I almost hate to write this post. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m writing as an expert on how to memorize Bible verses. But several people have asked about my Scripture memory box so I thought I’d share it with you here.
I really want you to know that memorizing is about the hardest thing for me to do! I’m not good at it and I don’t like it. For years I used those as excuses for not memorizing Scripture. Last year I was convicted that I needed to stop making excuses and just do it.
In the past I’ve memorized verses on sticky notes or index cards and that would work pretty good. Our church memorizes one verse a month together. Each month last year I memorized the verse, would go on to the next verse, and several months later I would have forgotten the verse from the first month. I needed some way to review.
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I found this method on a homeschool blog. Yes, it’s for kids. But since most kids memorize better than I do I thought I’d adjust it for me.
Scripture Memory Box Supplies
- index cards ( I use 3″ x 5″.)
- index card box
- A-Z card guides
Let’s start with the cards. I write the complete verse and reference on the lined side of the 3″ x 5″ index card. On the blank side I write the reference in the middle of the card. When I started, that’s all I would write on that side.
But sometimes I needed a little extra clue. So I started writing in the top left corner when and why I memorized this verse. Some are from our Homemakers class, some are our monthly church verses (NCC), and yes, I even went back to the verses I memorized when I first became a Christian. (And it’s amazing that I can often remember those better than the newer ones!)
See the first word on the bottom left of the card above? Sometimes just having that first word is all I need to remember. I write it small in the bottom corner so I can cover the word when I’m holding my card and only uncover it if I’m having trouble. See the photo below.
Now that I have my cards I needed a way to review them. After you get a stack it takes a while to go through them, plus I don’t really need to go over the ones I already know every single day.
I flipped my index card tabs over and wrote the following titles on the tabs: Daily, Odd, Even, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, then the numbers 1-31.
When I start memorizing a new verse it goes behind the Daily tab. Every morning I pull out all the cards behind this tab and go over them. On odd days I move on to the Odd tab next. On even days I do the Even tab. Then I pull out the cards behind the day of the week tab.
As I memorize verses they move from Daily to Odd or Even, then to a day of the week where they’ll be reviewed once a week. Eventually they’ll move to a day of the month and I’ll just review them once a month.
Thanks for reading! If you’ve enjoyed reading about my Scripture memory box you may like these posts, too:
- How to Make Bible Verse Wallpaper for iPhones
- Scriptures to Use in Thanksgiving Journals
- FREE Coloring Page, Proverbs 4:23
- FREE Coloring Page, 1 Corinthians 13:13
- Trust in the Lord | Psalm 3:5 Printable
- My Anchor Holds | Hebrews 6:19 Printable
2023 UPDATE: I was informed that this method originated from Charlotte Mason and there’s a great article with a video and lots more information on their website:
Simply Charlotte Mason – Scripture Memory Box
If you want to read more about Scripture memory, try these books:
- A Call to Scripture Memory, Susan Heck ( I recently bought this short book and it’s on my reading list. I’ll write a review after reading it.)
- The Well-versed Family: Raising Kids of Faith Through Scripture Memory
- How to Memorize the Bible Fast and Easy (99c on Kindle!)
- 88 Verses Every Christian Should Know (99c on Kindle!)
- Topical Memory System
Leave a comment and let me know if you use a Scripture memory box or another method for memorizing.
Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim
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Christine Abramo says
Thanks for sharing this idea- I love it! I don’t enjoy trying to memorize so much either but am also feeling convicted about it. I can reference the main point or overall story of many parts in the Bible but hardly remember any actual verses! I’ll be getting the supplies to make this over the weekend 🙂
Felecia says
Thank you for this…great way to memorize scripture. Reminda me of the leitner method for memorizing. I do have one question…at what point do you put the scripture on the once a month? Also,am I correct in assuming the scripture goes to either the odd OR the evwn depending on the day of the week you work on that daily card….I guess I just need to understand when do the cards move ahead…when you have recited them successfully that day??? And also, do you ever take a card back to daily if its graduated forward but was then unsuccessful at reciting? Thanks you in advance., for your response. Be blessed.
ducttapeanddenim says
The great thing about this method is you can move the cards back and forth whenever you want. I moved them forward when I felt comfortable reciting them. If I ever forgot too much of them I’d just move them back so I would review them more often.
Doug Smith says
This Scripture Memory System originated on the Simply Charlotte Mason website. Our goal is to get people memorizing the Word of God so we don’t mind it spreading far and wide, like with your nice writeup. But it would be nice to be credited for the idea. How about adding a credit with a link to https://simplycharlottemason.com/scripture-memory? There’s a nice video demo of it there and more information for those trying to implement the system.
ducttapeanddenim says
Thanks so much for letting me know! I’ll add the link. I love it!