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Holidays Wants and Needs Free PDF for Class Discussion

ByCarolyn Wilhelm

Wants and needs can be so difficult for families to manage during the holidays. The anticipation of gifts can create some behavior issues in the classroom, too. This post has a free holiday wants and needs printable to help with economics understanding for young children and primary grades.

Wants And Needs Printable Freebie

This is the link for the instant download of the Holidays Wants and Needs Free PDFs for Class Discussion. At first let the children pick anything they want to answer the question:  What do you want for the holidays?  

Holiday Economics for Children

Materials required:  the cards on pages 8-16 cut apart and ready to sort as wants or needs

Large sheet of white or Kraft paper divided in half vertically — label one side “wants” and one side “needs”

Begin with a Christmas, Hanukkah, or holiday story read aloud.

This lesson idea for holiday gift discussions about the difference between wants and needs for children.

Have the children tape the cards on the correct side of the large paper.

Hold up the word cards on pages 4-7 one at a time. Have children discuss which things are wants and needs. Are they able to provide examples?

Children may feel socks are a terrible gift and that they NEED their video game machines.  Explain grown-ups must pay for the needs in their lives. Even if a child is living with a relative or a shelter, someone is paying for the need. Now, this is the odd thing, although the children will swear Santa is true, they do understand someone pays for the holiday gifts.

Do not get into a discussion about whether or not Santa or any holiday character is real or not, refer children to their parents about those questions.  Somehow it doesn’t always come up, though, kids are smarter than they let on about this type of thing.  Sum up the lesson with the thought even needs are a gift as they help take care of you, and funds for wants are limited even for grown-ups.

Holidays Wants and Needs Free PDFs for Class Discussion

Leave the large group project paper up during the holidays when children are talking about what they are getting to help them remember these ideas. This lesson is one parents appreciate at this time of year!

Holidays Wants and Needs Free PDF for Class Discussion

Thank you for reading, Carolyn

Carolyn Wilhelm writes curriculum the grade levels she has taught over 28 years including grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. She also taught gifted education and thinking skill classes for grades K-6. She has a BS in Elementary Education, an MS in Gifted Education, an MA in Curriculum and Instruction K-12, and has completed the KHT Montessori 12 month program

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6 Comments

  1. Carolyn Wilhelm says:

    Thank you for the book title! I will check it out!

  2. I really, really like this. I love the idea of making sure kids understand this.

    Lionel’s Christmas Adventure is a recent book/ebook that has some Christmas economics in it.

  3. Carolyn Wilhelm says:

    Thank you so much, Debbie. It is an honor to get a comment from the keynote speaker from the national head start convention! Carolyn

  4. Debbie Clement says:

    Carolyn………. this is such a critical piece for children. What a great way to prompt the discussion and get them thinking, reflecting and evaluating. It our ever increasingly more self-absorbed society it’s so important to direct children to think beyond themselves. KUDOS for a brilliant piece. I’m off to pin again and again!

    Debbie

  5. Carolyn Wilhelm says:

    Thank you for commenting, Tonya. I’ve been thinking about your Christmas program, I have to check your blog and see what’s been going on! I just added the printable for the wants and needs lesson. That is so fun to teach as it is an eye opener for the children, who really seem to know anyway! Carolyn

  6. Tonya Dirksen says:

    This is an important lesson for children to learn and the holiday season is the perfect time to discuss it! Thanks for the great idea.

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