Memorization in General / Memorizing Ten Commandments

HELP WITH MEMORIZATION (MNEMONICS)

All ages will find these memorization tips helpful.  Never underestimate the memory of very young children!  That's when memorization comes the easiest, so take advantage of their wonderful minds, especially in scripture memorization!

The Great Lakes, in order from west to east:
Sam's Horse Must Eat Oats
Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario
 

The 4 Oceans:

I Ate Artichoke Pizza.
(Indian, Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific)  

The 7 Continents:
Eat An Aspirin After A Nighttime Snack

Europe, Antarctica, Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, South America

The Colors of the Rainbow, in order:
ROY G. BIV (pronounced like a person's name)
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

The Planets in order:
My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. Disclaimer: Pluto has lost its planetary standing, now, so we'll have to learn a new one.

Do a search on Google to find a mnemonic for other specific things.  Example: "Mnemonic for _________."  

MEMORIZING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (Exodus 20)
by Jodee Kulp - 2001 Copyright

Key Sentence:  "Our God Now Shows His Kids About Sin with Commandments."
(Or make up your own sentence.)

This sentence should be written on the blackboard and repeated over and over, at least once after each commandment.  Go through each commandment, stating what it means in simple terms, then saying the sentence 2 times or so.

The key to this presentation is ENERGY!

1. OUR -  "O" in "Our"stands for OTHER. "Thou shalt have no OTHER gods before me" (v3)
2. GOD -  "G" stands for GRAVEN. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any GRAVEN image"(v4)
3. NOW - "N" is for NAME-"Thou shalt not take the NAME of the Lord thy God in vain." (v7)
4. SHOWS -  "S" is for SABBATH. "Remember the SABBATH day to keep it holy." (v8)

   You might also mention here 2 things. The first 4 commandments deal with man's relationship to God. The next 6 relate to man's relationship with man. Additionally, this is the only commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament, yet the concept of rest and reflection is an important thing we should do.

5. HIS - "H" stands for HONOR. "HONOR thy father and thy mother." (v12)
6. KIDS - "K" is for KILL. "Thou shalt not KILL." (v13)

   The word kill here has the literal meaning of murder. I always tell the children this isn't talking about squashing a bug.

7. ABOUT - "A" is for ADULTERY. "Thou shalt not commit ADULTERY"(v14)

   When men and women are married to each other they make a vow that they will be faithful to one another. If they break this promise it is sin.

8. SIN - "S" is for Steal "Thou shalt not STEAL" (v15)
9. WITH - "W" is for WITNESS. "Thou shalt not bear false WITNESS against thy neighbor" (v16)
10. COMMANDMENTS - "C" is for COVET. "Thou shalt not COVET..." (v17)