Financial literacy of high school students: ideas, activities and resources

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Financial literacy is an important life skill to prepare high school students for financial futures. It covers everything from filling out a university’s FAFSA to creating a budget and understanding W-2. Financial literacy resources bring currency management to the forefront through real-world simulations, scenarios, interactive tools and podcasts.
With our advice, students will not only learn, investigate, apply and analyze financial decisions! So, grab your pen and prepare to write down some smart resources specifically for high school students’ financial literacy.
How to teach financial literacy for high school students
April is Financial Literacy Month, so now is a great time to start thinking about teaching your teenagers how to budget, save, and more. The key is to stay authentic and relevant so that students can stay engaged. Start with things they care about, such as comparing cell phone plans or saving concerts instead of diving directly into 401(k)s. By using real-life scenarios, role-playing activities, and classroom simulations to make them interactive, allowing them to make financial decisions in an interesting way. Games like Kahoot, Blooket or online budget challenges are great tools to increase engagement.
Don’t be afraid to introduce social media. Let students explore financial advice about Tiktok, listen to short podcasts, and even create their own “Money Tip” videos. These courses can easily fit into your math standards by activities such as calculating interests, analyzing percentages, or graph saving goals. With the right approach, the financial literacy of children of any age can be educational and your students are looking forward to it.
Check why it is important to include adolescent financial literacy
Finance literally makes the world global. So your students even take these doors to the “real” world and point them in the right direction. Understanding how budgets work, why savings are important and how to manage debt helps them avoid common pitfalls when transitioning from teenagers to adults.
Additionally, you strengthen their decision-making muscle by showing them how to avoid debt traps and relieve financial stress. Show them that life has happened and that their budget doesn’t always go. Now investing in them with those challenging financial solutions will help them make cool, calm decisions later on. When adults become financially ill high school, it may be a good goal that may be different. Prepare students to think critically about finance at every stage of their lives, which helps them prepare to make informed monetary decisions.
Show high school students how to make a budget and save like a professional
Before entering the world of planning finance futures, students need to understand the basics of budgeting and savings. Mastering these concepts is not just about putting your money here or there, but also using these critical thinking skills to make informed decisions designed to provide students with success.
These activities are a great way to get students to think, and many of them are exactly in line with CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSF-IF.C.7 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.CONTENT.HSF-BF.A.1 of CCSSS.
- Learn to survive on your budget: Give your students some fictitious income and let them create a budget for them. Then, give them real-life events (i.e., fix the car) and let them figure out how they will modify their budget.
- Understand requirements and requirements: Your upcoming freshman, and even some of your seniors, may not understand the difference between financial needs and needs. Have them create a monthly regular household expense list and divide it into demand and demand. They can then analyze their needs and whether they are worth it.
- Conduct a budget showdown: Give students fake money and let them compete to create the best budget.
- Discover whether the price is appropriate: Provide students with a list of needs and items they need. Let them divide the items into demand and demand. Then, add a price to each price to let the students discuss whether it is worth it.
- Create a budget escape room: Help students practice real-life budgeting skills by letting students balance their budgets, identify 401K, on-site spending errors, and balance checkbooks in tasks in DIY escape rooms.
- Debate Savings: Let students research real 401K options, checking accounts, IRAs, and more. Then they should debate the pros and cons of different types of currency accounts.
Financial Literacy Budget Board Game – Students Practice Real Life Skills
By outstanding ela
Results: 6th to 12th
Makes you stick to the financial literacy of adolescents, and the game uses real-life scenarios to affect financial choices. It includes teacher guides, budget options, score sheets, board games, game cards and reflection worksheets.

Financial Literacy Comparison Checking Account Savings Account and CD
Science Classroom by Family and Consumer
Results: 9-12
Give your students a footsteps when saving by having them complete the complete activities that simulate the real world of choosing, such as choosing a bank and deposit. The package includes vocabulary words, comparison tables, reflection questions and bank posters.

Retirement Account IRAS Pension Social Security Financial Literacy Course
The teacher revealed
Level: 11-12
Standard: CCSS CCRA.W.1, CCSS CCRA.W.4
This ELA resource covers different aspects and requirements of social security. It allows students to create controversial papers on issues in the field of social security. It includes speech slideshows, vocabulary words, pre-events, answer keys, tasks and paper tips.

Personal finance projects have work plans, budgets and financial options
Author’s Noodles
Results: Any
Provide your students with some math exercises by allowing your students to explore realistic job choices, budget and make independent financial decisions. The activity includes decision cards, work cards, financial choices and student worksheets.
Solve the topic of career and graduation financial literacy
If they plan to go to college, part of financial literacy for high school students is talking about career paths, salary and FAFSA. By sneaking into high school students’ career exploration, they will see a solid financial context in establishing financial goals, exploring student loans and paying bills.
Since a solid financial literacy roadmap is the key to success, try the following fun activities:
- Understand occupational compensation: Ask students to compare salaries for different professions they are considering, including bonuses, salary increases, etc. They will consider how to budget for each career and needs.
- Play Debt and Savings Games: Let students think of different college fees that may arise. The student then needs to draw the scene and modify the budget for each program. The most effective budget wins.
- Plan for future goals: Have students create a chart to set financial goals for different years (i.e. 1, 5, 10, 20). They should plan how to achieve these goals.
- Simulated student loans: Let students study student loans, including interest rates, fees, repayment plans, etc. Then, they need to figure out how the interest and expenses will add up before paying off the loan. Take a step further by letting them figure out how to pay off their loans as early as possible and how much they can save.

Financial Literacy Tax Table and W-4 Career Exploration of High School Consumer Math
Caffeine Queen Teacher
Results: 9-12
Help your students understand federal taxes by viewing Form 2020 using interactive articles, assessments and presentations. The bundle includes a printable and digital version that contains everything you need to get started, including the answer keys.

Financial Literacy Announcement Committee | FAFSA
By the University Counselor Studio
Results: 6th to 12th
Teach your students FAFSA, financial aid and university payment methods by downloading this editable bulletin board. It includes customizable posters, critical deadlines, FAQs and motivational information to provide your students with the right ace tools to make their college journey.
Crush the chaos surrounding credit
Credit is not something that many children will know. Confused with the confusion of credit scores, apps and related terms in a way that is fun to play and activities. Many of these activities can be consistent with ccss.s.math.math.mp4 and hsf-if.b. 4&B.5.
- Simulated credit score: Let students start with the set credit score. Simulate what happens when certain events occur, such as missing payments or paying off a loan. Discuss ways to jointly build and harm credit.
- Conduct a credit debate: Let students study all the different parts of credit. Then they will debate credit experts and some hidden dangers.
- Design Credit Myth Poster: Have students study a myth about buying with credit and create a poster to showcase their myth and how to destroy it.
- Find the best loans and credit cards: Have students research several different loans and credit cards and try to find the best interest rates and privileged loans. They should make their own discoveries.
- Record Credit Podcasts: Let students study credit cards and create podcasts about what they have learned.
- Design credit application: Provide students with blank credit applications as guidance and have them design credit applications for fictitious banks with terms attached. The rest of the class can then fill out the credit application.

Consumer Math and Financial Literacy – Credit Card Project (Using Google Slides™)
Mr. G’s teacher store
Results: Fifth to 12th
The basics of a credit card are easily broken down and parsed in this bundle, covering the ways of credit cards and payment methods. Resources include worksheets, videos, sample sample card statements, and the rating title for the item.

Credit card simulation
Classroom in shopping cart
Grade: Fifth to 12th
Simulate real-world financial skills by allowing students to complete credit card simulation activities using store credit cards, interest calculations, cost clause analysis and check-writing. You will provide students and teachers with detailed instructions, teacher packets and Excel spreadsheets.
Connect with external resources to improve financial literacy courses
Enable students to gain financial focus by incorporating some of these interesting resources into your course. Many resources provide you with step-by-step instructions to make your teen audience marvel at topics that might not be “exciting”.
- Your money Your money: This hour-long PBS podcast breaks the basics of financial planning and financial awareness with fun hosts.
- My Money: Rented by the Federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC), the source has games, activities and information on a range of financial topics and provides federal guidelines and courses.
- Fed Education: The government resources provide access to economics and personal finance materials through online courses, podcasts and interactive courses.
- Investor.gov: With the support of the SEC, investors use free financial planning tools such as calculators, analyzers and articles to teach various topics such as retirement, budgeting, and spending.
- Planetary Money: Help explain finances, tariffs, budgets, etc. to keep it fun and authentic by using the Planet currency podcast.
- Consumer Financial Protection Agency: This government-based resource provides research-based activities and stories to teach healthy financial habits.
Create a type of financial professional with TPT resources
Make high school students’ financial literacy exciting by making sure every project you put into is fun and interactive. Not only will they enjoy the course, they will thank you later. Browse a large amount of financial knowledge resources for high school from TPT – you’ll find something for everyone and it might fit perfectly into your math block.