Session 2 · Money, Values & You
Needs vs. Wants
Learning to tell the difference — and why it matters for your money
6th Grade Financial Literacy · 90 minutes
Critical thinking Ad awareness Sorting game Opportunity cost
Today's Plan
Here's What We're Doing
- Opening question — Need or Want? (5 min)
- What do you NEED? (15 min)
- How ads trick you (15 min)
- Need or Want? Sorting Game (15 min)
- Opportunity cost (15 min)
- Journal + share (10 min)
- Recap & preview (10 min)
Knowing the plan = no surprises
Opening Question
Raise Your Hand...
...if you want a new phone.
Now keep it up if you'd DIE without one.
So... is a phone a need or a want?
Let's debate. Both sides might be right.
Lesson 1 · What Do You Need?
The Basics of Survival
Shelter
Protection from the elements
Food
Energy to live and grow
Water
Essential for every body function
Clothing
Protection + warmth
Everything else? We might WANT it — but we don't need it to survive.
Lesson 1 · Needs vs. Wants
But It Gets Complicated...
- Shoes = NEED... but do you need 12 pairs?
- Internet = WANT in 1995... NEED for school in 2025?
- Medicine = NEED if prescribed
- Phone = gray area — safety vs. luxury?
Gray areas are the most interesting part of this topic.
Being able to think through them = financial wisdom.
Lesson 2 · Power of Advertising
Ads Are Designed to Trick You
- They show happy, cool, popular people using the product
- They create urgency: "Limited time!" "Everyone has one!"
- They target YOU — they know your age and interests
- Their goal: make a want feel like a need
The average person sees 6,000–10,000 ads every single day.
Lesson 2 · Ad Awareness
Next Time You See an Ad...
- Who is it targeting? (hint: probably you)
- What feeling does it want you to have?
- Does it make a want feel like a need?
- Would your life actually be worse without this?
You can't avoid ads — but you can think critically about them.
Brain Break
Stand Up!
Point to something in the room that is a NEED.
Now point to something that is a WANT.
Debate with the person next to you for 30 seconds. Go!
Movement = better memory. You've got this.
Activity Time
Need or Want? Sorting Game
- Your group gets a set of item cards
- Sort each card into two piles: NEED or WANT
- You have 8 minutes — GO!
- If you disagree in your group — that's GOOD! Debate it.
Items include: phone, water, shoes, electricity, video game, house, internet, candy, school supplies, car, vacation, glasses, toothbrush, pet, Netflix
Activity Debrief
Let's Talk About It
- Which items caused the most debate?
- Were there any surprises?
- What about: phone? internet? glasses? car?
Key insight: Gray areas = financial wisdom.
Recognizing the difference takes practice — and depends on context.
Lesson 3 · Opportunity Cost
Every Choice Costs Another Choice
When you choose to spend $20 on a game...
you're also choosing NOT to spend it on anything else.
That "anything else" is the Opportunity Cost.
- Pizza tonight = no movie this weekend (same budget)
- Save $10 = no new book this week
- Buy now = can't buy something better next month
Lesson 3 · Opportunity Cost
Think About YOUR Choices
- What's something you recently bought or chose?
- What did you give up to get it?
- Was it worth it?
Opportunity cost doesn't mean you chose wrong.
It means you chose intentionally.
Islamic Perspective
Israf & Qasad
إسراف Israf
Wasteful excess. Spending beyond what you need when others have nothing.
Islam discourages this.
قصد Qasad
Moderation and intention. Spending with purpose — avoiding both excess and miserliness.
These aren't about being cheap. They're about being mindful.
Journal Time
Take 8 Minutes...
"Describe something you want right now. Be honest — is it actually a need? Explain."
- Write honestly — this is YOUR journal
- One sentence is fine
- No wrong answers here
Session 2 · Wrap Up
What We Learned Today
Needs = survival basics. Wants = everything else.
Ads are designed to blur that line.
Every choice has an opportunity cost.
Israf (excess) and Qasad (balance) guide smart spending.
Gray areas are the interesting part — think critically!
Next session: BUDGETING — your plan for every dollar