Financial Literacy Projects give youth the opportunity to learn good financial management skills by cultivating their money smarts, helping them understand how financial institutions can work for them, and making wise decisions with money.
Objectives
Youth will:
- Introduce youth to basic money management concepts such as saving, sharing, spending, managing, earning, borrowing, and lending
- Distinguish between needs and wants while considering differences in attitudes and values towards money
- Use children’s literature as a tool to attract youth to the topic of financial management
- Recognize the benefits and drawbacks of credit
- Practice wise consumer decision-making
- Provide opportunities for youth to practice important life and money skills
- Learn how to select financial services
4-H Financial Literacy Curriculum
Available from the Extension office or online.
Financial Champions Book 1: Money Fundamentals
As an introduction to personal finance, youth will examine their own thoughts about money with a personality quiz. They’ll discover money motivators in themselves and others. Other activities teach goal setting, the difference between needs and wants, communication skills and how to budget. As teens complete activities and participate in leadership experiences, they are learning how to make sound decisions and how to manage themselves in everyday situations. Helpers should emphasize the importance of these skills in all aspects of youths’ lives. You can help youth understand the life skill and its importance by asking questions that apply to topics other than personal finance.
Financial Champions Book 2: Money Moves
Financial skills evolve in the second book of the Financial Champions series. Teens will learn about financial institutions, the pros and cons of credit and how to select financial services. Other topics include check writing, an overview of advertising, comparison shopping and judging possible financial choices. The life skill youth will practice most frequently throughout the second book is the ability to acquire and evaluate information. Learning how to obtain data, how to interpret what is found, predict outcomes and analyze information based on choices made are skills that allow youth to become informed and competent consumers.
Financial Champion’s Helper’s Guide: Personal Finance
Personal finance skills are often not emphasized in a standard school curriculum. Whether you’re a teacher, youth club leader or in another position of influence in youth education, you’ll find this personal finance curriculum to be very practical. Youth who learn how to be good caretakers of their money can apply those skills to other areas of their lives. For instance, this curriculum provides information on goal setting. The activities also emphasize how to communicate about money, and by extension, how to discuss other topics. The Financial Champions series encourages interaction with the community and learning how to learn by developing research skills. Each group activity begins with objectives that include a defined life skill and a personal finance skill. Indicators are listed to measure successful completion of the activity by youth. At the beginning of each activity, materials, time and group size are suggested. There is also background information for helpers.
My Financial Future, Youth Notebook – Beginner Youth Notebook
From organizing finances to learning about savings, risk management, and consumer breadcrumbs, the My Financial Future curriculum helps middle and high school youth develop critical skills and knowledge in money management. Participants learn about financial literacy concepts through case studies and real-life scenarios. Additional concepts covered include career planning, setting up SMART goals, managing financial records, creating spending and savings plans, choosing payment methods, and managing credit.
My Financial Future, Youth Notebook – Advanced Youth Notebook
My Financial Future, Facilitator Guide
This book includes the answer key for all the activities in the beginner and advanced books.
My Financial Future, Risk Management Guide Digital Download
This Risk Management Guide, sponsored by the New York Life Foundation, is the supplement to the My Financial Future curriculum. This guide includes four modules covering a variety of important topics such as health insurance, liability insurance, property insurance, car insurance, life insurance, and disability insurance. This curriculum educates young people on the importance of risk management through experiential activities that pertain to their lives.
Mi Futuro Económico – Nivel Principiante
Los jóvenes aprenderán como definir deseos y necesidades, seleccionar metas, crear planes de gastos, determinar sus personalidades para administrar el dinero, y como escribir un cheque.
Mi Futuro Económico – Nivel Avanzado
Los jóvenes aprenderán como hacer planes profesionales, usar métodos diferentes de pago, evaluar alternativas de inversión, y mantenerse libre de deudas.
Mi Futuro Económico – Guía de Gestión de Riesgos Descarga Digital
En esta guía, los jóvenes aprenderán sobre riesgos comunes y seguros de tipos varios, incluyendo de salud, de incapacidad, de propiedad, y de vida.
Mi Futurio Económico – Guía para el Facilitador
Esta guía corresponde a los niveles Principiante y Avanzado de Mi Futuro Económico. Incluye recomendaciones para dirigir cada lección y también incluye la clave de respuesta para las actividades en los Cuadernos del Estudiante.
Smart Cents Activity Guide Student Workbook
Youth make decisions about how to use money every day and developing sound financial skills early in life can have positive implications as youth grow into adulthood. This Smart Cents Activity Guide Workbook & accompanying playbook are designed to be used with National 4-H juried curricula developed to teach youth financial education (see links below to purchase). Activities are used from each of the curricula to implement a ten-hour Smart Cents program in a 4-H club, school, after-school program or any youth program. Think of the Playbook as doing the program development work for you! Included are opening questions and activities, scripts to introduce a topic, step-by-step instructions for completing the activity and reflection questions to complete the experiential cycle. Teaching financial management can be daunting for some facilitators, so the Playbook provides information and instruction to ensure success!
A Free Digital Download of the Smart Cents: A Guide to Teaching Mindful Money Habits Guide comes with this purchase.
Learning About Money Concepts Through Children’s Literature
Reading Makes Cents is a financial literacy and reading curriculum for children in grades 3-5, written by university experts. This book includes 53 experiential activities developed around money including saving, spending, sharing, earning, borrowing, and lending. The literature, concepts about money, and activities were selected to appeal to children in grades 3-5.
The goals of this curriculum are to introduce children to basic money management concepts such as saving, sharing, spending, managing, earning, borrowing, and lending; use children’s literature as a tool to attract youth to the topic of financial management; improve children’s attitudes toward reading; support literacy and literacy-related activities in the home; and to provide opportunities for youth to practice important life and money skills. The children literature that is used is not provided with this book; we suggest you start with your local library to obtain the materials.
Learning About Money Concepts Through Children’s Literature Digital Download
Washington 4-H Records, Forms, and Guides
For youth members
Coming soon!
For adult helpers and club leaders
Coming soon!
Helpful Resources
Activity Ideas
4-H Clover Cents Series: Michigan 4-H (Video)
These short videos will walk students through activities related to money management. Hands-on learning is a helpful way to learn concepts about money! Each activity is a stand-alone experience, but will be more useful if watched in the series. See each page for materials needed for the activity.
Washington Specific Reference Material
Coming soon!
Other Resources
From 4-H Programs
4-H Youth Money Management: Michigan 4-H
From Higher Education Institutions
From Related Organizations, Journals, and Professionals
What type of lifestyle do you want to live in your future? What type of career will you need to live that life? “Reality Check” is a way to see into your future. Fill out the following survey to estimate what type of future income you will need to enjoy the lifestyle you would like to have.
The Money Circle – Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Advance your high school students’ knowledge of money through this comprehensive eight-lesson curriculum series that will engage and challenge them to apply both personal finance and economic perspectives when it comes to money. Help develop students’ awareness as consumers, while improving their decision-making and financial planning skills.
The National Standards for Personal Financial Education represent the Jump$tart Coalition and Council for Economic Education (CEE)’s shared vision of a single, unified set of standards that will guide educators, curriculum writers, policymakers, and other financial education stakeholders across the country to promote effective, comprehensive financial education for K-12 students.
- Kits, Projects, and Activities from National 4-H
Financial Management Curriculum Collection
This sturdy tin savings bank is a great tool to help your 4-Her store money they have earned, save money for a new purchase, and to help them learn money management.
Clover Patterned Mini Wallet Bag
Keep the small things close. Versatile, durable and constructed with surged seams to ensure extended bag life, this mini wallet bag features a heavy-duty talon woven coil straight zipper, and works well as a coin pouch, or to hold money, credit cards or licenses.