Bible memory #6..
Impress Kids- Resources for dynamic Bible Memory.

What is Impress Kids?
If you're looking to encourage kids in learning Bible verses and passages as part of your kidmin program, then take a few moments to check out Impress Kids. Impress Kids is an online Bible memory program that uses games and activities to teach and reinforce memory and learning of Scripture verses and passages. It has been designed for use in various settings- home, church, kids' church and school.

We are thinking of using it for our Sunday morning kidmin to encourage the kids in learning the Bible verses from our weekly program. Although Bible memory is already an integral part of our kidmin program with existing incentives for the kids, we believe that this would be a valuable tool. Children can access the games and activities from a customised 'My Place' and we would link through from our kidmin website. (Linking from your website is optional.)

How does it work?
Kids can access and play the games online and at home from a customised 'My Place' and we would link through from our kidmin website (optional); teachers, leaders and parents will receive live reports of their progress. We have a large group of kids who attend our weekly kidmin program without parents,and who turn up early and leave late each Sunday morning. We are thinking of setting up a number of online computers and laptops for the kids to access the games before and after lessons.

We can set up the games with the Scripture verses from our program and using the version that corresponds to that being used in the lessons.There are a number of games available with others being developed and you can view and even try them online yourself.  Special comments or incentives can be included as your set up the activities.See here..
Verse Hero- Players click on the correct word from the verse as quickly as possible.
Lily Pad Hop- Jump on lily pads to collect all the words in the correct order but look out for crocs and hungry herons.
Bible Dojo-  Learn the books of the Bible. ( This game is also available as an iPad app.)
Say It!- kids can record themselves saying the verse.
Verse arcade
Media Player- video and slide presentations to help kids understand the meaning and life application of verses. (You can choose from countless videos or make your own.)

Setting it up- 3 easy steps
1. Start your free trial
Subscription plans are available: small groups to groups of 250 or more. (Parents, leaders and teachers are free.)
2. Create your Place. Give it a name. Add activities and games. Link it to your website if required.
3. Invite members. Players can be added on an individual basis or using the bulk add feature. Kids then log in with their own username and passwords.
(Impress Kids manager tools provide email or printable invitations.)


"Impress TRUTH upon kids' hearts in a new and FUN way!"

Bible Memorization #5
Kids are motivated to learn and learn best when they are excited- excited about the lesson, excited about the content and the activities they are involved in and excited to share with others.

Bible Memory Buddies
The same principles apply to Bible memorization. Recently, we used Group's Bible Memory Buddies ( a part of their Kingdom Rock VBS materials) and yes, kids were excited! Each Bible verse and Bible point presented is an integral part of the lesson so the kids understand and can apply the verse to the context of their Bible story and lesson. But they can also relate it to their own lives and experience. 

Bible verses & Bible points
Each Bible verse is presented by a Kingdom Rock character through a video clip. The clip includes information about the type of animal of each character and relates the information to the Bible point and verse. You can understand more clearly if you view the promotional clip below. These characters really catch the excitement and imagination of kids in much the same way that Disney animated animal characters are a special part of their movies. The kids listen intently to the clips and look forward to seeing the characters.

Collect and share
But, they can also collect each character! And... what is even more exciting for them... the characters come alive using a Kingdom Rock app and repeat the Bible verse and Bible point. Our kids gathered eagerly around and watched as each child's Bible Buddy came alive with the iPad or smart phone. And then they shared the excitement with family and neighbours.

The end result?
But... did they learn the Bible verses? Almost without exception, the children knew the verse and Bible point before the session concluded.

When children reach the toddler age, they seem to be learning by leaps and bounds. Everything is new and exciting. When they reach this stage, they are keen to learn and are growing and developing all the time and learning key skills and formation. This is an age-group often overlooked and under-estimated when considering a child's faith formation. First Look curriculum from Rethink Group reminds us of the importance of teaching basic concepts to these young ones. (see clip below)
 Children learn:

• Through watching and observing things that are going around them, in the home and when out and about.
• Through listening to conversations between family members, old and young, and when out and about.
• Through asking lots of questions about things they don’t understand or want to learn more about.
• Through trying out new activities – often things they copy from you or their siblings.
• Through practising all the skills as they learn them, as practice eventually makes perfect

This third article in the series on Bible memorization looks at another program/app designed and developed to help kids commit Scripture to memory and apply the Bible truths to their lives.

Kids 4 Truth seeks to inspire and equip churches and children's ministries to reach and teach children God's truth in relevant ways that impact lives. Ultimately, they want children to develop a genuine relationship with the one true God.

Kids4Truth website
You might like to check out the site, here, to see some of the materials and resources: materials for kids clubs that can also be used for other programs, devotions, mini downloadable clips, and more.

Bible memory app
You can also find information about their Bible memory app- Kids 4 Truth Memorize it! This app is available as a free Lite version or full version- $10.49.
The app, for kids Pre-K through to grade 6, is designed to lay the foundation and provide the building blocks for understanding who God is and how He wants us to live.

How it works
Download the app and then add a player/user. Choose a level, choose a treasure hunt and then a treasure.The player can listen to the verses or Bible truth and repeat them until it has been learned- and earn awards.
The app utilizes visual, audio and reward features to teach these Bible truths. Seehere for more information.

Teachers and those involved in education agree that children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practise essential skills in order to succeed in school and life.

Similarly, those involved in children's ministries need to provide ongoing opportunities for kids to learn and memorize Scripture.

Our last post, the first in a series on Bible memorization,looked at its importance and ways to incorporate Bible memory in your program. It also noted Scripture Fun- a dvd that makes Bible memory fun for kids- due for release August '13.
Check out the previous post here..

Adventure Bible website
Another resource worth checking out is the Adventure Bible website and app. See here..  This website is a free resource for children, parents and teachers. Kids will love having fun while learning with Adventure Bible games! Kids will find games to help learn about people, places and events in the Bible… memorize books of the Bible... and test Scripture knowledge. They can move up the levels in each game and see how many points they can earn !


Just for Teachers
The free Teachers Only resources provide Bible trivia, Bible memorization, crossword puzzles and word searches to download, kids' bible reading plans and study notes. You'll find maps, illustrations, timelines, bulletin stuffers, themes and sermon outlines to help you teach kids about God. 
Add your students to your online class and you can encourage them to play games and memorize verses. Track their activity and send them encouraging notes and updates. 
Check out the website tour video clip below...  

Scripture memorization- is it an essential part of your kidmin programs?
Do you encourage children to learn verses or passages from Scripture? 
What verses do you encourage kids to learn?

These questions and more are often asked by children's ministry leaders? In many passages of Scripture (Colossians 3:16, Proverbs 7:1-3, Psalm 119:11, Joshua 1:8)
 the importance of treasuring and remembering God's Word is highlighted and emphasized as vital to the Christian life. 
So. how can you promote Bible memorization with your kids?

How can we encourage it?

 Most children's ministry materials include a Bible verse of passage that relates to or reinforces the Bible lesson. This is great. Kids need to understand what they are learning, to put it in context and be able to apply it.  So......

a) We ensure that we highlight the verse in our teaching. We put the verse on a powerpoint slide if doesn't already go up onscreen with our program and we pop the slide up frequently during our program.
b) We make the kids jump up whenever the verse comes up onscreen and we repeat it together.
c) We include actions whenever possible.
d) We award points to the team that says the verse best, or without looking, or in the quietest whisper, or with their backs turned, or with the actions. 
e) The verse is included in the craft activity and often in the game, too.
f) The verse is included in the take-home materials.

What verses should kids learn?

Sometimes, your programs will not include any suggestions for Bible memorization. What verses do you encourage kids to learn?

Remember, it's best if the verse/s chosen relate to your lesson. Some verses are easier to learn than others, too. I've included a link to some suggested verses below.Think about the Bible translation, too. I prefer to use the King James version. Yes, I know many would opt for a more modern version. But verses from the King James have a measured meter and rhythm that assists memorization. (Sort of like how it's easier to learn words to a song or a poem than just prose.)

It's also helpful for memorization to hear the verses repeated often. If you regularly use the same translation yourself (and they hear the same words/ translation in church, too) this will reinforce their learning.

Easy Bible verses for kids to learn..... check out this list of 30 Bible verses