Field Day Scarcity

Introduce young mathematicians to concepts of financial literacy with this open-ended word problem. With seven dollars to spend during field day and given a list of available items and their prices, children must determine how they want to use their money. With the help of pictures, manipulatives, and number lines students explore the possibilities in order to make a decision and justify their reasoning. Adapt this activity for older learners by increasing the amount they can spend, adding more items for them to purchase, or even including prices with decimals. Present this problem to the class during whole group instruction, allowing time for independent work before sharing and discussing answers.