Our guest blogger today is Jenni Von Tobel. Jenni more than20 years’ experience serving individuals with special needs and their families. She is currently the Director of Programs for Special Gifts Theatre, an educational theatre for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)
I passed around a jar of honey and gave each student a small spoon. We had just finished talking about all the things around us displaying God’s goodness: nature, family, animals, love, friends.
We dipped our spoons into the honey and placed them on our tongues as we looked at the list of good things from God and repeated the verse out loud.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)
By incorporating several of the senses – taste, sight, hearing – we were able to engage a deeper understanding of the verse.
The same is true for memorizing scripture – engaging the senses increases the ability to memorize.
This is especially true for children with special needs.
Anytime a multi-sensory approach is used, memorization becomes much easier. It’s not often you can use taste to support scripture memorization but thankfully the other senses are easier to incorporate!
Here are 4 strategies for supporting scripture memorization for children with special needs:
- Teach the verse with VISUALS
Visuals are an excellent tool for helping children learn and understand scripture. The best way to incorporate visuals is to have a picture for main words/concepts in the verse.
For example, in the verse My Sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27), each key word can have a corresponding picture. Pictures can be found using any free clip-art site or from a specialized PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) such as BoardMaker. These pictures can be printed out for the leader/parent to teach the verse as well as for the student to point to as he recites the verse.
- Put the verse to a SONG
Anytime music or some type of auditory input is included, memorization is easier. Often putting a verse to familiar songs with a repetitive chorus is very effective (Jingle Bells, Hickory, Dickory Dock etc.) For the verse above (John 10:27), let’s put it to Row, Row, Row your boat:
My Sheep Hear My Voice,
And I know them well,
They follow me, follow me, follow me, follow me,
And I know them well.
- Add MOTIONS
Adding movement to a song or to visual or verbal cues, strengthens comprehension and therefore memorization. The more engaging the verse can be with kinesthetic input, the better. Basic motions as literal interpretation of the verse works well. For this verse, a quick YouTube search for the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for sheep helped find the correct motion to add to this song.
Example with John 10:27:
My (hand over your chest) sheep (move index and middle fingers up your arm as if you are shearing a sheep) hear (cup your ear) my voice (point to mouth)
And I know them well (tap your temple/head)
They follow me, follow me, follow me, follow me, (come here motion with your hand)
And I know them well (tap your temple/head)
- REPETITION is key!
Just as it is with any child, repetition is key for helping a child with special needs commit scripture to memory. The best way to approach repetition is throughout the day in a variety of settings – in the car, before bed, during lunch etc. Leaders and parents can work together to teach the verses and concepts included in Awana materials. The more times during the day a song can be sung or pictures shown, the better!
These tips will support any child –with or without special needs – in learning Bible verses. The reciting of the verse may look different for each child. A non-verbal student may use a communication device to recite his verse. Another student may put the pictures in order as a way of reciting the verse. Still another may be able to repeat the verse after simply hearing it one time!
Just remember, the more senses engaged, the easier it is to memorize!
Jenni Von Tobel has more than20 years’ experience serving individuals with special needs and their families. She is currently the Director of Programs for Special Gifts Theatre, an educational theatre for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Jenni infuses humor and truth as she writes about life as a mom of three girls, disability issues and being the world’s worst pastor’s wife at www.notapastorswife.com.
