"Jellybean" Bible Object Lessons

Small, sweet and colorful, this eye-catching candy can’t help but attract attention. Bring a bag of jellybeans to kids’ church or Sunday School as a visual aid for a special bible lesson. Once you have completed the demonstration, dole them out and share the candies with the class. (Have a bag of sugar-free candies available for diabetic or sugar-sensitive kids and adults.) Ready to teach a jellybean object lesson?
God’s Words Are Sweet
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103
Prepare for this object lesson by separating the sweet jellybeans from the sour ones. Set the sour ones aside and use only the sweet ones. Place the sweet jellybeans in a bowl and the sour jellybeans in a different bowl.
Say, “Today I want to talk to you about how sweet God’s words are. I’m going to give everyone a jellybean but don’t eat it yet. Just hold on to it, okay?” (Give the sour jellybeans to the kids.) Now I want you to taste the jellybean.
Mmm…yummy. How would you describe your candy? Is it sweet? No? It’s sour? I like sour candy but I was expecting it to be sweet. I must have gotten the candies mixed up. You see, in one bowl I have sweet candies and in the other I have sour. I must have given you sour by mistake. Oops!
Before I share my sweet candies with you, let’s read this Bible verse together. This verse says that God’s words are sweet, sweet like honey. Let’s read it together! (Read the verse and share the candies.)
The Parable of the Talents
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents^, to another two, to another one, to each according to his abilities.” Matthew 25:14-15

Before the class, pour the jellybeans on a clean, flat surface, like a table covered with a tablecloth. Separate the candies into groups, putting one candy in a pile, two candies in a pile and five candies together, like the talents in the parable. Set the other candies to the side for sharing.
Say, “Let’s read these verses together, okay?” (Read the verses. If you have time, read the entire passage so the kids will get a big picture of the story.) “Wow! That sounds different, doesn’t it? I always used to think that God gave everyone the same things, the same amounts of gifts and talents but that isn’t right. Now everyone gets some kind of talent but people who prove to be responsible with what God gives them will get more. Do you know what your talents are and do you use them for God?”
Lead a discussion on the subject and refer to the verse as needed.
Read more from Mimi by following her blog at Tools for Kids Church.
If you enjoy this object talk, don’t miss the honey object lessons about God’s Word. Another popular resource on our website is the Psalm One Coloring Book. We also have a lesson titled “God’s Word is Alive.”