scripture memory...

For a while now, I have been wanting to do scripture memory with William, but just didn't really know how to go about it.  We had been randomly teaching him Ephesians 6:1, but it was more from us just repeating it over and over again that William was able to memorize it.  By random, I mean using it during teaching moments, which is great, but I was looking for something more structured and systematic.  I wanted to set aside some time in our day to spend on hiding God's Word in his heart (and mine as well). I had tried it a long time ago by writing the verse on large paper in large print and just reading it over and over again, but it only made him frustrated because I was focusing too much on the words and pointing out each one.  (No, he can't read... so yes, I'm an idiot.  Don't know how I ever became a teacher.)  Anyway, I wanted to do it systematically, but needed a method that I could use with toddlers who are obviously not reading yet.   

In God's great kindness, He led me to some older posts written in a Mom's Corner that I subscribe to.  It had some wonderful ideas on doing scripture memory for all ages.  So I was able to glean some great ideas on how to work on it with William.  I basically write the entire verse on a white board and break it up into little segments.  On the first day, we'll memorize the first segment by saying it 5 times.  I'll say it 5 times.  And then I have William say it in sets of 5 until he says one set perfectly.  And then throughout the day, I'll ask him to recite his memory verse to review it.  Then the next day, I'll ask William to recite what we memorized the day before.  If he has a hard time reciting it, then we'll just review it again the way we did the day before and not move on.  (We have not had to do this yet.)  If he can recite it perfectly, we'll move on to the next segment... saying the 2nd segment 5 times perfectly, and then combining the segments together and saying them 5 times perfectly.  It definitely gets harder with the more segments you memorize, and William definitely can get frustrated at times.  But it's a great opportunity to teach him to persevere and to be patient, as he works diligently.  (Sorry about the detail, but it's more for my memory than anything else.)  =)

We've been doing it for about a week or so now, and William LOVES it.  He always looks forward to when we're going to do scripture memory and will ask me throughout the day when we're going to be able to do it (we're not actually able to get to it every day).  I am grateful and encouraged and amazed at how much he enjoys these times, especially how easily his little brain can commit God's Word to memory.  I really love these times with him and pray that the Lord will use His Word to bear in his life.

The Mom's Corner discusses scripture memory in detail, including rehearsing family verses after their meal-time grace and Bible copying, both of which I hope to eventually include in our day or during our scripture memory time.  (One obviously sooner than the other.)  =)  In case you're interested, here are the posts I mentioned:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.