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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.

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136 activities

136 activities

  • 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

  • Spending scenarios

    Updated

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

    Students consider everyday spending decisions by working through real-world scenarios.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things)
    Activity duration:
    15-20 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

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

  • Mapping your money journey (elementary school)

    Updated

    Ideal for: Elementary school (4-5)

    Students complete a short survey to find out about their current money skills and explore things they can do to manage money better.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn, Save and invest, Protect, Spend, Borrow
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Mapping your money journey (middle and high school)

    Updated

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

    Students complete a short survey to find out about their current money skills and explore things they can do to manage money better.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn, Save and invest, Protect, Spend, Borrow
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

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

  • 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

  • Becoming familiar with taxes

    Updated

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

    Students match tax types to definitions and then apply their knowledge to tax scenarios.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Becoming an entrepreneur, Paying taxes)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Understanding jobs, teens, and taxes

    Updated

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

    Students read a handout about taxes and respond to questions to explore the relationship between working and taxes.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Becoming an entrepreneur, Getting paid, Making money, Paying taxes)
    Activity duration:
    15-20 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Understanding taxes and your paycheck

    Updated

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

    Students analyze statements about taxes to better understand how taxes affect people’s paychecks.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Getting paid, Making money, Paying taxes)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Understanding redlining

    Updated

    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.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Saving for long-term goals), Spend (Buying things), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Drawing your own business comic strip

    Updated

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

    Students explore entrepreneurship by reading a story about entrepreneurs and drawing a comic strip about starting a business.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Financial habits and norms
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills
Activities align with the My Money Five principles introduced by the statutorily created federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission.