Memorization Boxes

To memorize, we use memorization boxes.  I got the idea from Simply CharlotteMason.com's Scripture Memory System.  The main difference is that we do ours daily (not just Monday-Friday) and we use it for things other than scriptures.  So far, Rebekah & Rose have used it to memorize all thirteen of the Articlesof Faith.  Rebekah also memorized the Young Women's Theme using it.  While I plan to use it for scriptures like the Articles of Faith and Scripture Mastery, I also hope to use it in the future with things like the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, poetry, great literary passages, etc.

 

To put together the memory box, you need index cards, a box for the cards, and something to use as tab dividers.  I've used stick on file folder tabs before.  In this picture, I was using sticky tabs that you can find in the post it section of Wal-mart.  You're going to have four sets of tabs.  The first set is just one tab labeled "Daily."  Then you have a set of two labeled "Even" and "Odd."  The third set is the days of the week that you plan on working on memorization (Monday - Friday for most people).  And the final set is labeled 1-31.

 

Choose the first item you wish to have your child memorize and write it on a card (or have them write it on the card).  Place it in "daily."  Read the card out loud to your student every day.  As they memorize it, have them say it along with you.  Once you feel they are comfortable with it, move it back to the next set.  So, starting out, you'll only have one thing to say at a time.  As you fill it up, you will have more things to go over each day up to a total of four.

Each day, you will read four cards.  One card under daily.  A second card from even or odd, dependent on what day of the month it is.  For example, the 13th of July is an odd day and May 2nd is an even day.  The third card is the day of week and the fourth card is the day of the month (pretty self explanatory).

We do our memorization boxes each morning during devotional.