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Needs and Wants Worksheet
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Needs and Wants Worksheet
Mason, Tahnee and Chloe are helping plan a safe day travelling around the city by bus. Read each situation, then decide what is a need and what is a want. A need helps people stay alive, healthy or safe. A want is something enjoyable that is not essential. Some choices depend on the situation.
Sort the choices
Think about why each item might be needed or wanted.
1.At the bus stop, Mason has a bottle of drinking water and a packet of colourful stickers. Which item is a basic need?
- The drinking water
- The stickers
- Both are basic needs
- Neither is useful
2.Chloe is packing for the trip. Match each item to the best group: a warm jacket, a toy robot, lunch, and a glittery hat. Groups: NEED and WANT.
- Warm jacket
- Toy robot
- Lunch
- Glittery hat
- Want
- Need
- Want
- Need
3.Tahnee sees a bus arriving in heavy rain. Choose the best reason an adult might need a bus fare to get home.
- Travel can help the adult reach a safe place
- Bus tickets are toys
- Everyone needs to ride every bus
- A bus fare is always a want
4.Mark each item as a need or a want for a safe day out: clean drinking water, a second toy, medicine needed by a child, and a sugary treat.
Make a careful choice
Families make choices because money and resources are limited. A want is not bad; it may simply need to wait.
5.A family has $10 for the next part of the trip. They need a $6 bus fare to get home and would like a $7 souvenir magnet. What should they pay for first, and how much money will remain?
6.True or false: A want is always silly and nobody should ever spend money on one.
TrueFalse
7.Complete the idea: People often choose needs before wants because needs help us stay , and .
8.Mason says, “A mobile phone is always a want.” Is that true in every situation? Give one situation where a phone might help meet a need.
9.Choose the best explanation: Why can the same item be a need for one person but a want for another?
- People can have different situations and needs
- Needs and wants never change
- An item costs more if it is a need
- Everyone must choose the same things
10.The friends have enough money for one extra item after paying for food and their bus trips. They can choose a small puzzle book or a large bag of lollies. Pick one and explain how you decided. There is no single correct choice, but give a sensible reason.
11.Write one need and one want a child might have on a city bus trip. Explain how knowing the difference can help a family make choices.
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