10 Memory Verses for Young Children
Here are 10 memory verses for young children to get you started.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. – Psalm 119:11 ESV
I struggle with memorizing anything these days. It makes me wish that I had been more diligent in memorizing Scripture as a teen and young adult. Now I can't even remember where I put the keys or left my glass of water.
While I can't go back in time, I can provide my children with a firm Scriptural foundation. I pray that my children will fall in love with Jesus and follow hard after God, but there is no guarantee. But I do know that God's Word will not return void {Isaiah 55:11}. Even as young adults, God can bring these verses back to their memory.
I pray he does.
As they get older, we will of course build on these verses and begin memorizing passages of Scriptures and Chapters. But for now, we are laying the framework. I have debated on whether to use the English Standard Version, which is what we use all the time, or a version that would be easier for them to understand. My husband and I decided that we would stick with the ESV for our children to memorize Scripture. Yes, there will be words we will have to explain the meaning of, but it makes for a great teaching moment.
10 Memory Verses for Young Children
1. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill can not be hidden.” – Matthew 5:14
2. “Do all things without grumbling or disputing” – Philippians 2:14
3. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
4. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” – Ephesians 6:1
5. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14
6. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” – 1 John 5:3
7. “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20b
8. “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
9. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32
10. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” – Ephesians 2:8
Here are two more bonus verses so you can memorize one verse each month for the next year.
11. “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
12. “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” – 1 John 3:23
Don't forget to revisit the previous verses during the month and review those while learning the new verse(s). Not only will you be helping your child hide God's Word in their heart, you'll be hiding His Word in your heart too!
Other resources
My children LOVE music. One of the ways I've added Scripture into our daily lives is through song. Everyone in our house enjoys listening to Seeds of Worship music. The tunes are catchy, and the lyrics are Scripture. It doesn't get much better than that! There are several cds to choose from. We like them all. Many people have recommended Songs for Saplings. Our church uses Steve Green's Hide 'em in Your Heart cd to teach the two and three-year-old classes Scripture.
If you are looking more for children's books, Susan Hunt has a great one, “My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts.”
I might sound kind of silly, but I totally did not use this post for my nonexistent kids – I used it for me! I know that might sound silly, or embarrassing, but I don’t want to be embarrassed by it. Though I am only 22, my memory is terrible and I never really took the time for memory verses when I was a child. Of course, when I DO have kids, it will be something I want to teach them. But for now, even if it’s starting with ‘easy’ verses, I’m trying to learn myself.
Thank you for this wonderful list!!
Stefanie, please do not feel embarrassed or silly. You rock! I didn’t grow up doing Bible drills or memorizing Scripture. We all have to start somewhere. I’m totally memorizing these with my kids. Some I knew but didn’t have completely memorized. His word will not return void. Have a blessed weekend!!
Thank you so much for compiling this list! I have a 2.5 year old and I know he’s capable of memorizing short verses like these. I am sharing and pinning for future reference. Have a great day!
Bonjour,
Merci bcp pour votre liste. Je compte commencer à apprendre à mes enfants les vesrsets de la Bible et avoir des séances de prière avec eux. Mais je ne sais pas comment commencer. Pourriez-vous me faire quelques suggestions.
J’espère que vous comprenez le français, mon anglais n’est pas bon.
Merci
Bonjour! Je essaie de rassembler des ressources qui sont écrites en français pour vous. Est- ce traducteur travaille ? Bénédictions!