Needs vs. Wants Lesson Plan
Ages 2-6
Discerning between needs and wants is a simple, but important, skill that children often have a hard time coming to terms with. Hence, my frequent serenade of "you can't always get what you wa-ant, but if you try sometimes you get what you ne-eeeeed". Kids love that.
HOOK and INFORM
The Inform part of the lesson is posted on YouTube! Click the pic to go to the video. It's a power point made into a video that talks about the 4 needs of living things, the difference between a need and a want, introduces price and value, and gives examples of things you might cherish.
Explore
What kind of cargo are the animals bringing us on the train? We explored the items on the train, and decided if they were needs or wants. There were toys, a shirt, an orange, and water as some of the items. Check out our YouTube Video of the action. Click the pic to access it.
ACTIVITY
For our activity we did a pretend shopping trip. Wants were 2 pennies and needs were $.01. I set out toys, a blanket, a shirt, water, food, and some other items that could be chosen to purchase. The student get $.04 to shop. If they aren't careful, they will end up with only wants and no needs! We experimented with different amounts of money, and did several shopping trips. We reviewed purchases after each trip.
Stay tuned for other parts of the lesson!
ASSESS
Give students pictures of things that they want and things they need. Give them price tags, a picture of a superhero, and a mask and cape. For 5 and up: Make a chart that has a place for needs, wants, price and value, and have students glue pics in proper places. For ages 2-4, use a separate paper for each and just have the kids identify the picture out loud before they glue it on the page. Have students bring one thing from home that they cherish for a show and tell.
20170412_balleeall_playroadacademy_wants_assess.pdf | |
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