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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Exploring opportunity costs
Ideal for: Elementary school (4-5), Middle school (6-8)
Students read a book about the opportunity costs of starting a business, play a fill-in-the-blank game, and discuss things they could give up so they can have something else.
Using a buying plan
Ideal for: Elementary school (4-5), Middle school (6-8)
Students read a scenario and then practice creating a buying plan and comparison shopping for a computer.
Bouncing ball money choices
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.
Understanding who shapes your money decisions
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.
Figuring out how much to tip
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students use common tipping percentages to calculate three tip amounts.
Paying for a pet
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students calculate the costs of owning a pet and practice choosing an appropriate pet.
Calculating energy costs
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students calculate the yearly costs of operating energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs and compare them to the costs of using standard appliances and bulbs.
Brainstorming household budgets
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students review monthly incomes and household expenses to practice making budget decisions, including about housing and roommates.
Budgeting for needs and wants
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students explore the difference between needs and wants and practice making budget choices.
Creating a monthly household budget
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students determine how to balance their needs and wants when budgeting for household bills.