What this is about
When grown-ups work, they help other people. The people they help pay them money — called a wage. Different grown-ups do different jobs, but they all do something useful for other people.
What is work?
Work is when you do something that helps other people, and they pay you for doing it.
That sounds simple, and it is. But there are so many ways to help people that there are thousands of different jobs.
Some grown-ups go to a workplace each day. Some work from home. Some travel around. Some work at night. But they're all doing the same thing — using their time and skills to help others.
Some jobs you see every day
You probably know lots of jobs already:
Each one helps people in a different way. The teacher helps you learn. The doctor helps you when you're ill. The farmer grows the food you eat. The builder makes the houses people live in.
Some jobs you don't see as much
Lots of grown-ups do jobs you don't see in your day, but the work still matters.
- Someone who designs the cars we drive
- Someone who writes the books you read
- Someone who works in a hospital lab testing samples
- Someone who plans the road signs so traffic flows
- Someone who looks after the computers that run the bank app
- Someone who works in a factory making bread
- Someone who flies planes
- Someone who writes the stories for TV programmes
The grown-ups in your family probably do jobs from this kind of list. Some you see, some you don't. All of them matter.
How they get paid
When a grown-up does their job, the company or boss pays them a wage. This is the money they get for doing the work.
Most grown-ups get paid once a month. The money lands in their bank account.
Out of that wage, they have to pay for:
- The food the family eats
- The house everyone lives in
- Bills like gas and electricity
- Clothes and shoes
- Travel — buses, cars, petrol
- Saving some for the future
- Treats and holidays
That's why people don't buy a new toy or treat every day — the money has to last all month and pay for the important things first.
A fun question to ask
Ask your grown-up:
- What is your job?
- What do you actually do during the day?
- Who does your work help?
- What did you want to be when you were my age?
- If you could do any job, what would you pick?
You might find out things you didn't know! Lots of children don't really know what their grown-ups do all day.
For teachers: curriculum links
- England — PSHE Association KS1 L7 (introducing money), Citizenship KS1
- England — Maths Y1/Y2 Money
- Wales — Curriculum for Wales Progression Step 1-2 (Humanities AoLE, HWB AoLE)
- Scotland — Curriculum for Excellence MNU 1-09a, SOC 1-15a
- NI — World Around Us KS1, PDMU KS1
Full mapping in the curriculum map.
UK Tax Drag (2026). What do grown-ups do for work?. Ages 5–7 guide. Available at: https://kids.uktaxdrag.co.uk/ages-5-7-what-grown-ups-do-for-work.html
Curriculum mapping: see UK Financial Education Curriculum Map (Version 1.0).
For teachers — use this page as a 10-minute lesson
Learning focus. By the end, pupils can: What work is, why people get paid, and the variety of jobs in the UK including teaching, healthcare, building, farming, and emergency services.
Plenary (2 min). Each pupil writes one sentence: the most useful thing on this page and one real situation they would use it in. Share three.
Quick check. Mini-whiteboards: pupils state the page’s key rule in their own words. Scan for anyone holding the opposite idea and address it.
Take it further: printable worksheet · age lesson pack · full lesson plans
Where this fits — UK curriculum
Aligned to all four UK nations for Ages 5–7. Full citable mapping & CC BY 4.0 reference: UK curriculum map.
- England
- National Curriculum (England) — Key Stage 1. Mathematics; PSHE (financial education).
- Scotland
- Curriculum for Excellence (Scotland) — Early / First Level. Numeracy & Mathematics — Number, money and measure. (MNU 0-09a, MNU 1-09a)
- Wales
- Curriculum for Wales — Progression Step 1–2. Mathematics and Numeracy; Health and Well-being.
- Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Curriculum — Foundation Stage / Key Stage 1. Mathematics and Numeracy; Personal Development & Mutual Understanding.