10 • MODULE TWO: KNOWING MYSELF
Directions:ACTIVITY ONE
I Want, I Need
Group check in from other modules and sessions- Introduce the activity by saying that we need and want many things in life. Each one of us has our
own needs and wants that we try to fulfill. Give 10 cards to each child and ask them to write or
draw their unique wants and needs. Only one want or need should by written or drawn on one
card. Give the children a few minutes to think and write. - Make groups of three and ask the children to put the cards into two groups—one depicting want
and the other depicting need. Make two more cards with the labels “Want” and “Need” written
on them. Ask the children to sort the cards out under these two headings. - Discuss with the children what they understand by “Want” and “Need.” It is very likely that the
children will be confused about the difference between the two. The facilitator should then explain
to them that a “Need” is for something you require to survive. Thus food, shelter, clothing and
medicine meet our physical needs. Similarly, to be accepted and to belong to a group serves our
social needs. Our psychological needs are to be loved and love, to feel safe, to feel self-worth and to
be confident. “Wants,” on the other hand, are what we require to feel comfortable or to make our life
easy or do what we like. We will have difficulty surviving physically, socially or psychologically if our
needs are not met, but we do not face a survival problem if our wants are not met. - For Older Children:
Make one more card and write Special Needs of Adolescents on it. Brainstorm with the children
for the items that should go under it, and write the names of the items that come out of it under
this heading. Some of the most obvious items could be to: have friends, belong to a peer group,
learn how to talk to a person of the opposite sex, have someone to seek advice from and to talk
with, earn money (if it is a street child) and be cared for (particularly for a child living with HIV).
Review
For Older Children:
Discuss with the children how they would like to set the priority between “needs” and “wants.”
While it is necessary to satisfy “needs,” is it always necessary to satisfy “wants?” When does a
“need” become a “want?” For example, at its simplest level, food is needed for survival but having
elaborate meals every day is a want.
Ask the children to try to come up with more examples.
The next step would be to make the children aware of the differences in their answers. The
questions that need to be discussed are:- Were there any differences in what children thought?
- What are the reasons for these differences? Are these differences because of what we think
is important or of value to us? - Why do people have differences in what they consider of value or importance?