105 Needs and Wants
👩🏫 Teacher’s Guide
Objective
Students will learn the difference between needs and wants, understand why needs come first, and practice making simple spending decisions based on limited money.
Vocabulary
need, want, choice, spend, save, important
Teaching Notes
- Use real-life examples: food, water, clothes = needs; toys, stickers, sweets = wants.
- Guide students to explain why something is a need.
- Give students pretend money and compare prices to make choices.
- Emphasize that wants are fun, but needs keep us healthy and safe.
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🧒 Student Worksheet
Concept and Helping Material
A need is something you must have to live: food, water, clothes, shelter.
A want is something nice to have but not required: toys, games, treats.
We make smart choices by taking care of needs first.
Hands-On Experiment or Activities
What You Need:
Play money, picture cards (water, apple, shoes, toy car, candy, backpack)
What You Do:
1. Give each student $5.
2. Lay out items with prices ($2–$4).
3. Students must buy one need before they can buy a want.
4. Students explain their choices to a partner.
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Vocabulary and Definition
- — something you must have
- — something nice to have
- — picking what to buy
- — something that matters a lot
Words to Learn
, ,
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Questions to Answer
Story:
Amina has $5.
She sees water for $2, an apple for $2, and a toy car for $4.
She is hungry and also wants the toy car.
1. What does Amina want to buy for fun?
2. What items are needs?
3. If she buys water and an apple, how much will she spend?
4. How much money will she have left?
5. Can she still buy the $4 toy car?
6. Why should she get a need first?
7. What is more important right now since she is hungry?
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🧮 Finance Math Practice
1. A bottle of water costs $2. You have $3. Can you buy it?
2. Shoes cost $5. You have $4. Enough?
3. A lunch costs $3. You have $5. What’s left?
4. You want a toy for $4 but need glue for $2. You have $4. What can you buy?
5. A sandwich costs $3. A sticker costs $1. You have $3. Which must you buy first?
6. If you buy two needs for $2 each, total?
7. A backpack is $5. You have $6. Left after buying it?
8. You need water ($2) and want candy ($1). You have $2. What can you buy?
9. Which is a need: water or toy car?
10. You have $4. A hat is $3. A sandwich is $3. What should you buy?
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Reflection
- Why do needs come before wants?
- What is one want you have today?