Memorizing for the Heart and Head
by Ruth Beechick and Jeannie Nelson

The following newsletter was modified from an article that appeared in the
Homeschooling Today

Objectives
In this unit you will find items to memorize that range from simple to more advanced, so among them will be some selections that are just right for your child. Memorizing is valuable for reasons both of the heart and head. Here are some of the ways your child will gain in language ability:

1. Words: Build larger vocabulary; learn sounds and rhymes in words; learn to pronounce sounds correctly.
2. Sentences: Learn to use a variety of good sentence structures; learn numerous grammar principles (even if you say nothing about grammar).
3. Thought: Experience logic, beauty emotion, praise, worship and many other values through language.

How to Use This Unit
A good plan is to read quickly through this unit and make a checklist of the items you wish your child to memorize during the next six weeks. Then begin working on those one at a time. Try to keep the memorizing lighthearted and fun. Don't treat it so seriously that your child comes to dread her lessons. As each item is memorized, check off the item from your list. Later on, return to this list once in a while to drill and review the items your child knows from memory.

Time For This Unit: Six weeks

Personal Information
Address: Be sure your child knows his street address and can say it clearly. Drill him until you know he will be able to use it if necessary. Try pretending you are a policeman wanting to help him get home when he is lost. Can he tell you where he lives?

Phone Number: Be sure your child knows your home phone number, as it may be needed in an emergency. You may also want to teach your child other important numbers, such as Dad's work number, the number of a nearby relative, and, of course, 911.

Family Names: Be sure your child knows her last name. Some things, such as this, seem so obvious to us that we sometimes fail to teach them to our children. If a shopping mall security guard was speaking to your lost daughter, would she be able to give full information about who she is? And does she know the first names of Daddy and Mommy?

Letters and Numbers
Alphabet: If you already haven't taught your child the alphabet, it is not too late to start. For a child newly thrilled about reciting the alphabet, the following poem adds to the fun. It sneaks in quite a lot of phonics practice too! The first few times you use this poem, read it completely through. Gradually the child will be able to say more and more of the words. Some days see how far he can recite on his own before you have to help him.

A is an apple pie;
B bit it;
C cut it;
D dealt it;
E got to eat it;
F fought for it;
G got it;
H had it;
J jumped for it;
K kept it;
L lunched on it;
M munched on it;
O opened it;
P peeped in it;
Q quartered it;
R ran for it;
S sang for it;
T took it;
U, V, W, X, Y, Z all had a larger slice and went off to bed.
Kate Greenaway

Numbers: Most children enjoy memorizing numbers, first up to ten, then to twenty, then to one hundred. How far can yours count? Can she count by 2's, 5's, or 10's? Teach your child to count while jumping rope. At certain stages of number fun this poem appeals to children. Try it and see if it is right for your child.

One, two, buckle my shoe;
Three four, shut the door;
Five, six, pick up sticks;
Seven, eight, lay them straight;
Nine, ten, a good fat hen;
Eleven, twelve, who will delve;
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a' courting
Fifteen, sixteen, maids a' kissing
Seventeen, eighteen, maids a' waiting
Nineteen, twenty, my stomach's empty.

Words from the Heart
Prayers: Teach some prayers—table grace, bedtime prayers and the Lord's Prayer. Even if your family uses informal, non-memorized prayers, your child can, on some occasions, use his memorized ones. He will carry these words in his heart throughout his life, as they are associated with his earliest memories of a loving relationship with you, his earthly parents. This helps him understand better about his loving heavenly Father. Here are a couple of suggested prayers:

"Come Lord Jesus,
Be our guest,
And let these gifts,
To us be blessed."

and

"Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me;
Bless thy little child tonight.
In the darkness be thou near me;
Keep me safe till morning light."

Bible Verses: Choose a Bible verse or passage you wish your child to know from memory. Here are a few suggestions…

Genesis 1:1
John 1:3 and John 3:16
Ephesians 6:1
Psalm 23 and Psalm 100

To begin memorizing, first read the verse aloud to your child each day. After a few days, begin pausing at some phrases for the child to fill in the words. Day by day let him fill in more and more words. One day, he will be saying the whole passage from memory. A bonus is that you will easily memorize while you teach your child. After one passage is learned, you can repeat the same process on other passages.

This system of repeating the whole passage each time, instead of small parts of it—called the "whole" memory system—is the best method known for memorizing verbal material. For instance, you may learn and recite some of Luke 2 every Christmas. You may recite Psalm 23 several times each year. With this kind of review and repetition, the words will become part of your child's life forever.

Poems: Choose one or two poems for your child to memorize. Use the "whole" memory method described in the preceding section of this lesson. Very soon, both the child and you will know them by heart.

Hymns: Teach your child at least one hymn while you are on this memory unit, and if you find it easy, continue teaching hymns, perhaps one a month. Choose familiar ones which are used at your church, so your child may be excited to join the singing during the worship service. Sometimes talk about words or phrases in the hymns to clarify their meaning, but don't worry that the hymns are not as easy to understand as children's songs are. Through good hymns, your child will not only learn beautiful language, but will learn deep truths to last a lifetime.

Use the "whole" method of learning described earlier. Simply singing the song through each day for a month will be enough for many children to learn it well. Here are some suggested hymns:

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Fairest Lord Jesus
Take My Life and Let It Be

Patriotic Songs: Teach your young child about the traditional patriotic songs in our national heritage. Someday he may learn newer patriotic songs, but start him out by teaching at least one stanza of some of these:

The Star Spangled Banner
My Country 'Tis of Thee
America the Beautiful

The Calendar
Days of the Week: As events happen during the week, often use the names Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and so forth. Say "Tomorrow is Sunday, so we need to get our clothes ready for church." Or say, "Today is Monday, so we start school for the week." After your child is familiar with the words in real life, you may show how the days appear in columns on a calendar. Help your child recite all seven days from memory.

For follow up teaching, have your child draw on a calendar the kind of weather each day. Look forward on the calendar; look backward; find today; practice with a calendar until it is meaningful to your child.

Months of the Year: Memorize January, February, March, and so on. This will take longer than learning the days of the week, and it should be taught a little later than the days. Along with memorizing, try to make the months meaningful. A calendar with separate pages and pictures for each month is helpful. Leaf through it to find birthdays, Christmas, vacation, and other special times. Talk about snow, hot weather, and so forth. Refer to a calendar often during this learning time.

Days in the Months: After your child can count to the thirties, and knows the days and the months, he will need this little rhyme. Learn it and review it often until it is thoroughly over learned. All through his adult life, he will do as many of us do when a problem about dates comes up. Many of us chant, "Thirty days has September…"

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except for February, which alone,
Has twenty-eight, until the time,
That leap year gives it twenty-nine.

Evaluation
Look back through your check list to see how many items your child has memorized in the past few weeks. It is easy for you to see your child's progress, but it is not easy for a little child to realize that she is learning a lot. So tell her. Say, "I remember when you didn't know your address (or poem, or…) but now you can say it anytime you want to. You are learning fast!"

Try to continue memorizing after you move on to another unit. Every once in a while, when you happen on a good poem or other wonderful piece of literature, help your child memorize it. Memorizing should not be a daily drag, but a happy life habit that the family can often share together.

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