Fun Money Management Activities for Kids
If you’re in the market for some fun, engaging money management activities for kids, you’ve found what you’re looking for. Explore our diverse resources and you’re sure to find something that suits your needs.
The NFEC is an independent organization that specializes in financial literacy education. We provide the resources and support for individual and group money management instruction. Adults and kids alike enjoy our fun money management activities. Our tools are built for a diverse audience. We transform classroom theory into real world action.
The Potential of Kids’ Activities in Money Management
Joan, a retired elementary school teacher, wanted to help pre-teens learn about money management but did not want to deal with school politics. She talked to a few local parents and discovered a strong interest in a pre-teen financial literacy program that was independent from the local school system.
That gave her the motivation she needed to get the ball rolling on putting on money management workshops. A friend told her about the National Financial Educators Council, so she decided to start there.
Learning Outcomes of Kids’ Money Management Activities
Joan thought about the initial goals she wanted her program to achieve. She wanted pre-teens to gain an understanding of the skills and concepts necessary to make sound personal money management decisions. Ideally, if they could develop critical thinking about finances, she would be thrilled, but given the limited time allowed, this advanced understanding might have to wait. This initial class would focus on skills and concepts.
How to Deliver Money Management Activities for Kids
Next, Joan thought about how to deliver the material in her money management program for kids. It would have to be based on a timeline while offering the flexibility needed to teach kids from diverse backgrounds. She wanted to offer live instruction because pre-teens do well within a proven structure of learning. It would have to be offered after school and/or weekends, since it would not be a part of the school’s curriculum.
Subjects for Pre-Teen Money Management Activities
It wasn’t hard to decide on the specific focus for Joan’s money management activities for kids. Pre-teens typically were exposed to minimal personal finance ideas and needed to build a foundation for more advanced understanding as they got older.
She decided that her fun money management activities would focus on the basics of earning, saving and budgeting. She knew this would give her young students a huge head-start in their financial lives.
A Suitable Curriculum for Kids’ Personal Finance Activities
Joan wanted her money management activities for kids to be fun and engaging so the students would naturally lose themselves in what they were learning. She expected pushback from the school systems and wanted her course to meet established core educational curriculum standards. The course had to be independent and compliance-approved by educational regulators.
A Qualified Money Management Activity Instructor for Pre-Teens
Even though Joan had been a pre-teen teacher for over 20 years, she hadn’t taught finance before, and didn’t want any weaknesses in her program. She needed to find an experienced, qualified pre-teen financial educator. Thanks to the NFEC, she found a Certified Financial Education Instructor who focused on pre-teens and had years of experience. The school board would not be able to attack this instructor’s credibility.
Results of Joan’s Money Management Activities for Kids Program
Of the 43 kids who signed up for Joan’s class, 41 were able to finish successfully. Joan never imagined that her first course would produce a 95% completion rate. The students all wanted to learn more.
She compiled the data into a report showing the program’s success. She wanted to grow her program and the report would help her find the funding and community support she would need.
What’s Next for Joan’s Pre-Teen Money Management Course
Joan knew that these money management activities for kids were just the beginning. The students wanted to learn more, and Joan wanted to create more programs to teach more advanced topics. Parents were invited to the last class, and students were awarded certificates of completion. They were also given a workbook with money management activities that they could complete on their own.
Joan began to develop her next course, and laid plans for expansion.