Financial Literacy

It doesn't matter how old or young you are, learning how to save and manage your money is vitally important.  By starting good financial practices in your youth, you are more likely to maintain these good habits in your adulthood.

Financial Literacy and Economic Links

The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change^™ Web site is all about coins!  And taking a close look at coins can help a youngster begin to grow into a fiscally responsible adult!  Check out some of this site's fun activities and lesson plans that promote basic economic understanding:

• What do your students know about saving money?  Examine your student's attitude towards saving with the lesson plan Do You Like to Spend or Save?.  Or use the lesson plan Alexander's Coin Conundrum to watch the choices made by a young boy as he spends money that he receives as a gift.
• Common Cents is a unit plan containing lessons that introduce first and second graders to the basics of using coins.  Be sure to click on the individual lesson plans to get the step-by-step procedures for each activity!
• Money Hungry Piggy Bank and its related Teacher Feature, Money Matters, will get your students excited about saving their money!  In these fun activities, students will make papier-mâché piggy banks and participate in a group competition, where they will compare coin values.
• Plinky's Create-a-Card is an educational game that gives players a virtual allowance to spend.  Your students can use correct change combinations to buy pictures, and add them to a card that they can print and color on their own!

Don't forget to read through the Teacher Feature, "Cha-ching!" that was developed to accompany this fun game!

• Wisconsin's quarter design creates many opportunities for your students to learn about economic resources!  Take a look at these lesson plans from the United States Mint:
• Goods For You   [rtf]   (for grades K–1)
• Being Resourceful   [rtf]   (for grades 2–3)
• In Great Demand   [rtf]   (for grades 4–6)
• Take a look at Michigan's quarter design and you'll see one of the state's greatest natural resources.  Look into how the Great Lakes affect this state's economy when you try out "Introducing Industries" [rtf], a lesson plan for grades 4–6 from the United States Mint.
• Recent changes in our country's currency, like the 50 State Quarters® Program and the Westward Journey Nickel Series&trade, provide great opportunities to get your students thinking about spending and saving their money!

Take a look at some of the ideas available from the United States Mint when you explore these lesson plans for more ideas:

Grades K–1

• Coin Motion   [rtf]
• Pennies, Nickels and Dimes.Oh My!   [rtf]
• Money Match   [rtf]
• Quarter Combos   [rtf]
• Money Matters   [rtf]

Grades 2–3

• Learn to Earn When You Tend To Spend   [rtf]
• A Fraction of the Cost   [rtf]
• Great Graph!   [rtf]
• Trading Faces   [rtf]
• George's Place   [rtf]

Grades 4–6

• A Financial Flower Garden   [rtf]
• Double Your Money   [rtf]
• How Much?   [rtf]

Grades 7–8

• Unity versus Diversity   [rtf]
• Changing Hands   [rtf]

Grades 9–12

• Credit as Currency   [rtf]
• A World of Money   [rtf]

Learn More About Financial Literacy

Need more information about Financial Literacy?  Look for Web sites with information that may help you generate new classroom ideas!  Some examples follow:

• The Department of the Treasury's Office of Financial Education
• The Federal Reserve System
• The Federal Reserve Bank of New York
• The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy
• Financial Literacy 2010
• The National Endowment for Financial Education

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