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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

  • Spending more than money on a pet

    Updated

    Ideal for: Elementary school (4-5)

    Students read a story and then write a persuasive paragraph about a pet they’d like to own.

    Key information

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

    Building block

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

  • Using a budget to shop for a party

    Updated

    Ideal for: Elementary school (4-5)

    Students learn about budgets and then use a budget to decide what food to buy for an imaginary party.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Comparing saving and investing

    Updated

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

    Students explore the differences between saving and investing and answer questions about which one they’d use to reach different financial goals.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Investing)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Comparing stock investments

    Updated

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

    Students learn how calculating capital gains and capital losses can help them evaluate stock investments.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Investing)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Discovering the benefits of investing early

    Updated

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

    Students use an online calculator and answer questions to learn about the value of investing early.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Investing)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Playing an investment game

    Updated

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

    Students work in groups to explore real-world scenarios that can affect stock investments.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Investing)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Bouncing ball protection game

    Updated

    Ideal for: Elementary school (K-1), Elementary school (2-3)

    In a circle time activity, students answer questions about how we protect ourselves, our money, and our property.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Protect (Managing risk)
    Activity duration:
    15-20 minutes

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • Choosing a student loan that’s right for you

    Updated

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

    Students use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast federal and private student loans to help them find the one best suited for their needs.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Paying for college), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • 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

  • Creating a poster on life after high school

    Updated

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

    Students create a poster or infographic illustrating post-secondary education or workforce options they're interested in.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Learning about careers, Making money)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • 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.

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