Name: ___________________________________
Needs and Wants
A need is something you and your family
must have in order to live safe,
healthy lives. You need
clothes, food, shelter,
medicine, and
transportation.
A want is something
that you or your family
spends money on
and enjoys, but
does not need.
Read each scenario and tell whether each purchase is a need or a want. Write the word need
or want on each line.
1. Your socks are worn out, so you go to the store to
buy new ones. 1. ________________________
2. Your basketball is worn out so you go to the sporting
goods store to buy a new one. 2. ________________________
3. You are sick so your mother goes to the drug store to
buy cold medicine. 3. ________________________
4. Your house needs a new roof, so your parents hire
a roofer to fix it. 4. ________________________
5. Your father's birthday is coming up. You buy him tickets
to a football game to give him as a gift. 5. ________________________
6. You buy paper and markers so you can make your
grandmother a special card for Mother's Day. 6. ________________________
7. You go to the store and buy eggs, butter, milk, and
a loaf of bread. 7. ________________________
8. Your mother takes your sister to the eye doctor and
buys her a pair of glasses. 8. ________________________
9. Your family has a brand new swimming pool
put in the backyard. 9. ________________________
10. Your father stops at the gas station and puts 10 gallons
of gasoline in his car. 10. _______________________
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ANSWER KEY
Needs and Wants
A need is something you and your family
must have in order to live safe,
healthy lives. You need
clothes, food, shelter,
medicine, and
transportation.
A want is something
that you or your family
spends money on
and enjoys, but
does not need.
Read each scenario and tell whether each purchase is a need or a want. Write the word need
or want on each line.
1. Your socks are worn out, so you go to the store to
buy new ones. 1. need
2. Your basketball ball is worn out so you go to the sporting
goods store to buy a new one. 2. want
3. You are sick so your mother goes to the drug store to
buy cold medicine. 3. need
4. Your house needs a new roof, so your parents hire
a roofer to fix it. 4. need
5. Your father's birthday is coming up. You buy him tickets
to a football game to give him as a gift. 5. want
6. You buy paper and markers so you can make your
grandmother a special card for Mother's Day. 6. want
7. You go to the store and buy eggs, butter, milk, and
a loaf of bread. 7. need
8. Your mother takes your sister to the eye doctor and
buys her a pair of glasses. 8. need
9. Your family has a brand new swimming pool
put in the backyard. 9. want
10. Your father stops at the gas station and puts 10 gallons
of gasoline in his car. 10. need
Super Teacher Worksheets - www.superteacherworksheets.com
