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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Understanding taxes and your paycheck
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students analyze statements about taxes to better understand how taxes affect people’s paychecks.
Becoming familiar with taxes
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students match tax types to definitions and then apply their knowledge to tax scenarios.
Understanding redlining
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students read a handout about the practice of redlining and answer questions about its impact on individuals and communities.
Writing about giving
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8), High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students discuss giving to a charitable organization, research local groups, and write a persuasive letter about that organization.
Including giving in your budget
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students explore how creating a budgeting rule can help people include giving in their monthly budgets.
Researching the gig economy
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students conduct research about the gig economy, identify benefits and drawbacks to gig work, and reflect on whether gig work would be right for them.
Playing a saving and spending game
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students discuss the importance of emergency savings and play a game to explore connections between saving, spending, and unexpected expenses.
Getting banked
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students select a local bank or credit union to research to learn about what to consider when choosing a financial institution.
Budgeting for fun in a rural setting
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students practice budgeting by planning for a fun overnight trip to a rural area.
Investigating payroll tax and federal income tax withholding
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students analyze W-4 forms and pay stubs in order to better understand payroll taxes and federal income tax withholding.