Tithes and Offerings

By paying tithes and offerings, children can learn that the Lord keeps His promises.

In an article on pages 36–37 of this month’s New Era, Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the Seventy talks about how paying tithing before spending his earnings as a youth taught him to distinguish between wants and needs.

Elder Perkins says that when he kept this commandment, “my faith grew stronger and so did my desire to keep [the Lord’s] other commandments.” He practiced a principle taught in For the Strength of Youth: “Your attitude is important in paying tithing. … Pay it willingly with a thankful heart” ([2011], 38).

Suggestions for Teaching Youth

Youth can often learn from the examples of others. See “The Blessings of Tithing” (Ensign, Mar. 2013, 60) to read about five individuals who were blessed because they paid tithing. Discuss how tithing has blessed your family. You may also wish to talk about how tithes and offerings bless all members of the Church.
Consider reading together the section on tithes and offerings in For the Strength of Youth (pages 38–39). You might discuss how fasting and fast offerings are related and how your family pays fast offerings.

Suggestions for Teaching Children

Consider using the following demonstration: Place 10 coins on a table. Ask family members how they would feel if you said you would give them nine of the coins and you would keep just one to help build the Lord’s kingdom. Would they be willing to accept such an offer? You could then explain the parallels between this situation and the law of tithing.
You could use the “For Little Friends” section in the August 2011 Friend (pages 32–34), which includes a real-life experience in which a boy learns that paying tithing is a good choice—even if his contribution is a single coin. You could also complete the related activities with your children.