Needs and wants
Every day, people make choices about what to buy and use. To make good choices, it helps to know the difference between needs and wants.
What are needs?
Needs are things people must have to live and be healthy.
- Food to give us energy
- Water to drink
- Clothing to keep us warm and protected
- Shelter: a safe place to live, like a house or apartment
- Care and love from family and friends
- Health care when we are sick or hurt
Everyone in the world has the same basic needs.
What are wants?
Wants are things we would like to have, but we can live without them.
- toys and video games
- candy and treats
- a new bike
- fancy shoes
- a trip to an amusement park
- a pet goldfish
Wants make life fun, and that’s okay! But we don’t need them to survive.
Sorting needs and wants
| Need | Want |
|---|---|
| water | juice box |
| a warm coat in winter | a coat with your favourite cartoon character |
| healthy food | ice cream |
| a bed to sleep in | a bunk bed with a slide |
| shoes | light-up sneakers |
| a home | a home with a swimming pool |
Notice something? Sometimes a need can become a want if we pick a fancier version. Water is a need. Fizzy soda is a want.
Making choices
We can’t have everything we want. Families have only so much money and time. So we make choices.
When you make a choice, ask yourself:
- Is this a need or a want?
- Do I have enough money?
- Is there something else I want more?
- Can I wait and save for it?
Example: Maya has $5. She wants a toy car and a book. She can only buy one. She thinks about which one she will enjoy more and picks the book. Next week, she can save for the toy car.
Needs come first
Families usually pay for needs first, like food, rent and clothes. After needs are taken care of, money left over can be used for wants or saved for later.
Goods we buy
Things people can buy, touch and use are called goods. Food, clothes, books and toys are all goods. Some goods meet needs (milk, mittens) and some meet wants (stickers, games).
Helping others with their needs
Some families don’t have enough money for all their needs. Communities help through food banks, coat drives and shelters. You can help by donating food or clothes you’ve outgrown.
Try it yourself
- Cut pictures from a flyer or magazine and sort them into needs and wants.
- Draw three needs and three wants.
- Play "Need or Want?": a grown-up names an item, and you decide.
- Pretend you have $10. Make a list of what you’d buy, and say which items are needs and which are wants.
- Help collect items for a food bank or coat drive.
Tip for families
When shopping together, talk about whether items are needs or wants. Let your child make a small choice between two wants.
Quick recap
- Needs are things we must have to live: food, water, clothing and shelter.
- Wants are things we’d like but can live without.
- We can’t have everything, so we make choices.
- Families usually take care of needs first.
- We can save for wants and help others meet their needs.