One thing that is terribly important is for my children to know the word of God, to write it on their hearts. Thus, memory work is very important. This is true both for my own children and for those I teach in Bible classes. I try to keep memory work on-going so that they are learning God’s word and staying grounded in it. This book, Top 50 Memory Verse Lessons with Games & Activities is a great resource to add to your arsenal of materials. Lindsey Whitney notes on the introduction page that God’s word is a source of wisdom, inspiration, and strength when we need it most.

Published by RoseKidz, a division of Rose Publishing, this is an 8 ½ x 11 inch softback book of just over 200 pages. The pages are easy to read. There is permission granted for the original purchaser of the book to photocopy student materials in the book for use with Sunday school or Bible classes. The scripture is taken from the New International Version of the Bible, with a few being from the New American Standard version.

There are 50 different verses covered in the book. Each lesson has activities that cover a variety of learning styles, including verbal, auditory, kinesthetic, visual, tactile, and logical. There is an icon for each of the styles and all activities are marked with the icons to show at a glance which learning styles the activity will appeal to. Additionally, there are icons for the type of activity, whether a game, craft, musical, an object lesson, an activity, a puzzle, or food. These are also shown on each activity, so it is a quick glance to know what type of activity you are looking at.

Each lesson includes an overview and a theme. There are three lessons per memory verse. There is also a list of Bible passages that could be taught to go with the memory verse. Each memory verse is closed out with a short section that is to be done at home if you are using this in a Bible class. This At-Home Activity tells the family what was studied and the idea behind it, along with a suggested activity for the family to participate in.

As a sample, let’s take a look at the verse Joshua 1:9 - “Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever go you.” The first activity is making a medallion from cardstock and yarn. There is a list of supplies needed, a template to copy, and the step-by-step instructions for it. The second activity is a memory verse puzzle scramble created on cardstock from a copyable template, included in the book. In addition to the step-by-step instructions, there is a bonus idea for how to extend the game. The third activity is an activity where the kids thumb wrestle and have a contest to see who can hold a position requiring strength the longest and then talking about how to be strong. There are two suggested Bible stories for the first activity and four suggested Bible stories for activities two and three. The lesson closes with an At-Home Activity that has the family posting the memory verse close to the door of the house so that each time they leave the house, they recite the verse together.

This example shows you how in-depth the learning is for each verse, as each one is structured the same way. You will need basic craft supplies such as cardstock or tape or scissors and a copier. The verses included are familiar to many people and are favorites for some of the earliest memory work for children. The Top 50 Memory Verse Lessons with Games & Activities is a good book for building your memory work lessons and helping children place the Word of God deeply in their hearts.

-Product review by Lori Hooten, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July, 2018