Kids memorize scripture easily. What they do not do on their own is review it, which is why a child can nail a verse on Friday and have lost it by the following Thursday. Almost every scripture memory program that fails, fails at review, not at learning.
Below is a full A-to-Z list of verses and, more importantly, the review system that keeps them.
The 26 ABC verses
One verse per letter, using the King James wording, since that is where the first word matches the letter. Teach it in whatever translation your family reads — the letter is a hook for finding it, not a rule about the words.
| Letter | Reference | Opens with |
|---|---|---|
| A | Romans 3:23 | All have sinned |
| B | Ephesians 4:32 | Be ye kind one to another |
| C | 1 Peter 5:7 | Casting all your care upon him |
| D | Psalm 37:4 | Delight thyself also in the Lord |
| E | Romans 13:1 | Every soul be subject |
| F | Hebrews 11:1 | Faith is the substance of things hoped for |
| G | John 3:16 | God so loved the world |
| H | Psalm 119:11 | Thy word have I hid in mine heart |
| I | Philippians 4:13 | I can do all things through Christ |
| J | Hebrews 13:8 | Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever |
| K | John 14:15 | Keep my commandments |
| L | 1 John 4:7 | Let us love one another |
| M | Psalm 19:14 | Meditation of my heart |
| N | Psalm 46:1 | A very present help — teach as "No fear" |
| O | Psalm 34:8 | O taste and see that the Lord is good |
| P | Matthew 5:9 | Peacemakers |
| Q | James 1:19 | Quick to hear, slow to speak |
| R | Philippians 4:4 | Rejoice in the Lord alway |
| S | Ephesians 6:1 | Children, obey your parents — teach as "Submit" |
| T | Proverbs 3:5 | Trust in the Lord with all thine heart |
| U | Colossians 3:23 | Unto the Lord, and not unto men |
| V | 1 Timothy 4:12 | Be thou an example — teach as "Very young, still an example" |
| W | Psalm 56:3 | What time I am afraid, I will trust |
| X | Psalm 103:12 | As far as the east is from the west — the X marks the distance |
| Y | Joshua 24:15 | Ye this day whom ye will serve |
| Z | Zephaniah 3:17 | The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty |
N, S, V, X and Z are the awkward ones in every ABC list. The workaround above pairs each with a keyword rather than forcing a bad verse. Kids do not mind; they remember the keyword.
The three-box review system
This is the part that matters. Write each verse on an index card, reference on the back. Keep three boxes or three sections of one box.
| Box | Contains | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Learning | The current verse only | Every day |
| 2. Recent | The last six verses learned | One card a day, rotating |
| 3. Kept | Everything older | One card a day, rotating |
Total daily time: about three minutes. One new verse, one recent card, one old card. That is it.
The rule that makes it work: a missed card goes back to box 1. Not "we will look at it again sometime." Back to daily until it is solid again. Kids grasp this immediately and it turns review into a game rather than a test.
How long a verse should take
| Age | New verse every | Verse length | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–5 | 2–3 weeks | A phrase, 5–8 words | Said aloud with you, not alone |
| 6–8 | 1 week | One verse | One recent card daily |
| 9–12 | 1 week | Verse plus reference | One recent, one kept |
| 13+ | 1 week, or a passage per month | Whole paragraphs | Self-managed, spot-checked |
Always include the reference from age six on. A verse without its reference cannot be found again, and finding it again is the whole point.
Five ways to learn a verse in ten minutes
Rotate these so it does not become recitation drills.
- Erase-a-word. Write the verse on a whiteboard. Say it together, erase one word, say it again. Repeat until the board is blank and they are still saying it. This is the single most effective one.
- Motions. Invent a hand motion for each phrase. Physical memory holds far longer than auditory memory in young kids.
- Sing it. Any familiar tune. Adults who still know verses from childhood almost always learned them as songs.
- Write it three times. For readers. Handwriting beats typing and beats reading silently, by a lot.
- Verse of the week on the wall. Tape it where they eat breakfast. Passive exposure does more work than any single session.
When a verse will not stick
It is too long. Cut it in half and teach the halves as two weeks. Nobody notices.
They do not know what a word means. Ask them to say it in their own words before you drill it. Kids will memorize sounds indefinitely without ever attaching meaning, and those are exactly the verses that vanish.
You only review at the same time and place. Memory attaches to context. Ask for the verse in the car, at the grocery store, at bedtime — not only at the table.
There is a reward attached. Prizes work for about six weeks, then the verses stop when the prizes stop. Reviewing together and being pleased is more durable than a sticker chart.
Common questions
Which translation should we memorize in? The one you read at home, so the words match what they hear on Sunday and in family reading. Consistency matters much more than which one.
Is memorizing without understanding pointless? No. Kids store things they grow into. But ask what it means each time you review, and let the answer improve over years.
How many verses is realistic in a year? Thirty to forty for an elementary-age kid on this system, and — the important part — still knowing them the following year.
What about kids who cannot read yet? Say it, do the motions, sing it. Put a small drawing on the card instead of words so they can pull their own card from the box.
Start with A this week
Write Romans 3:23 on an index card. Do erase-a-word once at breakfast. Add the card to box 1 and review it tomorrow.
A verse a week and this list is done in six months, with a box of cards that keeps them. If your family is also building a weekly reading rhythm, the 20-minute kids Bible study is where these verses fit naturally, and our Bible journaling supplies cover the cards, tape and pens that make a memory box something kids want to open.