Choices

Before we start

Five minutes before Lesson 1, no scoring — find out how pupils already decide.

1. 1. Write one thing you need and one thing you want this week.
2. 2. You can pick ONE: a new toy or a day out. What would you give up by choosing?
3. 3. How do you usually decide what to spend your money on?

Lesson 1. Need, want, or it depends?

Penny · 45 min · Explain how context changes a priority.

1. For water, choose need/want/depends and write “because…”.
2. Do the same for a winter coat and branded trainers.
3. Do the same for a phone.
4. What information would help you decide about the phone?

Lesson 2. The choice you leave behind

Penny · 45 min · Name the opportunity cost of a decision in plain language.

1. Can museum + art kit fit in €10?
2. Find two combinations that fit.
3. If you choose museum + picnic, what can you not buy now?
4. What might change your decision?

Lesson 3. The real price tag

Tally · 45 min · Compare full prices including extras and identify what matters besides the number.

1. Total A and B.
2. Which paid option costs less and by how much?
3. List one advantage and one limit of C.
4. State which you would choose for a one-week project and why.

Lesson 4. Sleep on it

Penny · 45 min · Tell a considered choice from an impulse one and use a simple pause-and-check before deciding.

1. A toy costs €6 today and €6 tomorrow. Does "only today" change the price?
2. Write the three pause questions.
3. For a €6 gadget you already own, choose buy, wait or skip.
4. Why can waiting a day make a better choice?

Final mission. A choice for everyone

Tally · 45 min · Make a fair group choice when people prefer different things, using a simple method.

1. Tally a fictional vote for three treats.
2. Which won, and by how much?
3. If the vote is a tie, name one fair way to decide.
4. Why is "take turns" fair over several weeks?

Extension. Put them in order

Penny · 45 min · Rank several fictional wants and needs by priority and explain the order when not everything fits.

1. Rank the six items from most to least urgent for a normal school day.
2. Draw a line after your top three.
3. Which item moves up if the day is very cold?
4. Why did you place your last item last?

Extension. Four ways to get one thing

Tally · 45 min · Compare buying, borrowing, making and sharing as ways to meet the same need, weighing money, time and ownership.

1. Fill in money and time for buy, borrow, make and share.
2. Which costs the least money?
3. Which is best for a one-time play, and why?
4. When would borrowing be a poor choice?

Extension. Ask before you choose

Tally · 45 min · Ask useful questions that lead to a better choice rather than choosing on looks or an advert alone.

1. Two backpacks: bright €9, plain and sturdy €8. Which lasts better if the notes say so?
2. List three questions to ask before choosing.
3. Which would you pick for daily school use, and why?
4. Why is "it looks nice" not enough on its own?

Extension. The cost of your time

Penny · 45 min · Name the opportunity cost of a choice about time, not only money, across one afternoon.

1. You have three 30-minute blocks and five activities. Choose three.
2. Which two did you give up?
3. If a friend needs help setting up the fair, what changes?
4. Finish: "If I choose ___, I give up ___ for now."

My money reflection

A quiet close to the month.

1. A choice I'm glad I thought about before deciding…
2. Something I wanted less once I knew its full cost…
3. A way I could make a fairer choice with others next time…

Cut-out coins

Play money for the lessons and the mission — fictional, for practice only. Cut along the dashed circles; print one page per pair for extra coins.