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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.

Illustration of teacher and student activity books

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Showing 8 matches out of 136 activities

Showing 8 matches out of 136 activities

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  • Banking basics card game

    Updated

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

    Students play a game to learn about common banking products and services and to consider which ones they might use now and in the future.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Banking options, Choosing how to save), Spend (Buying things, Paying bills), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    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

  • Saving each payday

    Updated

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

    Students use a real-world simulation to learn how saving a little money each payday can be a successful strategy for saving.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Banking options, 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

  • Storing my savings

    Updated

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

    Students read descriptions of common places to store their money and weigh the benefits and risks of each to decide which one(s) fit their financial goals.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Banking options, Choosing how to save, Investing)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Getting banked

    Updated

    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.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Becoming an entrepreneur), Save and invest (Banking options, Choosing how to save), Spend (Buying things, Paying bills)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Playing a banking fact and fiction game

    Updated

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

    Students listen to statements about banking and then walk to one side of the room or the other if they think the statement is fact or fiction.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Banking options, Choosing how to save), Protect (Managing risk), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Bouncing ball money choices

    Updated

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

    Students play a game to share how they think and feel about money.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Choosing how to save), Spend (Buying things)
    Activity duration:
    15-20 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial habits and norms

  • Understanding who shapes your money decisions

    Updated

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

    Students read a handout and then identify how both they and the people in their lives make choices about money.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • 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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