Needs & Wants

What your kid learns

• Needs keep us safe

  A need keeps us safe and healthy. Food, water and a home are needs. So are clothes and the doctor.

• Wants are fun extras

  A want is nice to have. Toys and games are wants. Wants are fun!

• Some things are both

  A coat for the cold is a need. A fancy coat is partly a want.

• Grown-ups work on the hard part

  Sometimes a family can’t buy everything. Grown-ups and helpers work on it. That’s not a kid’s job to fix.

The story: Lena at the store

In a store, Lena and a grown-up put food in the cart first, and Lena asks about a toy car.

1. Helper: Hi there! Lena is at the store today.
2. Grown-up: We need food for the week.
3. Lena: Can we get a toy car, too?
4. Helper: Food is a need. It keeps us healthy.
5. Helper: A toy car is a want. Wants are fun!
6. Grown-up: Needs come first. Then we can think about wants.
7. Helper: Needs first, then wants. That’s the plan!

The game: Need or Want?

Tap a picture. Then tap Need or Want.

Games use pretend money and work with taps or a keyboard. Nothing is timed.

New words

need

something we must have to be safe and healthy

Also called: essential expense

want

something nice to have

Also called: discretionary spending

Questions at the end

• Which one is a need?
• Which one is a want?
• What comes first?

Remember this

Needs first, then wants.

Talk about it

What is one need and one want you can see right now?

Try it at home: Sort needs and wants

1. Help sort a shopping list or picture cards into needs and wants.
2. Teach a grown-up: ask, “Is a coat a need or a want?”
3. Then share your answer. Say it, sign it or point.

No shopping list? Draw a coat, a toy, an apple and a game on paper. Sort those instead.

School standards

• Grade K
• Texas TEKS K.9D
• C3 Social Studies Framework, Economics D2.Eco.1.K-2
• Florida standards SS.K.E.1.4
• Common Core Math K.MD.B.3
• National Standards for Personal Financial Education: Spending