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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 39 matches out of 136 activities

Showing 39 matches out of 136 activities

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  • Using a buying plan

    Updated

    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.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • 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 (Learning about careers, Making money), Spend (Paying for college)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Starting your own business

    Updated

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

    Students practice being entrepreneurs by thinking of businesses they might start based on their own ideas, talents, or passions.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Becoming an entrepreneur, Making money)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

    • 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

  • Protecting your Social Security number

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students read about the importance of protecting their Social Security number and decide if statements about Social Security numbers are true or false.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Protect (Preventing fraud and identity theft)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • 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

  • Understanding minimum payments

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students watch a video and answer questions to learn how long it takes to pay off a credit balance when making only the minimum payment.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Borrow (Managing credit)
    Activity duration:
    15-20 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Avoiding debt

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students read a short story and a handout to learn about excessive debt and ways to avoid or reduce debt.

    Key information

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

    Building block

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

  • Building a good borrowing reputation

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students analyze the profiles of three different people to decide what kind of borrowing reputation they have.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • Getting a credit card and using it wisely

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students conduct research to learn about how credit cards work and some tips for using them.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Borrow (Managing credit)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

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