Help your students learn real-world math skills with this selection of financial literacy printables from Evan-Moor’s TeacherFileBox. The financial literacy activities below are a great addition to your April lessons and help to highlight the importance of Financial Literacy Awareness month. These interactive activities highlight important math and critical thinking skills with engaging stories and fun games. The lesson units demonstrate how to apply math with activities and hands-on projects related to budgeting, grocery shopping, loans, credit cards, and more. Printable math play money and budget sheets also help students apply skills in a fun way.
Five Financial Literacy Activities for Grades 1–8
Grade 1
This in-depth first grade financial literacy lesson about making spending decisions includes a real-world story, six pages of concept practice, a hands-on game, and teacher resources pages!
Activities about making spending decisions help students understand price as one of many things to consider when choosing between product options. Activities such as purchasing groceries at a store can bring the concept to life as students learn to compare shopping items and prices. Children often go shopping with their parents. However, they may not notice how many choices there are for each type of item or how prices for the exact same item can differ from store to store. They might not realize that similar products can vary in price. Many young consumers may not have a lot of experience comparing prices.
Grade 2
This second grade math unit about getting money from gifts or household chores helps students learn about earning money. This unit includes activities that focus on ways to get money at home, math pages that focus on skip counting, addition, subtraction, and currency, and a collaborative game called “Spin to Earn,” which includes play money and a game board.
Earning-money concepts can help children understand that when people are hired to do a job, they work for a certain amount of money. Children might not have regular jobs, but they often earn money doing chores around the house. Or they might do work for a neighbor or a family friend. While adults have jobs to pay for things they need, such as food, clothing, housing, and utilities, children often earn money to buy things they want.
Grade 3
This third grade unit on spending plans is a great way to show students how to reach a financial goal. This unit includes activities that focus on prioritizing expenses, math pages that focus on skip counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and currency, and a collaborative activity called “Needs and Wants Budget,” which includes cards.
When people set up a budget for themselves, they figure out a plan for managing their money. While children don’t usually work or pay bills, a child’s budget can be based on an allowance or money earned from doing chores or odd jobs. They can spend money on fun things, donate to help others, and/or save money for the future. A budget can help children figure out how important different purchase choices are to them. View this third grade sample unit below.
Grade 4
Teach students about banks and financial institutions with this fourth grade unit on saving and investing. This unit includes activities that focus on savings and checking accounts, math pages that focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and currency, and a collaborative game called “Earn Some, Spend Some, Owe Some,” which includes play money and cards.
The activities help students understand that saving comes from money you receive that you don’t spend. For example, they might eat a cookie now or save it to eat after lunch. They might save a favorite book for bedtime. If children want to buy something that costs more than they have, they may not realize that they can continue adding to their money until they have enough to buy it. Saving small amounts of money lets them buy a larger item. Setting a goal and making a plan to reach the goal can help people save enough to buy things they can’t afford right now. Money can be saved in a bank or at home in a special place.
Grades 6–8
Help students learn about taking out loans and paying them back with this 6–8 grade unit. This unit includes activities that focus on loan agreements, math pages that focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, percents, and currency, and a collaborative game called “Loan Request Role-Play,” which includes cards and role-playing.
Some children borrow and lend all kinds of things from a young age. They may borrow video games from siblings, pencils from classmates, and books from the library. They may lend a sweater to a sibling or a bike to a friend. Children usually understand that you have to return something after you use it. Some may not realize that this applies to money as well. This unit helps students understand the fairness in the lending-and-returning process and models different agreements and ways to repay.
These money-based word problems and real-world financial literacy stories from TeacherFileBox printables allow students the opportunity to learn important financial concepts, explore realistic opportunities, and make choices about using money, collecting allowances, applying for credit cards, and more. The hands-on games, activities, and classroom discussions can engage students in learning these important life concepts and create fun learning experiences they will remember.
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Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.