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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 275 activities

Showing 12 matches out of 275 activities

  • Protecting your identity online

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students answer true-or-false questions about safe online behaviors and consider ways to protect themselves online.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Protect (Managing risk, Preventing fraud and identity theft)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    Building block

    • Executive function
    • Financial habits and norms

  • 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

  • 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

  • Calculating the numbers in your paycheck

    Updated

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

    Students review a pay stub from a sample paycheck to understand the real-world effect of taxes and deductions on the amount of money they receive.

    Key information

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

    Building block

    • Financial knowledge and decision-making skills

  • Being a responsible borrower

    Updated

    Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)

    Students watch a role-play to learn about the behaviors of a responsible borrower and answer questions about borrowing.

    Key information

    Topic:
    Borrow (Getting loans)
    Activity duration:
    45-60 minutes
    Available in Spanish

    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.