Five Brilliant Bible Verse Memory Games for Kids

5 Brilliant Bible Verse Memory Games your kids will BEG to play! – Helping kids memorize Bible verses is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things we can do as Christian teachers.

But it can also be SO HARD to help kids memorize Bible verses while in class. And, the last thing you want is for kids to come away from Bible memory feeling overwhelmed or bored.

Thankfully, these brilliant Bible verse memory games make memorizing Bible verses fun and easy! You will be amazed at how many verses your students can learn in class – and your students will be shocked at how fun and easy it can be!

Here are 5 Brilliant Bible Verse Memory Verse Games for Kids that your students will BEG to play over and over again. (And, if you want a convenient printable list of these games and instructions, I’ve got you covered! Sign up in the box below to get your list emailed straight to your inbox!)

Dry Erase Bible Verse Memory Games

This is one of my all time favorite games to play with my students.

I use it for almost every class, and the kids never seem to get tired of it. This game is an excellent starting point to help your class get familiar with a verse. You can then follow it up with another fun and active memory verse game to really cement the verse in their memories. I truly feel that this dry erase game is one of the best ways to help kids really memorize the verse.

Another advantage of this game is that it allows early readers to become familiar with the words in the verse through sight and repetition before you start playing another active game that might require reading.

Before class, write the verse out on a dry erase or chalkboard.

When you are ready to play, point to the words as you and your class say the verse. Then, erase one or two words and have your class say the verse again, saying the erased words from memory. You can also invite students up to choose a word and erase it themselves – they love to be chosen! Alternatively, you could substitute some words with pictures.

If you have a long verse, try erasing two or three words at a time. You can also call two or more students up to erase a word each to keep the game going.

Hidden Words Bible Memory Game

Everything is more fun when you have to search for it!

Before class, write the Bible verse out on several different colors of paper (one paper color per team). Cut the words or word phrases apart. Fold the pieces of paper and use masking tape to hide them around the classroom.

When you are ready to play, go over the verse several times with the students so they are familiar with the verse. Then, divide your students into teams, the same number of teams as the number of verse colors. Assign each team a color to look for.

When you say “Go”, each team must find all of the pieces of their verse and assemble the verse in the correct order. First team to get all of the words in the correct order wins.

Sticky Note Bible Verse Memory Game

Before class, write the Bible verse out twice, word by word or word phrase by word phrase, on sticky notes. Keep the two verses separate.

To play, divide your students into two teams. Call a volunteer from each team. Have the two volunteers come to the front and turn their backs to their team mates. You will take the sticky notes from one verse and stick them all over one volunteer’s back. Take the other set of sticky notes and stick them all over the other volunteer’s back. Make sure you stick them on randomly so that the words are out of order.

Select a second volunteer from each team. The second volunteer will come forward and stand next to the first volunteer with their backs to their classmates.

Select a third volunteer from each team. This volunteer will come forward. When you say “Go”, volunteer #3 must take the sticky notes off of volunteer #1’s back and transfer them in the correct order to volunteer #2’s back. The teammates still sitting may call out instructions to volunteer #3 to help him or her, or just to cheer them on. First team to get all of the words in the correct order on Volunteer #2’s back wins!

Wacky Bean Bag Paper Plate Toss

Write the complete Bible verse out two times in large letters on two different colors of paper (or in two different colors of ink). Cut the words apart. (If your verse is very long, you may want to cut short phrases apart rather than individual words.) Tape or glue the words to disposable plates, keeping the two different copies of the verse separate.

Place two “start” marks on the floor with masking tape. Then, place the word plates in random order on the floor in front of the start marks, some further, some closer, etc. Each team will have their own start mark, so group one set of verse plates around each start mark. Throw the bean bags a couple of times to make sure that your plate placement is not too easy or too hard – kids will have to land the bean bags on the plates.

To play, divide your students into two teams. Have each team stand in a line behind the start mark. Give the first student on each team three bean bags. That student must throw the bean bags and try to hit the plate with the FIRST word or phrase of the verse. Once they land a bean bag on that plate, they can run and get that plate and the bean bags.

They will give the bean bags to the next person in line, then move to the back of the line. The next person then tries to get the next word in the verse. Once they hit that plate, they can get that plate and the bean bags. They will give the bean bags to the next person in line and they will give the second word plate to the child with the first plate to put under the first plate. In this way, the kids are stacking the plates in the correct verse order.

First team to hit all of the verse plates and get all of the words / phrases stacked in order wins. If a child can’t hit a plate in three tries, have them quickly gather the bean bags and pass them on to the next child in line, then go to the back of the line. If your verse is long or your class is small, the kids may get more than one turn throwing.

5. Dartless Balloon Board Bible Verse Memory Game

This activity takes a little more prep, but can be used over and over again – and the kids love it!

Take 2 large foam boards (I use two 20 inch by 30 inch foam boards from the dollar store) or 2 large pieces of thick cardboard. Using a hot glue gun, glue clothespins to the board in two lines on each board, about 13 -14 clothes pins. Glue two tacks under and to the the sides of each clothes pin, point up, so that a balloon that is clipped to the clothes pin will touch one of the tacks if the balloon is pressed back.

Blow up one balloon for each clothes pin, plus one or two extras in case of an accident. Use a sharpie marker to write the words or word phrases of the verse onto the balloons, then clip the balloons to the clothes pins in the correct verse order.

To play, have your students say the verse out loud together a couple of times. Then, call one student to come forward. Give them three bean bags and show them where to stand. Have them try to hit a balloon with a bean bag and pop it. If they can’t pop it in three throws, their turn is over. If they do pop a balloon, their turn is over.

Read the verse as a class, including the “missing” words on the popped balloon from memory, then have another student come forward and try to pop a balloon. Repeat until all of the balloons are popped and the kids are saying the verse completely from memory.

If a balloon comes loose, that student’s turn is over. Set the balloon aside, read the verse as if the balloon had popped. At the end of class or church, that student gets to keep his freed balloon. If you have a very large class, you may want to divide the class and have more than one game going on.

What are your favorite games to help your kids memorize Bible verses? I would love to hear from you! Please scroll down to comment.

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May God bless you!