Why we practice homeschool scripture memorization, as well as scripture selections we’ve memorized this school year.
When we decided to leave Classical Conversations (find more out about why my family left Classical Conversations), I knew that I wanted to keep up with some memory work. I think it’s important for us to practice memorization, and I’ve honestly been so impressed by how easily my kids are able to memorize.
One of the reasons we left CC was due to what I felt was a lack in Biblical teaching. Because of this, I wanted to make sure that we did a lot of memorization of scripture and hymns.
Over the years, we’ve done so much memorizing. History sentences, geography, math facts, science concepts and facts, Latin, poetry, and more. But the most important memorization, in my opinion, is scripture. I’m constantly reminded of the truth: “I have hidden your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11
How can we hide God’s word in our hearts if we don’t know it first? And how better to know it and hide it in our hearts than to memorize it?
I thought ideas of what we’ve memorized might help you out as your add scripture memorization to your homeschool. Over this school year, these are the Bible verses we’ve memorized, in no particular order. For the hymns we memorized, check out this post about adding hymns to your homeschool.
I’m including notes underneath each scripture passage for hand signs and other things we did to help them stick in our memories.
Homeschool Scripture Memorization:
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Actions we used:
- Flex muscles for strong.
- Hands up near face, shaking, for afraid.
- Point to sky for Lord your God.
- Loudly say “never.”
Psalm 90:1-2
2Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
- Used our arms to make a triangle, with hands coming together, for the mountains.
- Make a ball with hands (like in the children’s song, whole world)
- Point as far to the left, then as far to the right.
- Holler “You are God!”
The 10 Commandments | Exodus 20:1-17
And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
We used our fingers to keep track of which commandment we were on (1, 2, 3, etc). We also did this chunk of verses to a song. Other hand signs we used:
- Fists crossed and uncrossed when being brought out of bondage.
- Head shake on no other gods.
- Bowing.
- Point to the vein at our wrist for taking the name in vain (I know these are 2 different words– the signs are just help words stand out and help us remember them).
- Use 2 hands as a pillow, and rest head on it for Sabbath day.
- ASL for mother and father. Then put hands together and pull them farther apart for days being long.
- For kill, we did some sword moves or karate, depending on the day. This was especially helpful for my son, who needs a little more movement.
- Grasping with our hands for stealing.
- Hand on pretend Bible, and other hand in the air, like being sworn in, for not bearing false witness.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Actions we used:
- Use hands to make a square box in the air.
- Coming down, like rain with wiggling fingers.
- Hands flash for heavenly lights.
- Shake head for does not change.
1 John 4:7-8
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
We didn’t use actions for this one, but when I wrote out the verses I put hearts around all the variations of the word love. We sang this to the old Maranatha Kids song.
Philippians 2:1-11
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Actions we used:
- Stress the word Therefore.
- United: use thumb and pointer on each hand to create an O shape, and link those together.
- Love: ASL for love (hands in fists, arms crossed on chest in an X shape)
- Spirit: turn hands palm up. Cross hands, and hook thumbs together, creating a bird. “Flap” fingers.
- Joy: use fingers to draw a big smile on your face.
- Like-minded: point to head.
- Love: ASL for love, again.
- Spirit: same sign again (because the spirit came down like a dove).
- Do nothing: shake head.
- Vain: point to vein on inside of wrist.
- Stress the word Rather.
- Value others above yourself: use both hands to push up in the air (like raise the roof).
- Look to your own interest: point to yourself.
- Interests of others: with hands palm up, start with both hands in front of your stomach, and then spread them out in an arch away from you.
- Mindset: point to head.
- God: ASL for God (put hand flat, with thumb towards yourself, and pull down from above your head to your navel).
- Equality: put both hands flat, and one 6 inches above the other, palms facing each other, in front of your torso. Move hands back and forth.
- Appearance: ASL for face (point to forhead. Use pointer to make a circle motion around your face, ending where you began).
- Cross: Use arms to make a cross in front of your body.
- God: ASL for God (see above)
- Exalted: Use both hands to push up in the air.
- Jesus: ASL for Jesus (Palms towards each other, use the middle finger of the right hand to touch the palm of the left hand, then use the middle finger of the left hand to touch the palm of the right hand.)
- Knee should bow: We bowed down on one knee.
- Heaven and on earth and under the earth: We used one hand up high to do heaven, the other hand below for earth, and the first hand down below for under the earth.
Wow! After putting this all down here, I’m amazed by how much scripture memorization my kids and I have done this year! That’s 34 verses and 10 hymns, and we’re not even finished with the school year!
I hope that you’ll try adding scripture memorization to your homeschool, and that these suggestions will be helpful for you! I’d love it you would share other hymns and scripture passages that you find important for memorizing. Drop me a comment below!
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