As Christians, we know reading the Bible is the best way to learn more about God, so it’s important we spend time in the Word and are comfortable navigating our way through the 66 books included in the Bible. One way we can do that is to memorize the order of those books. 

When it comes to memorizing information in my forties, it’s a losing battle. I’m lucky if I remember where my keys are or what I even had for dinner yesterday. On the other hand, I can recite song lyrics I learned in the 80’s with ease. 

My cousin helped me learn to say all 50 states in alphabetical order at the age of 7 and I basically felt like a genius – that is, until our school music teacher taught the entire school the “Fifty Nifty” song and completely stole my thunder.

My point is, kids are capable of memorizing information at a young age and learning that information at a young age makes them more likely to remember forever. (I haven’t done research on this or anything…. But I can still sing along to Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee”, so I feel sure it’s true).

What better information to learn than the books of the Bible??

My husband (aka “The Preacher”) undertook the role of teaching our kids the books of the Bible. This is probably because I still don’t have them memorized (don’t judge… I didn’t memorize them as a kid! Also, I’ve got them MOSTLY down). He did a great job and all 3 of our kids learned them at a young age. Our middle child was a 4 year-old with a speech impediment when she started learning and is the reason why I still like to say “..Joshua, Judges, ROOF” when naming the books. Here are some things that helped our kids the most:

Small Bites

Isn’t there a saying about eating an elephant one bite at a time? You know the idea – take it a few books at a time. Looking at 66 books at once is daunting, but if you learn 3 at a time it’s more manageable. “Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus ….”

Round Robin

Get the whole family involved and play a round robin game where you take turns naming one book of the Bible. If you get it wrong, you’re out! Nothing like a little competition to get kids motivated.

Individual Practice

Sometimes taking time to practice individually works best. These memorization spinners are perfect for that! They are easy to assemble and kids can drill themselves as they spin it to reveal each book.

This resource also includes a Books of the Bible checklist that provides a visual reminder of what has been learned.

There are so many things we need to teach our students and children. Learning how to find scripture easily by memorizing the books of the Bible in order should be one of those things. With some time and a little patience, it can be done! And your students will be thankful they learned it while their brains were still young and not struggling to find those keys….. Good Luck!