Lesson

Parable of the Talents Sunday School Lesson for Kids

A free parable of the talents Sunday school lesson (Matthew 25:14–30) in four age levels, preschool to preteen, with a game, Bible story and take-home.

Preschool–Grade 6

Parable of the Talents Sunday School Lesson for Kids

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Free to print and copy for your church, classroom, VBS and home. Please don't resell or re-post our files; link to the page instead.

Ages: Preschool (3–5), Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Preteen (5–6)
Time: 20–60 minutes (depends on the age level)
Scripture: Matthew 25:14–30
Bible story: The Parable of the Talents

What you need

A Bible (mark Matthew 25:15 and Matthew 25:21)
Bibles for the kids to look up verses (3rd grade and up)
Small jobs for the opening game, like paper cups to stack, crayons to sort and books to line up (preschool to 2nd grade)
7 paper strips, a marker and tape (memory verse game, kindergarten to 2nd grade)
A whiteboard or large paper and a marker (3rd grade and up)
Paper and pencils (preteens)
Printed take-home sheets, one per child
Printed parable of the talents word search and crayons for early finishers

This free parable of the talents Sunday school lesson teaches kids to be faithful with what God gives them. Jesus told about a man travelling into a far country who gave his servants five talents, two talents and one talent, "to every man according to his several ability" (Matthew 25:15). Two servants doubled what they had and heard, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (25:21), but the third hid his talent in the earth (25:18). It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families. Everything is in the order you teach it.

Choose your age level

Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 2 pages: a While I'm Away job game, a short story with finger counting, hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a short memory verse ("Well done, thou good and faithful servant") with motions, and a helping-hands drawing.
Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the While I'm Away game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Well Done! memory verse game with seven paper strips, and a Use It for God review game.
3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a gift-sorting game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (what a talent was, "according to his several ability," "wicked and slothful," the exchangers), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read Matthew 25:14–29 out loud themselves, then discuss different gifts, the same "Well done," fear and comparing, and being faithful when no one is checking. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Matthew 25:21 and Luke 16:10).

Lesson at a glance

Bible passage: Matthew 25:14–30
Main point: Be faithful. God gives each of us good things, and He wants us to use them for Him.
Memory verse: Matthew 25:21 (KJV), with Luke 16:10 added for preteens
Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

Opening game: a short game about doing your job while the master is away, or using what God gives.
Bible story: the master who gave five, two and one talents (Matthew 25:15), the two servants who traded and gained (25:16–17), the talent hidden in the earth (25:18), "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (25:21), and the talent given to the servant with ten (25:28). Every fact has its verse reference so you can check it.
Questions to ask: with answers, at the right level for each age.
Memory verse: a game or motion to help kids learn Matthew 25:21.
What this means for us: being faithful with God's gifts, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the parable of the talents craft, a Use It for God game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
Prayer.

Tips for teaching the parable of the talents

Read Matthew 25:21 and 25:23 side by side. The servant with two talents heard exactly the same "Well done" as the servant with five.
A talent in the parable is money (Matthew 25:18). Using it to talk about the gifts God gives us is the lesson's application.
The lessons leave out verse 30, which is past the level of young children; the older levels have a short, gentle note.
Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.

Frequently asked questions

How long does this parable of the talents lesson take?

It depends on the age level. The preschool lesson takes 20 to 30 minutes, the kindergarten to 2nd grade lesson about 45 minutes, and the 3rd to 5th grade and preteen lessons 45 to 60 minutes. For a short class, do the story, three questions and the memory verse.

What is the main point of the parable of the talents for kids?

Be faithful with what God gives you. The two servants who used their talents heard, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matthew 25:21). The servant who hid his talent in the earth lost it (25:28).

What is a talent in the Bible?

In this parable a talent is money: the servant "hid his lord's money" (Matthew 25:18). In Bible times a talent was a heavy weight of silver or gold, a very large amount of money; in 2 Kings 5:23 two talents of silver were carried in two bags by two servants. The lessons use the story to teach kids to be faithful with everything God gives them.

What parts of the parable do the lessons leave out?

The lessons tell that the lord called the third servant "wicked and slothful" and took his talent away (Matthew 25:26, 25:28). They leave out the outer darkness and weeping of verse 30, which is past the level of young children, with a short teacher note for older kids who read it.