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 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.
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.
Understanding prepaid cards
Ideal for: High school (11-12)
Students play a game and answer questions to learn about prepaid cards and explore whether they’d consider using them.
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.
Playing a banking fact and fiction game
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.
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.
Bouncing ball budgets
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Through an interactive game, students share spending decisions they’ve made in the past and start to think about their spending habits in new ways.