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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Comparing higher education choices
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.
Saving for post-secondary education
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students use an online compound interest calculator to explore the value of saving money over time for future education goals.
Learning how federal financial aid can help you pay for higher education
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
After watching a video describing basic types of federal financial aid, students answer content-based questions about financial planning for college.
Talking with your family about paying for higher education
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Through Internet research, students build their awareness of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study options and then share their findings with a parent or guardian.
Creating a presentation on 529 plans
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students conduct Internet research on 529 plans and create a digital slide presentation to inform others about how these plans can help people save for future education costs.
Understanding how insurance works: A case study about Lucy
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students read about how insurance works and then review a case study to see how insurance choices can affect personal finances for a young adult in a rural area.
Reflecting on what’s worth saving for
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Using the strategies of reflective writing, students create a personal statement sharing their hopes and dreams of things they would like to have or accomplish in the future.
Drawing your own savings comic strip
Ideal for: High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students identify an important lesson about saving money and create a comic strip reflecting that lesson.
Bouncing ball money choices
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8), High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students play a game to share how they think and feel about money.
Understanding who shapes your money decisions
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8), High school (9-10), High school (11-12)
Students read a handout and then identify how both they and the people in their lives make choices about money.