singing/reciting it with a fun Instagram filter
15. Play it in the background during family life e.g. find the scripture in song form on YouTube or Spotify and have it playing while making/eating breakfast. Use the opportunity to recite it.
And here are 5 fun ways to memorise bible verses with rhythm:
Music has melody and rhythm. Your children don’t care that you can’t carry a tune, but if you really want the benefits of music without having to sing, capitalise on the benefits of using rhythm alone to memorise:
1. Create a snap clap pattern and recite the scripture to a rhythm
2. Recite the verse to a rhythm starting slow then speeding up until you’re reciting so fast it becomes a tongue twister…
3. Recite the verse to a rhythm while performing an activity – you could create a challenge for each day of the week! Monday’s challenge – recite while marching, Tuesday’s challenge – recite while skipping etc.
4. Recite the scripture while you do chores
5. 3 or more people? Try the clapping game…that’s what I call it, but I’m sure there’s a better name. It’s a game we used to play in youth group. This is how you play…
- Decide before you begin whether you will say the verse with or without the reference, and whether you will say the reference first or last.
- Sit in a circle.
- Put your arms out to your sides with a flat palm facing up.
- Your left hand should be underneath the hand of the player to your left. Your right hand should be on top of the player to your right.
- Say the first word of the verse and clap the hand of the player to your right (sandwiching their hand between your hands).
- They say the next word and clap the player to their left.
- Continue around the circle creating a rhythm/recite.
- To end the round:
- Aim of the player who says the last word of the verse: to clap the hand of the player on their left
- Aim of the player who is getting their hand clapped: withdraw!!
- Whomever fails at their aim is out of this game. If you repeat, which we usually do, they will get another shot at winning.
- Ways to be caught out:
- Get clapped at the end
- Miss clapping the player to your left at the end
- Mixing up words
- Changing the rhythm (taking too long)
- You can allow a practice round to get everyone used to the game
- Slowly you will whittle down participants until you’re down to 1!
- From this point you can repeat the same verse or try a new one. Here are a few verse suggestions:
When it comes to scripture memory I love a good trick, and I love fun new ways to keep scripture memory engaging. Download a list of 50+ fun and engaging scripture memory tips and ideas here, and follow me on Instagram for more!
Thank you to the beautiful Stephanie from Heart Happy Learning for inviting me to share some ideas and inspiration with you. I hope you have found it helpful, and if you feel so inspired, discover a simple way to engage your children in God’s Word and build family habits so that family discipleship becomes as natural as breathing.
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