10 Bible Verses for Little Ones

As Christian moms, one of our most important responsibilities is teaching our children to hide the Word of God in their hearts. It is amazing how easily they can memorize Bible verses at a very young age. The small amount of effort it requires can yield lifelong spiritual rewards. I can still quickly recall numerous verses that I learned as a child.

Below is a list of ten simple verses you can begin teaching your child during their early childhood years.

1. Ephesians 6:1. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." Learning to obey his parents is a child's primary responsibility and here is the Biblical basis for it.


2. Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Children are entranced by nature in all its forms and this verse opens up opportunities to tell them about our Creator.


3. Psalm 56:3. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." Fear can rob our children of peace, but learning to trust God for safety and protection is an enduring blessing.


4. Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." A child can begin to understand the power that Christ gives as we rely on Him.


5. Romans 10:13. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." As simple as the plan of salvation can get.


6. I John 4:19. "We love Him, because He first loved us." An initial introduction to God's great love for us.


7. Psalm 119:105. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Relying on God's Word for direction can save a child from many mistakes.


8. Acts 16:31. "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Another basic verse on salvation.


9. Proverbs 20:11. "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right." From this, a child can learn that his reputation is developed at a young age.


10. Psalm 34:13. "Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile." Here we can begin instruction on self-control in the area of speech.

When our daughters were younger, I found it helpful to have a brief, structured time of memory verse practice each morning, often right after breakfast so that it didn't get pushed aside by other activities later in the day. Just as essential, however, is following the instruction of Deuteronomy 11:19 and talking about the Scripture naturally as we go throughout our day.

I often used these 10 Ways to Help Your Child Memorize Scripture to help our own children - and those I work with in our church's children's programs - learn God's Word.  As our daughters have gotten older, I've made new lists, such as these 8 Bible Verses for Girls to Memorize, to increase our children's knowledge of the Bible.

Do you have a set time for teaching your children Bible verses? What other references would you add to this list?

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