- Definition
An incentive is something like a discount or a free gift that a company offers to make you want to buy their product or use their service.
A coffee shop offering a free drink after you buy ten is an incentive to keep coming back.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: An incentive is like a reward for taking an action, like earning extra allowance for doing more chores around the house.
Ask your child: What kind of deal would make you choose one store over another?
Common mix-up: Your child may think an incentive is just a discount. An incentive is anything a company offers to encourage a specific choice, like buying now or choosing a certain brand.
Examples
- A 'buy one, get one free' sale is an incentive to buy two items instead of just one.
- A bank offering $100 to open a new account is an incentive to choose that bank over others.
incentive is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
