Maybe you are like me: I grew up in the church - singing hymns, but until I became a homeschool mom, I had never heard of hymn study.
I have no musical talent, but I love music and wanted to share that love with my children. When I first heard of hymn study, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more.
I had this vision that it might be challenging or complicated, but I learned that hymn study can be easy and fun. There are many different options for study and you can start today without spending a dime!
Benefits of Hymn Study
In case you are tempted to leave out a study of great hymns, let’s go through the benefits of hymn study.
The Bible tells us that we should hide His word in our hearts. While hymns are not always directly from scripture and should not be considered scripture, they do often contain verses of scripture or scriptural truths.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. ~ Psalm 119:11
We know that music helps our memory. I can barely remember what I ate for dinner last night, but I can hear a song from 20 years ago on the radio and still sing along. By studying and learning hymns we can hide their scriptural truths in our hearts.
Another benefit is more fully understanding the meaning of the hymn. Have you ever been singing a hymn and realized you did not fully understand the words you were saying? Or heard a child sing a hymn but have the words confused?
Studying the hymn allows you to look closely at the words in the hymn and study any new vocabulary. It also gives you a chance to understand the story behind the hymn which often sheds more light on the meaning.
I have been in churches with a wide variety of music over my lifetime. I was the teenager that begged for more contemporary praise and worship in my very traditional church, the missionary who listened to all the songs in Spanish, and currently the adult who enjoys the contemporary music of my church but misses the older hymns.
Many of the hymns that we study were written hundreds of years ago. They carry powerful messages that have stood the test of time. For my children (and many like them) if we do not study them at home, they would never hear them.
I want to help keep those old hymns alive (while still welcoming new music) by teaching them to my children.
Last but not least, I think hymn study is a great way to build family bonds and culture. It is something that all of my children can learn together. We enjoy it and they bring away a shared memory and culture.
Strategies for Hymn Study
You may be thinking that the benefits sound great, but you have no idea where to start.
I want to encourage you to relax, start small, and enjoy learning alongside your children. I am going to share a variety of strategies for hymn study, but keep in mind you do not have to do them all and each study can look a little different.
Look up the story behind the hymn. We find out who wrote the hymn and why they wrote the hymn. This can shed a lot of light on the hymn itself and they are often awesome testimonies to the power and goodness of God.
We have found that Hymnary is a great resource for finding out the story behind a hymn. Godtube also has some great resources on the stories behind a variety of hymns.
Listen to a variety of versions of the hymn we are studying.
We will use YouTube or Prime Music and find the hymn done by different people and in different styles. For example, we might listen to the song performed by a choir, then a soloist. You can often find faster and slower versions, jazz or country versions, and even sometimes the hymn done by children.
This accomplishes several goals. First, the more you listen, the more familiar you become with the songs. Second, it helps them to learn more about music and how you can change a song with different instruments, tempos, etc. Finally, it also helps keep their attention because each one is different.
Incorporate copywork into your hymn study. There are many free or inexpensive resources for hymn copywork or you can simply have your student copy the lyrics into a notebook.
Writing the lyrics helps students to memorize them, while also working on handwriting skills. I always love when I can work on two skills together!
Incorporate picture books into hymn study.
There are so many beautiful picture books that have hymns as their text. All Things Bright & Beautiful and Amazing Grace are two that come to mind.
Add art to hymn study.
This is great for students who enjoy art and learn well through that modality. You can have them draw what they see when they hear the hymn or check out art lessons that incorporate a hymn study.
For example, we loved the art lesson that accompanied this study of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”.
Sing the hymn together as a family - or perform the hymn on an instrument.
My daughter loves to learn new hymns on her violin and my son enjoys learning them on his guitar.
Hymn study does not have to include a performance component but for my children, it is an enjoyable part of the experience.
Get Started With Hymn Study
If you are ready to get started, just pick your favorite hymn and start listening. Do not feel like you need to spend hours planning before you can start. As you get started you will get a better idea of what works with your children.
(Here is a list of recommended hymn list from Ambleside Online .)
If you want a little extra help, you can check out my free hymn studies. These will provide you with links to different versions of the hymn for listening, free copywork, and the history behind the hymn.
More Hymn Study Resources
You Are An Artist Chalk Pastel Clubhouse Hymn Series
Then Sings My Soul Hymn Stories
Do you have a favorite hymn?
Share it with me in the comments below.
Dawn is a passionate follower of Jesus, wife to Chris, and homeschool mom of four. In her spare time she loves to read, hike, and write on her blog Schoolin’ Swag. She enjoys reviewing curriculum and helping moms find the right fit for their family. Some of her favorite parts of homeschooling are hymn studies, living history, and read alouds. She and her children also enjoy incorporating food into their studies as often as possible.