Memory Binder

To find instructions for making a memory binder similar to the one we used with success this term, look here. These are the instructions I followed to make ours, which is different only in that I used a 3x5 card binder instead of a file box. My good friend who used to live across the street but now lives in Missouri came up with the 3x5 binder idea. She showed me how to put it together, as I had a hard time following the instructions online. The smaller binder is compact, has the advantage of being bound together in rings rather than loose in a box. We found our 3x5 card binders, tabs and cards on a bottom shelf in the office supply aisle of the local Wal-mart.

My friend's family has a fun game they play with their memory work. Any time of day or night, as long as it can be done respectfully, any member of the family, from Dad down to the 5 year old, can holler out "Memory check!" and everyone present must attempt to recite the daily memory work.

Another idea on how to memorize: my piano teacher taught me to learn and memorize the end of a piano piece before the beginning because it is usually more difficult and human tendency is to not practice the end as many times as the beginning. I applied this to memory work. If you have something long to memorize, memorize the end, and keep moving up sentence by sentence, so that you say the new sentence and then keep reciting to the end of the piece. The last part memorized would be the beginning sentence. Like this. Say you wanted to memorize Psalm 100. You would start with verse 5:

"For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

Once verse 5 was memorized, you would go to verse 4 and work on it:

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

Then you would put the two together:

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

Then memorize verse 3:

"Know ye that the Lord, he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture."

Then put verses 3-5 together:

"Know ye that the Lord, he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

Keep going like that until the entire Psalm is memorized.

I find it is good to know a variety of ways to memorize, because one way doesn't work all the time. The give-a-nickel-for-every-verse-memorized-in-ten-minutes method works pretty well too!

(And I never was good at memorizing piano pieces, even with the valuable advice and coaching of my piano teacher. It was quite frustrating for her.)