7 y.o. having memory verse trouble

[Mumkins]

My DD is having a really hard time withe memorizing the weekly verse. She groans everyday when it's time cause it's so hard for her. Even by Friday she's only half getting it. How can I help her?

[Jessi]

Do you do hand motions or movements with it?

Is she more visual instead of auditory or kinesthetic?

If so, perhaps writing the verse on paper and placing it in several places around the house (the wall directly in front of the toilet, hanging over the front of the tv, beside her bed, make a special placemat for her meals with the verse on it (just get some construction paper and laminate it yourself and let her decorate around the edges of the verse with coloring or stickers), put it inside a plastic baggie and attach to the inside of the bathtub wall. She'll see that verse everywhere she goes throughout the day and she'll read it because it is there. That is our human nature. You might be surprised at how much of it she can say to you by the end of the week by just immersing her in the verse. Dont' know if that will help or not.

[netpea]

Are you using the CD? It really helps my kids to hear the verses.

[Mumkins]

We do do the hand movements. Probably don't listen to the CD enough. I will try writing it for her in several places. Hopefully that'll help.

[Mom2Monkeys]

My younger child has trouble with his memory verses and I found something that really helped him. We say it several times and I have him join in on the word he knows. Then I leave off one word on the end and have him fill it in. Then I leave off 2 words, 3 words, 4,5,6 til he is saying about half of it. Then the next day we do the same thing and I start leaving off more until he is saying his part well...by the 3rd or 4th day, he is saying it all by himself. After doing this, he was able to recite a verse to me that he had not heard or said in a month! Milestone!

[my3sons]

The biggest help for my ds memorizing his Bible verse is the CD. It's meant to be done each day, and we sing it together every day and march around the kitchen singing it. The next thing that really helps is adding motions to the verse and doing them 3 times together as a "team". He has gotten better and better at thinking up motions for them as we go on, and I can cue him with the motion if he forgets a part. Another help is the exercise we do with it - we do them together and then say the verse together (or I pretend I'm a drill soldier, snapping out orders - he loves that). Finally, the sharing of the verse on Day 5 is a HUGE motivator for my ds. We let him choose someone to call and say it to on the phone, and he always chooses to call his dad. They both love it! I like Jessi's idea of jotting it down on cards and hanging it several places in the house too. I've done this myself to memorize verses, and it's really helped me. Also, I've found I need to look at it as a fun time to get to know God's word together. I share when I can't remember parts of it or the Scripture reference too, so my ds can see it's not always easy to memorize things, even if you are an adult. Then, I'll say, "Oh, where did it come from again?" or "Oh, what was the next part?" It was a great day when he could help me out - he was so proud. As you keep going, you'll find doing the HOD plans and activities for learning the verses in a consistent way just helps him get better and better with memorization.

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

Mumkins,

You could use some of the activity ideas from LHFHG to help your daughter with the memorization. One of the ideas from LHFHG is to do just what Tamara suggested, saying the verse 3 times and trailing off at the end a little more each time, having her finish out the verse for you. Another idea in LHFHG is to use a stuffed animal and take turns passing it back and forth, alternating saying one word of the verse each time you get the stuffed animal in your hands until the verse is done.

Another idea in LHFHG is to toss a kleenex into the air and say as much of the verse as fast as possible before the kleenex touches the floor. Then, toss again to finish it. A few other ideas from LHFHG that add movement to memory practice are to bounce a ball back and forth a certain number of times and then say the verse after every 5 catches or so. You'll definitely want to use the CD's too as they make learning the verse a snap! Keep going with the activities in the Beyond guide too, but I just wanted to add a few ideas from a different guide that may spice up your memory work time to being one of joy!

Blessings,
Carrie