Lesson 1: Money Matters
Lesson 2: Budgeting & Savings
Lesson 3: Credit Concepts
Lesson 4: Future Goals
Lesson 5: Investing
Additional Resources

Lesson 1: Money Matters

Teaching Your Preschooler About Money
(Source: Thrive By Five)
Designed for young children, this lesson plan includes fun activities that teach the basic concepts of using money.

JA's Dollars and $ense™
Junior Achievement's Elementary School Program
JA Dollars and $ense teaches students about earning, spending, sharing, and saving money, and businesses they can start or jobs they can perform to earn money. The program includes six after-school, volunteer-led activities.
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Share Draft/Checking Account Basics
(Source: Credit Union National Association)
This 21-page series of worksheets explains the basics of a Savings Account and a Checking Account and provides exercises to help students understand the concepts.

Your Financial Plan: Where it All Begins
(Source: NEFE Unit One)
Learn about the financial planning process and create your own personal financial plan.

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Lesson 2: Budgeting & Saving

Teaching Your Preschooler About Money
(Source: Thrive By Five)
Designed for young children, this lesson plan includes fun activities that teach the basic concepts of budgeting and saving money so they can buy what they want.

How to Become a Millionaire
(Source: MoneyMath - Unit 1)
Designed for kids in grades 4-8, this lesson plan includes age-appropriate lessons that explain concepts of budgeting and saving money so they can purchase items.

Budgeting: Making the Most of Your Money
(Source: NEFE Unit Two)
Get smart about the money you earn and the money you spend. You will see where all your money goes, decide if that’s how you want to continue spending it, and make a plan to buy the things that are really important to you.

Your Money: Keeping it Safe and Secure
(Source: NEFE Unit 5)
Designed for teens and new graduates, this lesson plan prepares older teens for an independent lifestyle so they will be ready as they face more financial decisions on ther own.

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Lesson 3: Credit Concepts

Four Dollars and Fifty Cents
(Source: Money Management International)
In this lesson from Money Management International, students use the book Four Dollars and Fifty Cents by Eric A. Kimmel and and Glen Rounds to discover ways that creditors can obtain payment from reluctant debtors.

The book, Four Dollars and Fifty Cents, is available at your local bookstore, public library, or at Amazon.com.

Mr. Popper's Penguins
(Source: Money Management International)
This lesson from Money Management International addresses the issue of credit, focusing on the importance of wise credit decisions, the risks lenders face, the role of interest or finance charges, and the credit user's responsibility to repay. Students read Mr. Popper's Penguins by by Richard and Florence Atwater and discuss the use of credit in the story. They play a game that demonstrates the importance of responsible use of credit.

The book, Mr. Popper's Penguins, is available at your local bookstore, public library, or at Amazon.com.

 

Junior Achievement's Economics for Success™
(Source: JA Economics for Success)
JA Economics for Success explores personal finance and students’ education and career options based on their skills, interests, and values. It also demonstrates the economic benefits of staying in school. Six required, volunteer-led activities.
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Good Debt, Bad Debt: Using Credit Wisely
(Source: NEFE Unit 4)
Designed for teens and new graduates, this lesson plan teaches older teens about the benefits and pitfalls of credit cards and loans.

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Lesson 4: Future Goals

A Gift for Mama
(Source: Money Management International)
In this lesson from Money Management International, students read the book, A Gift for Mama, by Esther Hautzig. It is a story about a young girl named Sara. She has always made gifts for her family for special occasions. For Mother's Day, Sara decides she wants to buy a gift for her mother. After reading and discussing the story, students will create a booklet in which they've illustrated Sara's short-term savings goal and their own short-term savings goal.

The book, A Gift for Mama, is available at your local bookstore, public library, or at Amazon.com.

Math and Taxes: A Pair to Count On
(Source: Money Math - Unit 3)
Designed for kids in grades 4-8, this lesson plan includes age-appropriate lessons that explain concepts of planning as it relates to money.

Junior Achievement's Careers with a Purpose™
JA Careers with a Purpose introduces students to the importance of seeking careers that help them realize their life potential and noble purpose. The program demonstrates the importance of positive values, life maxims, and ethical decision-making within the context of career and life decisions. Seven required, volunteer-led sessions.
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Lesson 5: Investing

The Hundred Penny Box
(Source: Money Management International)
After reading The Hundred Penny Box, written by Sharon Bell Mathis and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, students compare how people save money in financial institutions. Students analyze the advantages of regular saving and how savings grow with compounding.

The book, The Hundred Penny Box, is available at your local bookstore, public library, or at Amazon.com.

Investing: Making Money Work for You
(Source: NEFE, Unit Three)
This lesson introduces teens to how saving and investing put money to work for them.

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Additional Lessons: More Resources

The NEFE High School Financial Planning Program
Complete Lessons for Grades 9-12
Junior Achievement Presents: The NEFE High School Financial Planning Program is a five-session volunteer-led course, with the addition of up to 24 teacher-led sessions, and is recommended for students in grades 9-12. Instructional materials are packaged for 30 students and include detailed activity plans for the volunteer and consumable materials to be used in the classroom.
Read details about JA Presents: The NEFE High School Financial Planning Program
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