Kids Bible memorization music

Back in the day when I was a sharp-minded youth, I was very good at memorizing Scripture. Really, anything I memorized before age 15 is in my mind to stay, especially if I learned it to a song. Anyone can learn a song, but sometimes memorizing a passage of Scripture seems like a lot of work. I can still sing verses I learned in some Sunday school class eons ago. They are stuck in my head forever, and that's a good thing!

Our family has a morning tradition of lolling around on our king bed after Zarya wakes up. Andrew has usually been up for over an hour by that point, but even he comes back to bed to hang out with a happy, wide-awake Zarya as she drinks her sippy cup of milk, and me as I gradually become coherent after being jumped on by a toddler. Thanks to Zarya's obsession with music, we always have a CD playing (we're a little old-fashioned on this - we have iPods and listen to Pandora and all, but the technology hasn't made it upstairs yet). We started out with a little kids' Bible-based songs CD, which Zarya loved, but it kind of drove us adults batty after a while. What I didn't like is that the songs were close to Scripture, but not quite. It was like memorizing it just a bit wrong for all the verses, and the tunes were catchy... obnoxiously catchy.

And so my great search for the perfect accompaniment for our mornings began! I wanted something that was straight Bible verses, quality music that adults can appreciate, and fun enough for toddlers. Here's what I found:

This was the winning one for us. Zarya LOVES that there are kids singing the songs and saying the verses (along with Steve Green), and the tunes are a nice mix of bouncy and serious. Andrew and I recognize a lot of the songs from our own childhoods, proof that these CDs aren't exactly brand-new! But they don't sound dated, and it's not like the Bible gets old. Great stuff for toddlers on up through elementary years, and the parents don't go crazy listening to it, either. You can have a listen at: http://www.christianbook.com/steve-green/hide-em-in-your-heart-2/5099921378522/pd/CD78592?event=ESRCG

Many friends have recommended Seeds Family Worship to me. I am really impressed with what they've produced - this picture is of their "Seeds of Courage" CD, but there are also many other albums with names like Seeds of Faith, Seeds of Praise, etc. I have friends with whom I was in a Bible study, and often when we came across a verse, they'd burst into song, thanks to having listened to Seeds music. I think these albums look pretty great for families with kids who are preschool age on up, and they are definitely on my wish list for the future, when Zarya is just a little bit older. You can listen here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_20?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=seeds%20family%20worship&sprefix=seeds+family+worship%2Caps%2C232

So if you're thinking that learning verses set to music appeals to you, that's what my research unveiled!

Side note:

Available for a mere cent here: http://www.amazon.com/Word-God-Speak-Shelter-Various/dp/B000JJS7JI/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=1-1&keywords=word+of+God+speak+Shelter

I have this album and like it, but it didn't quite fit into this blog post because it's for adults, not kids. The reviews are not amazing, but my personal opinion is that I enjoy it!