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.

This is an amazing guest post by a blogger I have admired for a long time, Janna from Mustard Seeds:

These journals work great for my 5 and 3-year old who always ask to do their Bible study when they see me writing in my study book or in my prayer journal.

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16

At the front of the journal, I created a list of activities things do if they need a jumping off point: Draw a picture of what you are most thankful for today? Who do you know who needs prayer? Write down a prayer and draw a picture of them. Or, I might pose a question related to the Bible story or devotion that we just read to together and have them respond by drawing a picture.

I love they will be able to look back on their journals one day and see their pure, “child-like” faith recorded in their own handwriting/pictures.

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-3

I also love that this journal is about them and Jesus, not just me reading something to them. It invites them to activitely participate.

You can read more ideas and thoughts on developing “quiet times for kids” in this post. But in the meantime, keep reading and learn how to make a journal customized to your child’s age and style.

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A TUTORIAL: Quiet-Time Journal for Kids

Materials:

• sissors
• large paper cutter
  
• vintage children’s book
• paper (blank, ruled, etc.)
• coloring book pages
  
• 1-inch binder rings
• pen and ruler
• 2 clamps
  
• drill with small drill bit and a larger drill bit (large enough to make a hole for the binder ring)
  

1. Take your vintage book apart. (Many of my books were already falling apart.) Remove the original pages. I use sissors first so that I can carefully take it apart without tears or damage. Then I used a large paper cutter to cut the left edge smooth.

2. Select paper for the inside of your book. Find things that are age-approriate. For example, for my 3-year-old, I put in a lot of blank sheets for drawing and for my 5-year-old some handwriting paper that she can use to make her “thanks” list.

I use pages from Bible coloring books, plain white paper, ruled paper.

I also inserted a few original illustrated pages from the vintage book. You can use these to divide sections of the journal if you wish.

Order the book as you please. Trim all the pages to fit the size of your cover.

Note: Be sure to save any extra pages you have from the vintage storybook. You can use these for future projects (decopage, as framed art, etc.)

Also, here are a few PDFs that I’ve created. Print these out and add them to the book.

Cover page

How to use this journal

3. Bind your book. I attempted to get my journals spiral bound at office supplies stores, but they said the hardcovers were too thick for their machines. So my hubby and I got creative and got out our drill. If you aren’t super handy with a drill, ask someone to help. This may seem overwhelming to some. But truly, it’s not as hard as it look and you will feel cool using a power tool.

I think the best part about binding the book this way is that you can refill the pages since you can open and shut the binder rings. Still, it has the feel of a journal in the way a normal binder doesn’t.

• Mark where you want your hole drilled. (Don’t go more than 1/2 inch from the book edge)

• Clamp the book together.

• Use the small drill bit to go through all layers of the book, including the hard front and back covers.
• Then, use the slightly larger bit to go through the top cover and the pages, stop short of the back cover.

• Turn the book over and drill through the layers from the back side. Doing the drilling in these two steps will prevent the cardboard covers from getting too marred aroudn the holes.

• Use an exacto knite to clean up the holds (if needed).

4. Give the book to your child. Explain what it is for. Let them sit beside you as you do your Bible study. Remember, they love to imitate us. If you want your child to love the Lord, give Him thanks, and love his Word, then they need to see you practicing it too!

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Janna created Mustard Seeds―Growing a Big Faith in my Little Sprouts –a blog born out her desire to teach her children about the Lord though creative activities and crafting. It reflects her daily life–sometime mundane and routine, sometimes creative and inspirational. She live with her husband and three young children in Colorado where they enjoy camping, gardening, crafting, reading Golden Books, watching Mary Poppins and making pie.

A few days ago I had a memory of a story I used to tell when my husband and I traveled to camps and churches for special kids’ events. It’s not something I made up, but I think I perfected it pretty well. I thought you would like it–either to show your kids or to copy yourself and make with your kids or share with your church.

All you need is a piece of thin cardboard (thinner than foam board but thicker than posterboard), a few paper fasteners and a working knowledge of Mark 2:1-12!

Ready? Grab your kids and enjoy!

{feedreader & email subscribers, click here to see the fun video!}