Year 02 / Lesson 11: Sharing Our Talents

What You'll Need: scriptures, printed coins, scissors, chairs set up in a row to create an audience area, camera, printed handout, pens/pencils.

Quote:  L. Tom Perry - “Do your best with the talents your Father in Heaven has given you. … All of us are endowed with abundant talent, beauty, and ability.”

Opening Song: I am a Child of God - alternate verse (PCS #3) 

I am a child of God
He made me who I am
With gifts and talents all my own
I'll share them when I can

(written by Emilie Ahern)

Lesson:

Tell the following story of the Parable of the Talents.  For very small children use hand actions to represent the amount of coins given to each servant.  You may also choose to print the coins below to illustrate the story.  This will help children understand the changes in amount of talents as the story progresses.

Jesus told his disciples a story. A man gave his servants some talents. A talent is a piece of money. The man gave one servant five talents. He gave another servant two talents. He gave another servant one talent. Then the man went to another land.

The servant with five talents worked hard. He made five more talents. Then he had ten talents.  The servant with two talents worked hard. He made two more talents. Then he had four talents.  But the servant with one talent was not like the other servants. He hid his talent. He buried it in the ground. He was afraid he would lose it. He did not make any more talents.

The man came home. He asked the servants what they had done with their talents. The first servant brought ten talents to the man. The servant had worked hard. The man was happy. He made the servant a leader over many things. He told the servant to be happy.  The second servant brought four talents to the man. The servant had worked hard. The man was happy. He made the servant a leader over many things. He told the servant to be happy.

The third servant came to the man. He had only one talent. The servant gave the talent to the man. The man was not happy with the servant. He said the servant was lazy. The servant should have worked hard. Then he would have had more talents.  The man took the talent from the servant. He gave the talent to the servant with ten talents. The man sent the lazy servant away.

Last week we talked about Heavenly Father making each of us special. We talked about some of the wonderful talents He has given to each of us. Talents are given to us by the Lord just like the money was given to each of the three servants in the parable. We each have the responsibility for developing our own talents.

Have each family member tell what his or her best talents are, and then invite other family members to add to their list.

- What would happen if insert family member's name here never used that talent?
- What ways could they use that talent to help others?

Share with your children an experience when someone blessed your life by sharing their gifts and talents. Share a time when you have used your talents to help others and how you felt afterwards.

Bear your testimony about our sacred responsibility to nurture our talents and use them to help others both inside and outside of our family. Express confidence that each of your children can make the world a better place by developing and sharing their unique talents and gifts.

(For tips on sharing your testimony please click here.)

Activity: 

FOR ENTIRE FAMILY // Family Talent Show
Ask family members on Sunday afternoon to prepare a talent for tomorrow's FHE. It can be a song, dance, poem or rhyme, a piece of artwork or any other talent.  Create a small stage area by setting up chairs in a  row and anmnouncing each talent with excitiment.  Follw each talent by lots of clapping and cheering. 

This is a great time to take lots of photos and display them in your home for the week...how fun!

FOR TEENS AND ADULTS // Using Our Talents Goal Sheet 
(prints 2 to a page)

Like this post? Check out these related articles!

• FAMILY HOME EVENING // Jesus Teaches the Beatitudes
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• FAMILY HOME EVENING // Sharing Our Talents

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