Overview

This lesson gets a 6‑year‑old ready for a children's market by teaching simple economic ideas: needs vs. wants, goods vs. services, and a tiny bit about pricing and costs. It uses stories, sorting games, role play, and a short planning sheet so your child can create a product or service to sell.

Lesson length: about 30–45 minutes (can be split across two days).

Learning goals:

• Tell the difference between needs and wants.
• Tell the difference between goods (things) and services (help someone does for you).
• Think of a product or service to make for a market and decide a simple price.

Key vocabulary (child friendly):

• Need: something we must have to stay healthy and safe (food, water, a warm coat, a bed).
• Want: something we would like but do not need to live (toys, candy, stickers).
• Goods: things you can touch and take home (a bracelet, a cookie, a toy).
• Services: things someone does to help you or make life easier (a haircut, a story read to you, washing a bike).
• Cost: what you spend to make something (materials like beads or paper).
• Price: how much you ask someone to pay for it.
• Profit: the money you keep after you pay for the cost.

Materials you will need:

• Printed or written picture cards (see sample list below) or magazine cutouts
• Two big labeled boxes or sheets of paper: "Needs" and "Wants"
• Two big labeled boxes or sheets: "Goods" and "Services"
• Play money or real coins (very small amounts) and a calculator or paper and pencil
• Simple craft supplies: paper, markers, beads, string, tape, scissors
• Sticky notes and a marker for price tags

Warm-up (5–8 minutes): a short story

Tell a short story like this (use the child's name):

Sammy wanted a shiny toy car but also needed a warm coat when it was cold. One day Sammy saved coins from chores and had to decide whether to buy the toy car or help pay for a coat. Sammy asked a friend who sells bracelets at the market how they decide what to sell and how much to charge.

Ask: Was the toy car a need or a want? What about the coat? Why did Sammy have to choose?

Activity 1 — Needs vs Wants sorting (8–12 minutes)

1. Show picture cards one at a time (examples below). Ask your child to put each card in the Needs box or Wants box.
2. Talk about each choice. If your child is unsure, ask why and give an example: "Would you get sick if you didn't have this? Then it's a need."

Sample cards (cut from paper or draw):

• Needs: water, apple/food, coat, bed, toothbrush, medicine
• Wants: toy car, candy, sticker book, video game, glitter pencil

Activity 2 — Goods vs Services (8–12 minutes)

1. Explain: goods are things you can touch and take home; services are actions someone does to help you.
2. Use another set of picture cards and have two piles: Goods and Services.
3. Play a quick role-play: you pretend to be a customer who needs a service (haircut) or wants to buy a good (cookie). Let the child be the seller and practice saying a price.

Sample cards:

• Goods: bracelet, cookie, drawing, toy car
• Services: hairbrush styling, face-painting, reading a story, dog-walking

Mini-lesson — Cost, price, and a tiny profit (5–7 minutes)

Keep numbers simple and visual.

• Cost: say "It costs 1 coin to buy beads to make a bracelet." Show one coin and the beads.
• Price: "If you sell the bracelet for 3 coins, someone gives you 3 coins." Put three coins in a pile.
• Profit: "You used 1 coin for beads. After selling, you have 3 coins. You give back the 1 coin for beads. The coins left (2 coins) are yours to save or spend." Use real coins so your child can move them.

Activity 3 — Plan a product or service for the market (10–15 minutes)

Use this simple planning sheet with your child. Fill it in together. Keep words and choices short.

Market Planning Sheet (fill in together)

• My name: ____
• I will sell (product or service): ____ (e.g., friendship bracelets, bookmarks, face painting)
• Is it a good or a service? (circle one)
• Who will want to buy it? (friends, parents, neighbors)
• Materials I need and cost: ____ (e.g., beads 1 coin, string 0.5 coin)
• Total cost to make one: ____ coins
• I will sell it for: ____ coins
• Profit for each one: (show how to subtract cost from price)
• How many will I make? ____
• What will I do with my profit? (save, buy a small toy, donate)

Practice role-play market (10 minutes)

Set up a small stall (a table or a box). Put items and price tags. Let the child practice being the seller while you (and siblings or stuffed animals) are customers. Practice saying: "Hello! Would you like a bracelet for 3 coins? It helps keep your hair tidy and looks pretty." Keep language short and cheerful.

Things to observe (assessment for learning):

• Can the child sort needs and wants correctly most of the time?
• Can they explain one example of a good and one example of a service?
• Can they pick a simple price and show a basic subtraction to find profit?

Short reflection questions for the child (ask after play):

• What was your favorite thing to sell, and why?
• Did you make a choice between a need and a want today? Tell me about it.
• What will you do with your money after the market?

Extensions (if you have more time or later lessons):

• Make a sign for the stall and practice counting change with real coins.
• Try a second day where the child tries a service instead of a product.
• Talk about advertising: make a little poster to show customers what you sell.

Safety and fairness reminders:

• Keep any real money small and supervised.
• Make sure any product is safe (no small beads for children under 3).
• Encourage fair prices and honest descriptions of goods/services.

Parent script (a few lines to get started):

• "Today we're going to play a game about things people need and things people want. We'll also practice selling something at a tiny market. First we'll read a short story, then we'll sort pictures, and finally we'll make and plan something to sell. Ready?"
• When asking questions: use prompts like "Why do you think that is a need?" or "Is that a thing someone can take home, or is it something someone does for you?"

Quick examples you can use for the child's market:

• Goods ideas: friendship bracelets, hand-drawn bookmarks, decorated cookies, small painted rocks
• Service ideas: face painting, reading a short story, helping carry groceries, dog walking (only with adult help)

Simple math example you can show on fingers:

• Cost of beads = 1 coin
• Price you pick = 3 coins
• Money you get = 3 coins
• Give back cost = 1 coin
• Profit = 2 coins (coins left in your hand)

Closing the lesson

Celebrate the planning. Say: "Great job! You can make a choice that helps other people and also learn how to save. Tomorrow we will make one item and practice selling it at our little market."

Helpful tips:

• Keep examples familiar to your child: use toys, snacks, or things from your home.
• Make learning playful and short—six-year-olds learn best with games and doing things with you.
• Use real, visible coins when you teach cost and price. Moving objects helps understanding.
• If a child confuses need and want, give concrete consequences (e.g., "without food you get hungry" vs "without the toy you are okay").
• Let the child choose the product or service to build ownership and excitement.
• Praise decision-making, even if the price choice is odd—use it as a teaching moment rather than correction.

If you want, I can create a printable set of picture cards (needs, wants, goods, services) and a one-page market planning printable you can print and cut out. Would you like that?