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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Borrowing money for a house
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students “buy” a local home and calculate payments based on the principal, interest rate, and length of mortgage loans to learn how different loan terms affect the overall cost.
Figuring out how much to tip
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students use common tipping percentages to calculate three tip amounts.
Paying for a pet
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students calculate the costs of owning a pet and practice choosing an appropriate pet.
Calculating energy costs
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.
Brainstorming household budgets
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students review monthly incomes and household expenses to practice making budget decisions, including about housing and roommates.
Budgeting for needs and wants
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students explore the difference between needs and wants and practice making budget choices.
Creating a monthly household budget
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students determine how to balance their needs and wants when budgeting for household bills.
Paying bills
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students explore different payment methods while using a Venn diagram.
Protecting yourself against risk
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
After reviewing a handout about insurance, students will match types of insurance to the scenarios they cover.
Playing an insurance game
Ideal for: Middle school (6-8)
Students play a game to explore types of insurance and how they help protect people.