Needs and Wants Lesson (KS1)

A complete KS1 lesson for Y1/Y2 on needs and wants from Tykeoons’ MoneySmarts. Active learning throughout, differentiated for all abilities.

Follow Jamal and Jasmine on a trip to the shops to discover the difference between needing and wanting something. The lesson goes beyond a simple sort: pupils explore how the same item can be a need in one situation and a want in another, building the kind of nuanced understanding that sticks. Activities include a whole-class discussion and picture sort, a whole-class interactive simulation, and a paired card sort before pupils move to independent work. Works as a standalone lesson or as part of the full MoneySmarts 4-7 series.

Suitable for PSHE and financial education. The independent tasks also include a maths extension (calculating change), making this an easy cross-curricular link.

Want a complete financial education solution for your school? MoneySmarts 4-7 is part of the Tykeoons primary financial education platform, containing hundreds of resources like this one. Start your school’s FREE pilot.

This resource contains:

• A teacher presentation deck with built-in discussion prompts throughout
• A whole-class interactive simulation (pupils decide whether each item is a need or a want)
• A printable paired card sort (8 cards, one set per pair)
• A printable independent activity at 3 differentiated challenge levels, each with a maths extension