What If Your Child Read the Bible Every Day for the Rest of Their Life?

Scripture Union’s Gail Martin Shows Homeschool Families How at the 2026 CHAP Convention

Scripture Union-USA, via Christian Newswire • June 9, 2026

VALLEY FORGE, Penn., June 9, 2026 /Christian Newswire/ — Nearly two-thirds of children ages 8–10 already spend up to four hours a day on social media, and an estimated 64% of kids ages 8–12 use YouTube and TikTok every single day, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Nearly 8 in 10 parents of young Gen Alpha children name attention span as a top worry. For Christian parents, the question is urgent: what habit, built now, can outlast the endless scrolling?

Gail A. Martin, President of Scripture Union-USA, will offer a practical answer at the 2026 CHAP (Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania) Convention, June 11–13 at Elizabethtown College. Her 30-minute workshop, “Building a Daily Bible Reading Habit for 8–11-Year-Olds,” arrives as Pennsylvania hits its highest-ever homeschool enrollment, part of a national surge growing at nearly triple the pre-pandemic rate.

Curiosity Is Rising — But Habits Aren’t Sticking

New research suggests the obstacle isn’t interest. It’s staying power. According to the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2026, released this spring, a 2025 uptick in Bible reading proved short-lived, with Bible use and Scripture engagement slipping back to where they were two years earlier. The pattern researchers describe is a familiar one: millions of Americans pick the Bible up, then set it back down.

What separates the readers who stay from the ones who drift away is a durable habit — and the data is striking. Among adults who follow a Bible reading guide, schedule, or plan, nearly three-quarters (74%) have read most or all of Scripture. And 64% of those who say the Bible has transformed their lives have read most or all of it, while 60% of those who dismiss the Bible as a tool to “control or manipulate” people have read little or none. Depth changes lives. And depth grows from habit.

Meanwhile, the openness is real and widening: the “Movable Middle” — Americans curious about the Bible but not yet engaged — has grown by 9 million people since 2024, drawn largely from those who were previously disengaged. American Bible Society reports that these Bible-curious Americans say they would welcome someone to walk them through Scripture.

For parents, the takeaway is simple. A child who builds a daily reading habit at age 8 isn’t just reading today — they’re far more likely to become the adult who reads the whole story, and lives differently because of it.

Martin will introduce TIMELANDERS, Scripture Union’s quarterly Bible magazine for ages 8–11 — built to hold the attention that algorithms fight for daily. Each issue sends children on 13 weekly adventures to biblical locations alongside explorers Lev, Bo, and Ozzy, uncovering the “Jesus-thread” connecting Genesis to Revelation through activities, historical deep-dives, and a pull-out comic. A built-in “Travel Guide” role lets parents, grandparents, or church leaders join in — no prior Bible knowledge required, exactly the kind of guidance Bible-curious adults say they want.

“Time and again, I’ve met people from around the world who began reading the Bible daily with Scripture Union at age 8 — and never stopped. The research keeps confirming what we’ve seen for generations: it’s the habit that lasts. TIMELANDERS is how that story starts for a new generation.”

— Gail A. Martin, President, Scripture Union-USA

Convention details: June 11–13, 2026 | Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA

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Disclaimer: This article is a press release written by Scripture Union-USA and distributed by Christian Newswire on June 9, 2026. This release is being republished with the consent of Christian Newswire’s legal policy, “…redistribution, retransmission, republication or commercial exploitation of the contents of news releases is allowed. Text and photos found in the news releases may be used by any publisher, blog, church bulletin, etc. at no charge.” All views expressed in the release are those of the original author and not necessarily those of Thrive Christian Press and The Believer’s Byline.