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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 31 matches out of 136 activities

Showing 31 matches out of 136 activities

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  • Creating a savings first aid kit

    Updated

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

    Students learn the importance of developing an emergency savings fund to deal with unexpected challenges and unplanned expenses.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Banking options, Building emergency savings, 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

  • 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

  • Creating a buying plan

    Updated

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

    Students practice creating a buying plan and apply this strategy to provide buying advice to others.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Reflecting on needs versus wants

    Updated

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

    By thinking about their own expenses, students explore how differentiating between needs and wants can inform daily financial decisions and rules to live by.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things)
    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

  • Choosing the best cell phone plan for you

    Updated

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

    Students research the features and costs of cell phones and cell phone plans and use a decision matrix to compare options and determine the best one for their needs, wants, and budget.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • 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

  • 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

  • Playing a saving and spending game

    Updated

    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.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Making money), Save and invest (Building emergency savings), Spend (Budgeting, Buying things)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Getting banked

    Updated

    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.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Becoming an entrepreneur), Save and invest (Banking options, Choosing how to save), Spend (Buying things, Paying bills)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 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.