Reaching the one

I had ten 7 yr olds in my Sunday school class that I teach this past Sunday. Seven year olds are wonderfully joyful and love to participate. However, this Sunday one in the class, who was visiting, was quicker than the rest to perceive inequalities in a matching game that I had for them to play. And he subsequently opted to show with his body language that he didn't care to play then. I had every person turn over one of the eight cards fearing that not every one would get a turn and immediately he realized and voiced that he would never be able to make a match based on where he was seated. After the class was over and I was talking with my Dad, a gifted/talented teacher, I felt bad that I missed the opportunity to reach that one child. He remarked that it is extremely hard to do. My husband quickly pointed out the principle the Savior said to save the one and the other 99 would make it too. In practice it is so hard to teach to the one in a group setting. My own children have complained about this in the past. And from a parent perspective it is disheartening BUT hard to do in a group setting. How to engage the gifted child? Perhaps I could have enlisted his help with me or offered to mix the cards and play again with groups or individuals getting to turn two cards over at a time. The problem is I am not gifted and just don't think that fast or ahead at the time.
I went to a GT lecture tonight sponsored by my school district led by clinical social worker. The analogy was presented that we as parents of gifted teens are steering a canoe in which the teen is in the bow and we are heading toward rapids. How do we help them navigate when each has a different approach? Do we want to still want to be in the canoe with them when they reach the other end of the riverway? Often we react to what is approaching or more particularly to how the child is acting at what they are facing. So we need to save energy for the whole journey and help them talk about what they are feeling or options to tackle the task ahead. We will hopefully never give up on our own kids, that they can count on that is huge. The story of the prodigal son is told from the point of view of the parent. And that is the one person that has the expertise and loving desire to reach the one.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/brain-and-behavior/2008/11/26/how-to-deploy-the-amazing-power-of-the-teen-brain.html?PageNr=1