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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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136 activities

136 activities

  • Understanding ways to pay for education after high school

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students conduct Internet research to build their awareness of options for paying for education after they graduate from high school.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Saving for college), Spend (Paying for college), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Using a student loan calculator

    Updated

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

    Students use a student loan calculator to calculate monthly loan payments and how much they can save on total loan costs by paying a little extra each month.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Paying for college), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Calculating the numbers in your paycheck

    Updated

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

    Students review a pay stub from a sample paycheck to understand the real-world effect of taxes and deductions on the amount of money they receive.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Getting paid, Making money, Paying taxes)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Choosing the best cell phone plan for you

    Updated

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

    Students research the features and costs of cell phones and cell phone plans and use a decision matrix to compare options and determine the best one for their needs, wants, and budget.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Creating a buying plan

    Updated

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

    Students practice creating a buying plan and apply this strategy to provide buying advice to others.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Creating a savings first aid kit

    Updated

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

    Students learn the importance of developing an emergency savings fund to deal with unexpected challenges and unplanned expenses.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Banking options, Building emergency savings, Choosing how to save, Saving for long-term goals, Saving for short-term goals)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • Meeting your future self

    Updated

    Ideal for: Elementary school (4-5), Middle school (6-8)

    Students imagine their lives in 10 years and write a fill-in-the-blank letter from their future selves to their current selves.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Learning about careers, Making money), Save and invest (Saving for long-term goals)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • Picturing what you’re saving for

    Updated

    Ideal for: Elementary school (K-1), Elementary school (2-3), Elementary school (4-5)

    Students draw pictures of a savings goal and discuss the importance of saving money over time.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Saving for long-term goals, Saving for short-term goals)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • Protecting your identity online

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students answer true-or-false questions about safe online behaviors and consider ways to protect themselves online.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Protect (Managing risk, Preventing fraud and identity theft)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • Reflecting on needs versus wants

    Updated

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

    By thinking about their own expenses, students explore how differentiating between needs and wants can inform daily financial decisions and rules to live by.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    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.

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