If you are in children’s ministry or disability ministry, you may have students who have challenges memorizing Scripture. In this episode, Beth will share seven no-cost or low-cost ideas to engage a variety of learners in Scripture memorization, including those who learn best through hearing, or seeing, or doing.
Listen in your favorite podcast!
Quick Links:
Boardmaker Picture Communication Symbols®
PECS® (Picture Exchange Communication System).
Sample visual version of Psalm 107:1
Transcript:
Welcome to Key Ministry: The Podcast. I’m Beth Golik, one of your co-hosts and in today’s episode, I’m going to give you seven ways to engage students with a variety of learning differences in memorizing Scripture using multi-sensory strategies. But first, let’s talk about why it’s important to learn Scripture.
Learning Scripture is a way for us to glorify God which is something we were all created to do. It teaches us and helps us draw nearer to Him.
Colossians 3:16 says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (ESV)
If you are in children’s ministry or disability ministry, you may have students who have challenges memorizing Scripture.
Perhaps your students are non-readers or pre-readers due to age or developmental disabilities. Maybe ADHD or executive functioning differences makes rote memory exercises unappealing or downright impossible for some students.
Here are seven Scripture memorization ideas that are no-cost or low-cost, and can engage a variety of learners, including those who learn best through hearing, or seeing, or doing. Children’s ministry leaders: remember that although these multi-sensory strategies might meet the needs of kids with specific learning differences, all students can benefit.
For your students who like to move, including throwing balls, use the ball toss teaching method. Either partner up or circle up and throw, or roll, a ball back and forth while taking turns saying each word of the memory verse. Remember, your students who have limited verbal communication can still learn and participate and have fun with this method.
Jumping is another favorite for our kinesthetic learners. Print out each word of the memory verse and place them on the floor like stepping stones. Kids can jump through the path, saying each word as they land on it.
Your sensory seekers may enjoy tracing words in shaving cream. You can do this as a hand-over-hand activity. Remember to always say the words out loud while helping students trace the words in shaving cream so that you are engaging auditory learners, too.
Visual learners will benefit from having images to help them learn Scripture. The images could be icons from a program such as Boardmaker Picture Communication Symbols® or PECS® (Picture Exchange Communication System). You could even use graphics from a Google image search. You don’t have to have an image for every single word. Instead, break the memory verse into chunks and have a picture that represents each chunk. For instance, let’s look at Psalm 107:1. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. If you break that into five chunks, it could look like this:
Give thanks = image of a person praying
to the Lord, = image representing God which is often rays of light emanating from clouds
for He is good; = image of a thumbs up
His love = image of a heart or hands over heart
endures forever. = infinity symbol
This might be a little hard for you to picture as you listen to this podcast, so I have an actual visual for you. You can view and download a sample of a visual version of Psalm 107:1 in the show notes at keyministry.org/podcast.
Use the picture version in a variety of ways. You can cut out each icon, laminate them, and have students place them in order with or without a guide depending on their needs.
Can you picture the student who is completely fixated on one thing such as anime, vehicles, or dinosaurs? Preferred interests are sometimes a characteristic of Autism. You can use the preferred object to help engage that student with Scripture. For example, for students who love cars, have them (and I’m air quoting here) “park” toy cars while you, and they, say each word of the memory verse. You could tape each word of the memory verse to a toy car and have them line the cars up in order. Are dinosaurs their thing? Practice reciting the memory verse in your very best T-rex voice.
I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time memorizing lines of text. And yet, I can recall song lyrics from the ’80s like it’s my job. Turning Scripture into songs is a great way to help with memorization. And there are many songs already out there that contain Scripture, whether it’s songs that you are familiar with from worship services or kids’ versions.
Just like our other ideas, this one involves incorporating physical movement to help engage kinesthetic learners along with visual and auditory learners. Use sign language along with spoken word for the memory verse. You can use actual ASL or use gestures that your students would identify with to show words and concepts.
Let’s do a quick review of the seven ideas for Scripture memorization:
Ball toss as either a partner activity or group activity
Jumping or stepping stones
Tracing in shaving cream
Pictures or icons
Use preferred interests
Sing it
Sign it
Psalm 119:11 says, I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (ESV)
Let’s prioritize making Scripture available and accessible to all, including those in your children’s ministry and disability ministry settings.
I hope you’ll try out some of these ideas to engage more students with learning differences and help them memorize Scripture. If you heard something new, please share it with a colleague in children’s ministry or disability ministry. And don’t forget to subscribe to Key Ministry: The Podcast so you don’t miss an episode.
