Parent Talk: Helping Your Kids Build a Bible Reading Habit

God's Big Story

The Village Church

Kids & Family

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2026

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Anna and Matt encourage parents to build one simple but powerful habit in their homes: regular Bible reading. Research shows that the single biggest predictor of long-term vibrant faith in kids is whether they regularly read the Bible while growing up—and the good news is, it doesn’t have to be complicated. A recent Lifeway study found: Only 29% of kids in Christian households regularly read their Bible. The spiritual activity with the greatest long-term impact on faith was consistent Bible reading. Here are simple ways to build a Bible-reading rhythm in your home: 📚 Use Age-Appropriate Bibles Board books for babies Toddler storybook Bibles Preschool and elementary Bibles 365-day children’s Bibles Kids’ Bible reading plans Bible journals or coloring books for older kids 🎵 Reinforce Throughout the Day Memory verse songs Scripture-based podcasts Worship music tied to what you're reading 🏡 A Simple Daily Rhythm Read. Pray. Sing. 📖 Read one short Bible story. 🙏 Pray a simple 10-second prayer. 🎶 Sing a worship song together. Attach it to a moment that already happens—like bedtime. 💬 Phrases to Use Often “The Bible is God’s true word. It is from God, about God, and it is true.” “God is talking to us right now in His Word.” “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your Word.” (Psalm 119:18) 🙌 Encouragement for Parents Miss a night? Grace. Start again tomorrow. Celebrate milestones—finishing a Bible, memorizing a verse, remembering a story. Ordinary moments—like a three-minute bedtime story—shape extraordinary faith. You are not doing this alone. You are partnering with the Holy Spirit, who loves your child even more than you do. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, one of the best ways to support the show and make sure others find it, is to subscribe and leave a review. Thank You! Editing and support by⁠⁠ The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠ For sponsorship inquiries, email ⁠⁠sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, parents, you're listening to God's big story. Parent Talk, a mini episode just for you.
0:05.4	That's right. We see you. We are cheering for you. And we're glad you're here. I'm Matt.
0:10.0	And I'm Anna. Today, we're talking about something that has a huge, actually the biggest spiritual impact on your kids.
0:17.9	Helping your kids build a regular Bible reading habit.
0:21.8	Lifeway recently released a study showing that in Christian households, kids who attend
0:26.7	church activities like Sunday school, VBS, and youth group, of those kids only 29% regularly
0:33.3	read the Bible.
0:34.3	And yet, the study also says that the activity with the single biggest impact of
0:41.1	long-term, vibrant faith, was whether a child regularly read their Bible while growing up. Not the camps,
0:48.4	not the trips, not the events. Those matter and make a difference, but Bible reading by far has the most significant
0:56.2	effect. Yeah, so if there is one spiritual habit and discipline you teach and encourage your
1:01.6	children to do, let it be Bible reading. Now, today, we want to help you build simple
1:06.9	Bible reading rhythms, rhythms that don't require perfection or a seminary degree to teach and
1:13.0	train. Let's start with this. Why does this matter? Well, kids form their moral foundation and
1:19.0	worldview much earlier than we think. It's actually by ages 8 to 10. Which means these early years,
1:25.7	so even before kids can read, are actually prime time for Bible reading.
1:30.7	Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, their brains are like wet cement.
1:35.2	And what gets pressed in forms a pattern.
1:38.1	And when we read the Bible to them, even one short story at bedtime, we're helping them build two foundational ideas, that the Bible
1:46.8	is God's true word and that God wants to talk with us. Kids learn about God through the same
1:52.8	attachment pathways they learn about their parents. They think, mom loves me even when I can't see
1:58.3	her. That eventually becomes God loves me even though I can't see him.
	...

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