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Grade School Children & Scripture Memory

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Grade school age children are at one of the best ages to work on Scripture Memorization due to both their age level characteristics and psychosocial stage in life.

How Age Level Development Affects Grade School Children & Scripture Memorization:

Grade school children will be able to think more and more abstractly the older they become which means they can comprehend a different set of verses than younger children. Be careful, however, because they still will have a tendency to take things literally.

Their logical reasoning abilities become greater and greater as they get older so they can make better connections with longer verses. As communicated in a previous post on Preschoolers and Scripture Memory, young children may only be able to memorize part of a Bible verse. It was suggested that you use verses that help preschoolers begin to develop a biblical world view. Once children get to the grade school age, you can add to those verses to further support and strengthen a biblical worldview.

For example, at the preschool level, they might have memorized “God created the heavens and the earth.” As grade school children, they will better understand the concept of time so you can add “In the beginning” to Genesis 1:1.

Grade school children tend to have a greater sin consciousness so having them memorize a verse like Psalm 119:11 can provide them with motivation to memorize Bible verses. — “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Because grade-schoolers are able to see sin for what it is, this is a good age level to have them memorize verses that teach God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. Memorizing verses used in what has come to be called the Romans Road to Salvation can be a great starting place in helping them personally understand but also for those children who have put their trust in Jesus to have a tool to share with others.

Romans Plan of Salvation in Road Signs
Click on the image to view an enlarged version in Pinterest and repin.

Here is a different way to present these verses — Romans Road Signs. When you click on the image to the left, you will find commentary on the signs.

Want a version of the above without the verses to use as a cue card?

Romans Road Signs – JPG image
Romans Road Signs – PDF (2 to page)

Other verses pertaining to salvation that would be good for this age to learn:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (Jn. 3:16)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (Jn. 14:6)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)

Of course, younger grade school children may still be at a stage of memorizing only part of the longer verses above. As they get to upper grade school ages, they can learn the remainder of the verses.

How the Psychosocial Stage of Grade School Children Affects Memorizing Bible Verses:

Grade-schoolers are at a industrious psychosocial stage as they begin school, get into sports, etc. Because of this drive and energy to successfully accomplish things, this age will tend to work at memorizing unlike other ages.

If they don’t get positive responses from the people around them or if they struggle to do well in what they set out to accomplish, they could develop a sense of inferiority. What better age to help instill within them, through Scripture memorization . . .

. . . the need to do what they for the glory of God.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:16) … Remember, in using this verse, that they need to be able to understand what it means to let their light shine, that is is not a literal light.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. (Col. 3:23)

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31)

. . . the need to do what they do by the power of God.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:13)

. . . the need to focus on the greatest thing they could ever do.

Jesus replied:  ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt. 22:37-39)

Since this is such a good age for Scripture memory, make sure Bible teachers have a good understanding of how to effectively teach for Scripture memorization. Click below for a worksheet that will give them some pointers.

Effective Scripture Memorization Worksheet Download

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4 Replies to “Grade School Children & Scripture Memory”

  1. Hi, I found your posts on Grade School Children and Scripture Memory and Preschoolers and Scripture Memory to be very interesting. My husband and I have a 15 month old son, and we cannot wait to start memorizing Scripture with him! But I have wondered how and where to start when they are so young. Thank you for your insight! My husband actually developed a website to make Bible memory easier called ScriptureTyper.com. It started as a side project just for our family but is now one of the very top search results on Google for Bible memory. Anyway, just wanted to pass that along as a free resource that may be of interest to you. Blessings in your pursuit of spreading God’s Word! McKenzie

    • Hello, McKenzie. It will be some time before your 15 month old son will be able to utilize a program like your husband developed which requires typing in the verses. Scripture memorization can begin once the child’s vocabulary begins to pick up. Start with very simple phrases from a verse. As the child grows those phrases can be built upon. Parents have a much better opportunity than Sunday School or other church Bible teachers for helping children memorize Scripture. The repetition of Scripture in every day settings, done in a variety of ways, is what Deuteronomy 6:6-9 calls on parents to do. When that happens, children are memorizing without even realizing it. Scripture memorization can naturally happen without being done in a contrived way. — “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.”

      Add to that, the impact of parents and church Bible teachers working together, reinforcing the verses that are being learned!

    • Some will use a children’s Bible like the NIrV (New International Reader’s Version). Whereas the NIV (New International Version) is written on about a 7th grade level, the NIrV is written on about a 3rd grade level. (If you click on the above link it will take you to one of our affiliate stores.) Personally I prefer to use the version most widely used by your church such as what is used in the sermon. That way as children grow, they will have memorized the verses most like they might hear them elsewhere. The key is to make sure they understand the meaning behind any words or phrases with which they might not be as familiar. Also, remember that they don’t have to memorize the whole verse until they are developmentally ready.

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