If we let students graduate from high school without learning important money skills like savings and budgeting, we are genuinely unhappy with them. These budgeting activities are great for life skills classes, morning meeting discussions, or advisory group units. Give teens the knowledge they need to make wise financial choices now and in the future!
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Free Printable Bean Budget Game Bundle
Grab this free printable worksheet bundle and let your students practice budgeting. In a world where beans are the currency! In the first round, students allocate a limited number of beans and choose their monthly budget and standard of living. Then it’s the second time, life throws curveballs at them, and their budgets are further limited. This game is an engaging way to make students think about budgeting without worrying about the core of dollars and cents.
Practical budgeting activities for teens
Introducing teens to actionable tools, from planning worksheets and activities to resources, to financial information and resources to help them make decisions. We explore these together to help students understand how money works in the real world and what they need to know to become responsible adults.
CFPB
Use the Budget Planning Worksheet
The Consumer Financial Protection Agency has developed many tools to help teens and adults learn to manage their money. Show your children how to use income trackers, spending trackers, billing calendars, and budget worksheets (in all links). Start by having your children consider their current financial situation. Then, give them a hypothetical “adult” situation to plan, with the income and expenses drawn from typical people in your area.
For more information, see Budget Worksheet Tools
CFPB
Create a purchase plan
This activity encourages children to think about the main ones, especially the main ones. Saving money is just part of the process. You also need to consider what makes a good purchase and consider whether you should borrow money or borrow money instead.
For more information, create a purchase plan
Practice grocery shopping
Most kids probably don’t know what the cost of groceries is. Use the grocery store website to let your kids take a virtual shopping trip. They can plan their meals and decide what they need to buy. Or start with a weekly food budget and let them work in the opposite direction from there. Either way, remind yourself to make sure your menu includes healthy options.
For more information, create a great grocery list on WebMD
CFPB
Build a saved kit
It’s no secret that things don’t go well. Such budgeting activities can help students learn what to do when unexpected costs arise. Students learn about real-world costs and come up with ways to save in advance and adjust on the spot.
For more information, see the first aid kit for relief
Feature Picks
Create a budgeting video
We encourage students to use their voices to address important topics of financial wellbeing through editing, a digital storytelling challenge for NBCU Academy and Adobe. This activity allows students to create their own 90-second video news reports on financial topics such as budgeting, savings, and smart spending. By exploring these concepts in a creative form, students not only build financial literacy, but share their perspectives in meaningful ways. Additionally, you will win prizes in the winning classroom!
Career Profile
Discover how much work actually pays
Ask your students to list jobs that you’d like to do one day. Then let them investigate the average salary for those jobs. Encourage them to consider where they plan to live (salary ranges can vary dramatically across the country). Plus, how long will it take to ask them to think about the education they need to land those jobs and earn money to pay off the loans they have to take.
For more information, please see the employment salaries per field
See how credit cards work
These days, most people pay with plastic rather than cash. You may also use a debit card, but in many cases you will use a credit card. If you use them, you need to know how they work. Split the class into groups and ask each to investigate different questions about credit cards.
Details: Best credit card for money under 30
Try out different budget models
There is no correct way to set a budget. Expose students to a variety of models, including proportional budgets, “pay yourself first” models, and envelope budgets. Ask them to think about which type of person each model is best for and which person will choose.
For more information, see 6 different ways to budget your money with young adult money
Explore budgeting apps
Teens are usually quite obsessed with their phones, so we’ll show you one way to use screen time very often: budget apps. Learn how to choose the best one in this video.
Investor.gov
Calculate compound interest
When you invest your money in an account with interest, it makes money just by sitting there! That money can really grow over time. Let students complete budgeting activities, such as searching for current interest rates and calculating potential interest through short and long-term use of those accounts. Explore local bank offers and take into account the fees too.
Details: Compound Interest Calculator
Learn the meaning of “cost of living”
Children generally don’t consider all the costs of everyday life. Start by brainstorming a big list as a class of rent or mortgage, car payments, credit card payments, meals, entertainment, utilities, internet access and more. Split the children into groups and ask each group to investigate the average cost of items in their area. We’ll go back together as a class and add up our findings to see what “cost of living” really is.
More information: Monthly expenses in an inspirational budget
Jump $ Tart Reality Check
Get a reality check
Everyone has dreams, but how realistic are they? That’s where the Jump $Tart Reality Check program comes in. By choosing what the future they want, teens learn what they need to earn to make it happen. The answer may really surprise them.
More information: Reality Check – Online Tools for Students
CFPB
Looking back on your needs and requests
Ask students to reflect on what they really need to survive and what makes life easier or more enjoyable. Such budgeting activities can help you identify items that can be eliminated when funding is really tight.
Details: Needs and requests
Learn to protect your money
If teens don’t learn smart skills like avoiding phishing scams, how to choose a good password, identifying fraudulent sites, and more, they can lose everything they want to store. How can you take your time to learn about the most common scam issues and take responsibility online?
More Information: 8 Ways Every Student Should Know by Being a Teacher
Free interactive online budget activity games
These online games are fun ways to get teens to engage with the concepts of making money, saving and budgeting. Play together as a class or small group. Alternatively, ask students to play with themselves and then discuss or write about what they have learned.
How to not smoke money
How to not smoke money
The title says almost everything. By playing this game, students will learn how to manage and use their money responsibly.
Details: How to Don’t Smoke Money
Uber Games
Uber Games
Let your students imagine life as an Uber driver. This game is based on a real Uber driver experience and can be a real eye-opener.
Details: Uber Games
mycreditunion.gov
Hit the road
Think of this like a modern Oregon Trail. A group of friends are off on a cross-country trip, but they have to manage their funds to get where they want to go. Try this as a group activity. Then children must work together to make wise choices.
Visit the road for more information
Bumper Game
disappointing
Budgeting and savings are important, but students should also learn about the importance of having the right type of insurance. Sometimes life is really unfortunate!
For more information, see BUMMER
Time in return
In return
Children tied up to the university may think they’ll take an education loan now and understand how to pay them back later, but are they really dealing with the real costs? These interesting online simulations will help you choose a school and then walk through four years of potential costs and income opportunities to explore how you will ultimately build your fare.
Details: Recover
Misfortune in managing money
Misfortune in managing money
This online game feels like a graphic novel and helps children learn the basics of budgeting and managing money. Explore multiple topics and complete missions to learn valuable skills.
Learn more about the unfortunate things in managing money
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Lights, cameras, budget!
Managing your own money can feel a bit boring, so why not try your hand at managing your multi-million dollar movie budget instead? This is also of a level for both middle and high school students.
Details: Lights, cameras, budget!
I spent time
I spent time
Living in economic advantage is a sad reality for so many people. Show your child how it can feel in this online simulation. Once the game starts, there’s no home or work, and the bank has only $1,000. Can you get a job and make it at the end of the month?
Please spend more information
Maine Department of Finance
Assert your future
This cool online game will assign your career (or choose one) and adjust your experience to your location. You can choose about homes and other expenses, and the game calculates how those things fit into a responsible budget.
More details: Assert your future
We are teachers
The biggest bang for your money
This online game will guide children through shopping trips with financial literacy questions along the way. It’s easy, but it’s a great way to showcase discussions about spending, savings and budgets.
More details on the biggest bang for your money
Next Gen Personal Finance
Influence
For kids who are sure they can make enough money to live on social media accounts, this game might be a bit of a reality check.
Details: Inflenc’d
Don’t forget to grab your free printable budget your beans game worksheets!
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