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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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Showing 12 matches out of 136 activities

Showing 12 matches out of 136 activities

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  • Meeting your future self

    Updated

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

    Students imagine their lives in 10 years and write a fill-in-the-blank letter from their future selves to their current selves.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Learning about careers, Making money), Save and invest (Saving for long-term goals)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • 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

  • Paying for a pet

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students calculate the costs of owning a pet and practice choosing an appropriate pet.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Calculating energy costs

    Updated

    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.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Brainstorming household budgets

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students review monthly incomes and household expenses to practice making budget decisions, including about housing and roommates.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Budgeting for needs and wants

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students explore the difference between needs and wants and practice making budget choices.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • Creating a monthly household budget

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students determine how to balance their needs and wants when budgeting for household bills.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things, Paying bills)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Paying bills

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students explore different payment methods while using a Venn diagram.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Paying bills)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Executive function

  • Learning about budgets

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students learn about budgeting rules and then apply their understanding in an interactive budgeting activity.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Saving for long-term goals, Saving for short-term goals), Spend (Budgeting, Paying bills)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Contrasting long-term and short-term savings goals

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students learn the difference between short-term and long-term savings goals and apply their knowledge in an exercise-oriented game.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Choosing how to save, Saving for long-term goals, Saving for short-term goals)
    Activity duration:
    15-20 minutes

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • 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.