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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 37 matches out of 274 activities

Showing 37 matches out of 274 activities

Filters applied
Saving for college
Paying for college
Getting loans
High school (9-10)
High school (11-12)

  • 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

  • Sonya explains the Military Lending Act

    Updated

    Ideal for: High school (11-12)

    Students experience an interactive adventure, explore the Military Lending Act (MLA), and use a loan calculator to understand the impacts of high-interest loans.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things), Borrow (Getting loans, Managing credit)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Angela learns about the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act

    Updated

    Ideal for: High school (11-12)

    Students experience an interactive adventure and answer questions about the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Buying things), Borrow (Getting loans, Managing credit)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Angela builds her credit

    Updated

    Ideal for: High school (11-12)

    Students experience an interactive adventure, read a handout, and answer questions about how to build good credit.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Buying things), Borrow (Getting loans, Managing credit)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Cruz buys a car

    Updated

    Ideal for: High school (11-12)

    Students experience an interactive adventure and answer questions about the challenges of buying a car.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Spend (Budgeting, Buying things), Borrow (Getting loans, Managing credit)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Banking basics card game

    Updated

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

    Students play a game to learn about common banking products and services and to consider which ones they might use now and in the future.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Banking options, Choosing how to save), Spend (Buying things, Paying bills), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Playing a banking fact and fiction game

    Updated

    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.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Banking options, Choosing how to save), Protect (Managing risk), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Picturing your future self

    Updated

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

    Students create an image or a collage of how they see themselves in 10 years and reflect on steps they can take to achieve the financial future they want.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Earn (Becoming an entrepreneur, Increasing earnings, Learning about careers, Making money), Save and invest (Saving for college, Saving for long-term goals), Spend (Budgeting, Paying for college), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

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

  • Planning your financial path to college graduation

    Updated

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

    Students use a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau college planning tool to explore college costs and options for covering those costs.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Save and invest (Saving for college), Spend (Paying for college), Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    75-90 minutes

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Exploring community colleges

    Updated

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

    Students learn about the benefits of community college and consider whether attending community college could be a good option to help them prepare for their future.

    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
Activities align with the My Money Five principles introduced by the statutorily created federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission.