Personal finance lessons can happen anytime and help students practice the basic skills of math, problem solving, decision-making and much more.
Personal finance knowledge and skills develop throughout each person’s lifetime. For youth who are learning skills to help them become more independent, financial literacy is important in making finance decisions to improve financial security.
Listed below are free personal finance resources. Parents can use them to help children develop finance skills. Teachers can utilize them in personal finance courses, programs, and workshops in addition to other core class, such as math, English and Social Studies.
Resources
For Teachers
- High School Financial Planning Program: The National Endowment for Financial Education developed the High School Financial Planning Program. The free curriculum provides teacher guides, student guides, lessons, and evaluations for teaching money management, borrowing, earning power, investing, financial services and insurance. All resources are accessible online and can be adapted for remote learning and instruction.
- Jump$tart Coalition: Jump$tart is a national nonprofit coalition that provides a clearinghouse of financial education resources for teachers. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Jump$tart Clearinghouse" to search for resources.
- Money Smart for Young People: The FDIC Money Smart for Young People curriculum consists of products to teach personal finance to students ages Pre-K through 12th grade. All lessons align with person finance standards and are able be incorporated into math, English, and Social Studies classes.
- Next Gen Personal Finance: The Next Gen Personal Finance curriculum covers the topics of saving, taxes, credit, insurance, investing and money management. Lessons utilize current events to connect the content to real life situations. Professional development webinars are available for teachers to learn how to incorporate the curriculum and to teach online.
- Practical Money Skills: Practical Money Skills provides a comprehensive curriculum to teach personal finance topics. The site also provides online games, Financial Football and Financial Soccer, to help students actively learn about finances.
- Take Charge Today: Take Charge Today is a personal finance curriculum that uses a decision-based approach that helps students develop skills to make financial choices that will improve their well-being.
For Parents
- Money As You Grow: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau focuses on empowering consumers to take more control of their financial well-being. The Money As You Grow program provides activities to help children develop money skills, financial habits and healthy attitudes. The program uses children’s books to help families talk about finances. Parent guides are downloadable.
- Jump$tart: Jump$tart is a national nonprofit coalition that provides a clearinghouse of financial education resources for teachers. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Jump$tart Clearinghouse" to search for resources.
- Junior Achievement: Junior Achievement provides free online resources for parents to help keep their children stay engaged, inspired and educationally challenged.
- Hands On Banking: Wells Fargo offers a program that covers basic money tools, skills and information needed to teach a children. It is for anyone who wants to learn about money.
