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This is going to sound really silly, I think.

So, I received our box with Beyond. I've really been immersing myself in it and seriously reading the entire guide to get a good "feel" for what HOD will mean for our family.

My question is about the Bible Study box. I adore how the scripture is woven into the history, science, etc. Love it. I'm curious about the physical activities that go along with many of the verses, namely the memorization. For instance, skip around the room until I say "freeze", then recite the verse. Sounds fun but is there a true purpose to combining the memory work with the movement?

Thank you for helping me along, once again!

Erin Kate,
I'm not Carrie, so I don't know her specific purpose. I just wanted to say that this is such a favorite of my dc's. On Monday's there's no physical activity (other than hand motions) and they beg me to pick something out. I think it just makes things fun, and when things are fun, the mind is relaxed and can remember things. When it's stressful, nothing is going to get in that little brain of theirs. Definitely do the physical activities. It's so much fun for me to see such big smiles on their faces too.

I can't speak for Carrie, but I will say that movement is a key ingredient for learning and memory. Rote memorization can be tedious for young children (although they can do it much more readily than we can), the movement really makes it palatable.

Makes good sense. Now, do you create your own hand movements? I'm not sure I'm that creative. lol.

While I can't speak for Carrie either, I have had experience with movement helping with memorization. It actually plays into learning styles. One of my daughters had spelling lists in public school. She struggled and struggled to memorize the words. She would write them. She would use flashcards. She would use them in sentences and do crosswords... and still she couldn't remember how to spell the words. She did better if she could spell the words orally, but she got every single one correct when she could spell out loud and jump or hop at the same time. It was amazing. She would hop with each letter, and not miss a word. By test day, she knew the words and would ace the test... without hopping. Plus, the movement in learning the word helped the word to stick somehow and she would not forget the word later in her writing. Movement helps. For some children, it helps them process information so much better than any other way.

We are doing this in Bigger Hearts, and my ds just today leapt over my feet as he sped around the room with glee! I do it like a reward, he says the verse, and then he gets to do the physical activity. We repeat this 3 times. He LOVES it. Here is what Beyond's Introduction has to say about it though...

Bible Memory Work
A new memory verse is introduced each unit. Each memory verse has a
practical meaning for young students, and also reinforces God’s plan
throughout history. A variety of daily memory activities incorporate gross
motor skills to help students enjoy memorizing these important verses.

The large gross motor skills incorporated in the plans are generally a part of most state standards, usually in the form of gym class. Even though my boys are very active, they each initially struggled with the coordination and strength for many of these skills. Catching a bouncing ball - yikes - I remember working on that one - though I can't remember which guide it was in. The ball would be flying over my ds's shoulder, and he'd clap after it had passed over him - a delayed attempt at catching for sure. This year in Bigger Hearts, the push-ups, jumping jacks, and sit-ups took awhile to get right too (like most the year). I even had my former military dh show him the push-ups a few times, because, wow - they're tough for me too! Anyway, I just love how nothing is left to chance with HOD. My kids just loved the movement. Have fun with them, but know they are filling a purpose and teaching skills too!

In Christ,
Julie