Amazing Memory—Part Two

The Amazing Memory of a Young Sports Fan and
What It Teaches Us About Imparting Eternal Truths to Her Peers
Part Two

Here are three simple keys to helping your child learn Scripture.

  1. First, make it important. While any effort to help kids memorize Bible verses is better than none, if you try to help your child learn verses “every once in a while,” it will not be very important to you or your child. So be regular and consistent. One verse a week or one every two weeks is doable.
  2. Second, make it fun. As we noted in part one, Evan Buetow made learning Seahawk football stats fun for his three-year-old daughter, Kalee. He obviously didn’t just talk to her about the Seahawks at bedtime, but also in the morning, in the car, at mealtimes—all day long! Sounds like a plan, doesn’t it? Deuteronomy 6:6-7 tells us: “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
  3. Third, make it practical. There are some passages that are far beyond the understanding of a child (and even many adults), so avoid choosing passages that you cannot explain in simple language. That said, it’s important to note that many more passages can be explained than we tend to realize. Yes, there is intrinsic value in memorizing Scripture, but that value is enhanced many times over for our children when they can see how it applies to them.

Where can I find practical and understandable Bible verses? Here are three places to begin looking.

  1. Where in the Bible have you been reading? I love to share what I have been reading in the Bible and how it relates to my own life. Frequently those places offer short tidbits of Scripture that have great application in a child’s life as well. As a parent, you know your own family and child better than anyone else, so you can choose passages that can help calm fears, encourage, or comfort as needed.
  2. What is your child studying in Sunday School? In our church we use God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers (visit http://www.GodsUnfoldingStory.com). This curriculum provides a weekly verse to help a child grasp the biblical truth. In all likelihood, whatever your church uses offers this kind of weekly help as well.
  3. Are you familiar with any lists of suggested verses? Many such lists are out there. There are great lists of key passages that all of us should commit to memory. Some editions of the Bible have such a list. Furthermore, you can use your computer to search the Internet for “Children’s Bible Verses” or “Bible memory plan” and find dozens of additional suggestions. SundaySchoolZone.com offers one as well.

Really the bottom line is not so much in the details, but in the the decision. Decide today to make the Bible—including reading it, studying it, and memorizing it—a priority in your own family. Such an investment will be far more helpful than memorizing the stats of any football team—even your favorite one!

David Morrow
Preschool Pastor
Long Hollow Baptist Church
Hendersonville, Tennessee

Read other articles by David Morrow.

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