Gratitude · Activity

Those Shoes

1st & 2nd Grade

Activity Gratitude, Levels 1, 2   Resource: Those Shoes   Activity: Students talk about the difference between “needs” and “wants.” The teacher makes teams of 2 or 3 students and each team creates a chart that’s divided into 2 sections, “Needs” and “Wants”. Students can provide their own illustrations for each section or they can cut pictures out of magazines and use those.    Materials needed:  poster boards; art materials; markers; magazines    Directions: Ask: “What do you think the difference is between needing something and wanting something? [wait for responses] Explain: “We need food, shelter, clothing, fresh air, clean water, a family, health care, education, and safety. We may want fancy, expensive shoes, the best bike you can buy, or more than one dessert for dinner, but we don’t need those things in order to live.” After discussing this topic, create small teams of 2 or 3 students. Show them the materials for poster making. Guide them to divide the poster in half, label each section, and illustrate using drawings or magazine cut-outs. Conduct a show and tell when they’re finished.    Wrap it up: Explain: “It’s important to know the difference between needs and wants. Some children in our world don’t even get their needs met and because of that they may be unhealthy, scared, and unhappy. Because we have our needs met, we can be grateful for that. We can also desire or want more, and if we do, we can talk it over with someone in our family, or a teacher or coach who can help us work towards making those dreams come true. We can also find ways to help those whose needs are not being met. There are many good organizations that give us opportunities to help. If you know of any, please tell me. If not, I’ll share some ideas with you. We’ll plan a project in which we can help those who need our help.”    
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