Making Choices: Scarcity

Active learning works for scarcity because young children grasp abstract ideas best through concrete, hands-on experiences. When students physically encounter limits in the classroom, they directly feel the tension between wants and resources, making the concept memorable and meaningful.

• Kindergarten
• Self & Community
• 3 activities
• 12 min–25 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify limited resources in a classroom scenario.
2. Explain why choices are necessary when resources are scarce.
3. Compare the outcomes of two different choices made with limited resources.
4. Predict the consequences of a specific choice made due to scarcity.

Simulation Game

⏱ 25 min·Whole Class

Simulation Game: The One Token Store

Set up a simple classroom store with four items: a sticker, a bookmark, five extra minutes of free play, and a special pencil. Each student receives exactly one token and must choose one item, giving up the rest. Debrief as a class: 'How did it feel to give up the other things you wanted?'

Prepare & details

Explain why we cannot always have everything we want.

Facilitation Tip: During The One Token Store, circulate to listen for students articulating their choices and what they gave up, such as ‘I chose the sticker and now I can’t have the eraser.’

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 12 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: What Would You Choose?

Present a scenario: 'You have enough money to buy a new book or go to the movies, but not both. Which do you choose?' Students share their choice with a partner and give one reason. Partners share back what they heard and whether they made the same choice.

Prepare & details

Analyze a situation where a choice must be made due to limited resources.

Facilitation Tip: For What Would You Choose, pause pairs after 2 minutes to highlight one student’s reasoning before they share with the whole group.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 25 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Dividing Up the Resources

Small groups receive a limited set of supplies (five crayons, three sheets of paper) and a shared task (draw a class mural section). Groups must decide how to distribute materials fairly. Afterward they discuss: 'Was there enough? What choices did you make? What would you do differently next time?'

Prepare & details

Predict the outcome of making a good choice versus a poor choice with resources.

Facilitation Tip: In Dividing Up the Resources, model fairness by counting aloud and pointing to each student as they receive their share of the limited item.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teach scarcity by starting with the familiar and moving to the abstract. Use simple language like ‘not enough’ and ‘have to choose’ instead of economic terms. Avoid over-explaining; let students discover the concept through guided play and discussion. Research shows that young children learn best when they experience constraints directly and discuss trade-offs in relatable contexts.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students recognizing that scarcity requires choices, explaining what they give up when they choose, and applying this understanding to new classroom situations. Children should connect the concept to their daily experiences and express it in their own words.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During The One Token Store, watch for students who insist on taking multiple items despite only having one token.

What to Teach Instead

Gently redirect by saying, ‘You can only choose one item with your token. Which one do you want most right now?’ Hold up the tokens to reinforce the limit.

Common Misconception

During Dividing Up the Resources, watch for students who believe everyone can have as much as they want if they just ask nicely.

What to Teach Instead

Use the limited resource to demonstrate scarcity: ‘There are only 4 scissors, and 20 students want to cut. What can we do?’ Guide them to divide the scissors evenly or take turns.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Dividing Up the Resources, present the scenario ‘There are only 3 crayons left, but 5 friends want to draw.’ Ask students to point to the limited resource and explain why a choice must be made.

Exit Ticket

After The One Token Store, give each student a picture of two items and a limited amount of play money. Ask them to circle the item they would choose and write one sentence explaining why they made that choice.

Discussion Prompt

During What Would You Choose, pose the question ‘Imagine you have only enough time to play with one toy before clean-up. Which toy do you choose, and what do you give up by not choosing the other toy?’ Facilitate a brief class discussion about the trade-offs involved.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to write or draw a new item they would add to the token store if they had three tokens instead of one.
• Scaffolding: Provide picture cards of classroom items so students can point to their choice rather than naming it.
• Deeper exploration: Introduce the idea of saving tokens by asking, ‘What if you save your token today and get two tokens tomorrow?’ Discuss how saving changes their choices.

Key Vocabulary

Resource	Something that people use to get what they need or want, like toys, art supplies, or time.
Scarcity	When there is not enough of something for everyone to have all they want.
Choice	When you decide to do or have one thing instead of another.
Limited	Having a set amount that cannot be increased easily.