Discover Your Children’s Gifts

by Don and Katie Fortune

Chosen Books

Subtitled “A parent’s handbook to recognize and develop your children’s God-given gifts,” this book has many applications for home educating families. It features tests for identifying spiritual gifts using seven key words or categories to describe each type of person. The seven categories used are perceiver, server, teacher, exhorter, giver, administrator, and compassion person.

There are four different tests for preschoolers, primaries, juniors, and teenagers. (The teen test works fairly well for adults, also, but there is an adult test in the Fortunes’ book, Discover Your God-Given Gifts.)

Far more than just a book for identifying which gifts each person has, this is also a child-training book. While it doesn’t address the various ages and stages specifically, it discusses emotions, communication skills, self-image, approach to life, imaginative capacity, behavior, discipline, personal habits, friendships, relationships, intellectual ability, school performance, leadership skills, interests, sports, and more, all from a Christian perspective. The Fortunes tell us what to expect and suggest specific strategies for dealing with these areas.

Another section of the book deals with parenting, overcoming problems that arise when our parenting style conflicts with our children’s gifts, home atmosphere, ministering to our children, teaching and working with other children, and preparing our children for college, careers, and marriage. Parents of teens are likely to find the section on how different careers suit the various gifts very helpful. The section on marriage partners is useful for both parents and older teens. At the back of the book is a 13-week study guide for those who want to teach or study the book with a group.