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Students learn that because we cannot have everything, we must make decisions.
What if you went to a toy store and could only pick one single toy to take home? How would you decide between a bouncy ball and a toy car?
A choice is when you pick one thing instead of another. Imagine you are at the park. You can go on the swing or the slide. You cannot do both at the exact same time! When you pick the swing, you are making a choice. We make choices because we don't have enough time or money to do everything we want at once. Every time you say "yes" to one thing, you are saying "no" to something else.
1. Look at a red crayon and a blue crayon. 2. Think about which color you like more for your drawing. 3. Pick the red crayon. 4. You just made a choice! You chose red over blue.
Quick Check
What do we call it when we pick one thing and leave another behind?
Answer
A choice.
Why can't we have everything? It is because of a big idea called scarcity. This means there is a limit to things. You only have two hands, so you can only hold two toys. You only have one tummy, so you can only eat one lunch. Because we have limits, we have to pick what is most important to us. If you have dollar and a toy costs dollar, you can only buy that one toy.
1. You have snack coupon. 2. An apple costs coupon and a granola bar costs coupon. 3. You want both, but , and you only have . 4. You must choose the one you want most right now.
Quick Check
Why can't we have every toy in the world at the same time?
Answer
Because there are limits (scarcity) to our time, space, or money.
To make a good choice, think about what you need or want the most. If you are very thirsty, choosing water is a better choice than choosing a toy. We look at our options and think about which one makes us happiest or helps us the most. Making choices helps us learn how to use our things wisely!
1. You are invited to two different birthday parties. 2. Both parties start at PM on Saturday. 3. Since you cannot be in two places at once, you must make a choice. 4. You decide to go to the party for the friend you haven't seen in a long time. That is a thoughtful choice!
If you pick a banana instead of an apple, what did you just do?
Why do people have to make choices every day?
You can be in two different places at the exact same time.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to remember the word 'choice' when you pick which shirt to wear!
Practice Activity
At dinner tonight, look at the food on your plate and decide which bite you will take first. Tell someone why you made that choice!