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Find financial literacy activities

Find activities that can help you teach and nurture the building blocks of financial capability across the curriculum.

These classroom activities can be completed within a single class period. Each activity comes with a teacher guide and supporting student material, so it’s easy to implement whether you’re an experienced personal finance teacher, integrating financial literacy into another subject area, or supplementing your existing financial education curriculum.

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251 activities

  • Comparing higher education choices

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8), High school (9-10), High school (11-12)

    Students explore higher education options by comparing similarities and differences between two colleges near where they live.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Making money), Spend (Paying for college)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Exploring community colleges

    Updated

    Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)

    Students learn about the benefits of community college and consider whether attending community college could be a good option to help them prepare for their future.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Making money), Spend (Paying for college)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Turning hobbies into earnings

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    After learning about the term “gig economy,” students brainstorm a list of fun hobbies or activities they enjoy doing that could be turned into money-making opportunities.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Making money)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Executive function

  • Using idioms to promote saving

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students explore idioms, which are expressions that use figurative speech, to better understand financial concepts like saving and earning.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Choosing how to save)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial habits and norms
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Becoming a trustworthy borrower

    Updated

    Ideal for: Elementary school (2-3), Elementary school (4-5)

    Students discuss good borrowing behaviors and perform role-plays to practice being a trustworthy borrower.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms
Activities align with the My Money Five principles introduced by the statutorily created federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission.