Why My Kids Learn Bible Memory Verse Songs

This is a guest post by the amazing Sami Cone of SamiCone.com and Tommy Nelson!

So many people ask me why my I create original Bible memory verse songs for my kids to learn, and the answer is simple:
I found God not long before I found my husband, so I knew early on I’d need mentors to help me with both! When you consider that my first child was due on our first wedding anniversary, you can see that I experienced a lot of life change in a shore amount of time.

I quickly surrounded myself with mentors who had different areas of expertise: homemaking, marriage, business, relationships, Bible study and yes, even scripture memorization.

Ms. Jane was a pastor’s wife in our church and was the first person who taught me the importance of memorizing passages of scripture instead of just individual verses.

She would print out chapters of the Bible on her computer, cut them into a 3 x 5 card size, then hole punch them and keep them in a mini-binder that she carried around with her everywhere. She started by memorizing one verse per week, and would just keep adding on and reviewing until she memorized an entire chapter.

Now this was profound: Though she often felt like she could have memorized more than one verse a week, she kept it to just one to ponder, learn about and solidify in her heart.

Once she memorized an entire chapter, she’d move on to another one. Sometimes she’d work on memorizing an entire New Testament book, while other times she’d switch it up and memorize something that was really speaking to her at that time. After she completed a chapter, she’d review it once a week (on the same day each week) before working on her current verse.

Though it may seem daunting at first, the one verse a week method is powerful and doable.

Once I had kids, I realized the words alone might not make enough of an impact in their young minds. So to aid in the memorization process, I started coming up with original tunes and my own sign language. I started singing these to them before they could even talk, and now the tunes are permanently stuck in our heads!

In their preschool years, I’ve kept mostly to verses I thought would teach them important lessons or character traits. Now that my kids are 5 & 7, we’ve just started work on memorizing our first full chapter (Philippians 2). It’s up to you to choose whatever works best for your family, but remember this: no child is too young to start memorizing scripture.

It teaches them a new vocabulary, a new language in a sense, that will stay with them the rest of their lives.

So where to start?

I’d suggest either Psalm 23 or Psalm 1. Both are relatively short, so not only will your kids see a relatively quick return on investment in terms of time spent memorizing, but they are also poignant live verses.

Here is my video teaching kids to memorize Psalm 23 (with signs, but no song):

An example of an original Bible Memory Verse song with Psalm 1:1-2:

The video for Psalm 1:3
The video for Psalm 1:4-6

I would also encourage you to think of a way to celebrate with your children once they reach a memorization goal. After all, if we pay kids to do side jobs around the house, why not invest in their heart condition as well??? Find out what really motivates them (whether it be money, staying up late, special time with friends, making a favorite meal, going out for ice cream, etc) and then set that as a reward once they reach their goal. This will help the process until it truly becomes a life-long habit for them.

I’m always working on new verses and songs for my kids – what verses would you like a memory song for?

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With a passion for teaching and mentoring others as her inspiration, Sami Cone began blogging in 2009 to encourage others to live their dream life and pursue their passions. A published author and seminar speaker, she draws on her experiences as a writer, editor, university professor, performer, professional athlete, and pageant winner to help women realize their full potential in life. She appears regularly on TV and morning radio as a Frugal Expert.  Sami and her husband of seven years, Rick, thrive in Nashville with their two children.