Free money resources for classrooms and families
Standards, lesson banks, games and family guides from government agencies, the Federal Reserve, universities and nonprofits. All free; we link to them and do not copy them. Checked 2026-10-26.
Standards and frameworks
National standards and research frameworks that define what K–8 students should know about personal finance.
National Standards for Personal Financial Education
Jump$tart Coalition and Council for Economic EducationThe 2021 K–12 national standards co-published by Jump$tart and CEE, with grade-band benchmarks across six topic areas. Use it to map Money Matters lessons to the benchmarks expected by 4th and 8th grade.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeNational Standards for Personal Finance and Economic Education
Council for Economic EducationCEE's hub for the Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics and the 2021 personal finance standards. Use it when a lesson needs to cite both economics and personal finance benchmarks.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeBuilding blocks of youth financial capability
Consumer Financial Protection BureauThe CFPB's research framework showing how executive function, financial habits and norms, and financial knowledge develop by age. Use it to pick age-appropriate goals, for example habits and self-control in K–2 and decision-making in 6–8.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeSurvey of the States 2024
Council for Economic EducationA biennial review of economics and personal finance education requirements in all 50 states and D.C. Use it to check your state's policy context when planning or advocating for K–8 financial literacy time.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeTeacher curricula and lesson banks
Free, ready-to-teach lessons and searchable lesson banks from government agencies, the Federal Reserve and nonprofits.
Youth financial education for educators
Consumer Financial Protection BureauThe CFPB's hub of teaching tools, classroom activities, curriculum reviews and research for K–12 educators. Start here to find activities and the review tool for judging other curricula.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeCFPB financial literacy activity search
Consumer Financial Protection BureauA searchable bank of about 135 single-class-period activities, each with a teacher guide and student materials. Filter by grade (K–1, 2–3, 4–5, 6–8) and topic to find a ready lesson.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeMoney Smart for Young People
Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationFree FDIC curriculum in PreK–2, 3–5 and 6–8 grade bands, with lessons, handouts, slides and parent/caregiver guides. Use the grade-band lessons for banking and saving units and send the parent guides home.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeFederal Reserve Education teaching resources
Federal Reserve SystemThe Federal Reserve System's library of free lesson plans, interactive modules and videos, filterable by grade (K–5, middle school) and personal finance topic. It now includes the former St. Louis Fed Econ Lowdown materials.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeMiddle School Course
Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF)A free nine-unit, nine-week personal finance course for grades 6–8 covering consumer skills, budgeting, credit, saving, investing and protecting yourself. Teach it as a full unit or pull single lessons.
6-8 · FreeEconEdLink
Council for Economic EducationCEE's free library of K–12 economics and personal finance lessons, videos and activities, filterable by elementary and middle school. Use it to find standards-aligned lessons and free teacher webinars.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeJump$tart Clearinghouse
Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial LiteracyA searchable directory of financial education materials from hundreds of providers, screened to exclude product marketing and aligned to the national standards. Use it to find supplementary materials for a specific topic.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeEcon Explorers
Federal Reserve Bank of ChicagoAn elementary economics and financial literacy curriculum with a downloadable teacher's guide and student workbook. Use it for early-grade units on choices, saving and earning.
K-2, 3-5 · FreeKansas City Fed education resources
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas CityFree resources filterable by audience (PreK–2, 3–5, 6–8), including the Financial Fables e-books, the Economics in Children's Literature lessons and the Fifty Nifty vocabulary cards. These work well for read-aloud money lessons in K–5.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeGrade-specific classroom resources
Federal Reserve Bank of DallasA curated list of Federal Reserve classroom resources by level, including Bunny Money (PreK–2), Piggy Bank Primer (grades 2–4, English and Spanish) and Dollars & Sense (middle school). Use it as a quick grade-level shopping list of Fed materials.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeFor Me, For You, For Later
Sesame WorkshopAn interactive Sesame Street guide for educators of young children, with sessions on making choices, money basics, and spending, sharing and saving. Use it to introduce the spend/share/save idea in kindergarten and first grade.
K-2 · FreeJunior Achievement USA
Junior Achievement USAA nonprofit offering K–12 classroom programs, such as JA Ourselves (K) through JA Our Nation (5), and the JA BizTown simulation for grades 4–6. Contact your local JA area to bring a volunteer-led or educator-led program to your class.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeTeacher Online Resource Center
FDIC and Consumer Financial Protection BureauLesson plans, videos and ideas for school savings programs.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeMyMoney.gov for teachers
U.S. Financial Literacy and Education CommissionFederal guides and curricula for teaching money skills.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeGames and interactives for students
Free browser-based games and interactives that let students practice money skills in class or at home.
U.S. Mint coin games
United States MintAbout 17 free online coin games, including Counting With Coins, Making Change and Coin Memory Match. Use them as math-center practice for coin identification and making change.
K-2, 3-5 · FreeWorld of Cents
National Credit Union Administration (MyCreditUnion.gov)A game for ages 5 and up in which players match coins to earn money, then decide how to spend and save it while building a world. It works as a short earn/save/spend practice activity.
K-2, 3-5 · English and Spanish · FreeCash Codebreakers
U.S. Currency Education Program (Federal Reserve)A free interactive math game for middle schoolers in which players solve algebra problems and learn currency security features to escape a money museum. Pair it with the educator guide for a math-and-money lesson.
6-8 · FreeCurrency Academy
U.S. Currency Education Program (Federal Reserve)An interactive classroom experience with activities and videos about U.S. paper money and its security features, with a companion worksheet and answer key. Use it in a K–5 unit on currency.
K-2, 3-5 · FreeNGPF Arcade
Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF)Free personal finance games, such as Shady Sam, Credit Clash and Build Your $TAX, each paired with a reflection worksheet. Use them as engaging practice for middle school credit and budgeting lessons.
6-8 · FreeInvestor.gov tools and games
U.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionThe SEC's list of free student tools, including investing quizzes, FDIC Money Smart games, CEE's Gen i Revolution and the fraud-awareness game Con 'Em If You Can. Use it for grade 6–8 extension activities.
6-8 · FreeFamily and parent resources
Guides that help parents and caregivers talk about money and build habits at home.
Money as You Grow
Consumer Financial Protection BureauResearch-based activities, conversation starters, book lists and Money Monsters storybooks that help parents and caregivers build children's money skills by age. Link to it in family newsletters to match classroom lessons.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeMoney as You Grow book guides
University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of ExtensionFree parent guides for popular children's picture books about money, with discussion questions and activities for home, the store or the community. Send a guide home with the book used in class.
K-2, 3-5 · English and Spanish · FreeTeaching Children About Money
University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of ExtensionA short Extension article with practical parent strategies such as money soundbites, treating an allowance as a 'paycheck', letting kids learn from small mistakes, and savings jars. It is useful as a family take-home read.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeHelping Your Child Become a Good Money Manager
University of Delaware Cooperative ExtensionAn Extension fact sheet for parents on modeling good habits, allowances, age-appropriate lessons, saving, and borrowing and interest. Share it with families during a saving or earning unit.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeProtecting Kids Online
Federal Trade CommissionFTC advice for parents on talking with kids about being online, parental controls, phones, video games and children's privacy (COPPA). Use it alongside lessons on online ads and safe digital spending.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeHow to Protect Your Child From Identity Theft
Federal Trade CommissionAn FTC article explaining child identity theft, warning signs, protecting a child's Social Security number, and free credit freezes for children under 16. Share it with families when teaching about personal information.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeMyMoney.gov resources for youth
Financial Literacy and Education Commission (U.S. Treasury)A federal directory of money games, activities and websites for kids and youth, including the U.S. Mint Coin Classroom and Social Security for kids. It gives families a safe starting point for exploring at home.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeMoney basics: coins, currency and banking
Official resources on coins, paper money, bank and credit union accounts, and how deposits are protected.
U.S. Mint Coin Classroom
United States MintThe Mint's kids and education site, with games, videos, at-home activities and lesson plans browsable by grade. Use it for coin identification, coin history and making-change lessons.
K-2, 3-5 · FreeCurrency lesson plans for educators
U.S. Currency Education Program (Federal Reserve)Free lesson plans on U.S. paper money: vocabulary activities, ten play-money activities (shopping, making change, graphing), animated videos, and the children's book Carnival Thrills and Dollar Bills. The materials suit grades 2–5.
K-2, 3-5 · English and Spanish · FreeBureau of Engraving and Printing
U.S. Department of the TreasuryThe Treasury bureau that prints U.S. paper money, with pages on each denomination, how currency is produced, visitor centers and currency FAQs. Use it for background on where paper money comes from.
3-5, 6-8 · FreeDeposit insurance
Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationThe FDIC's consumer explanation of deposit insurance: money in an FDIC-insured bank is automatically protected up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category. Use it to explain why banks are a safe place to keep savings.
3-5, 6-8 · FreeShare insurance coverage
National Credit Union AdministrationNCUA's explanation of how accounts at federally insured credit unions are protected up to $250,000, and what is not insured. Teach it next to the FDIC page so students know credit union savings are protected too.
3-5, 6-8 · FreeMyCreditUnion.gov
National Credit Union AdministrationNCUA's consumer education site covering checking and savings accounts, share insurance, credit, fraud prevention and learning tools such as World of Cents and a Money 101 quiz. Use it for banking-basics background.
6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeBank Accounts for Tweens and Teens
University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of ExtensionAn Extension tip sheet on opening a first bank or credit union account with a child, covering custodial and joint accounts, fees, FDIC/NCUA insurance and app-based cards. Share it with families when teaching banking basics.
6-8 · FreeCoin lesson plans
U.S. MintCoin and money lessons for kindergarten to grade 6.
K-2, 3-5 · FreeEarning, taxes and paychecks
Resources on jobs, careers, paychecks and why we pay taxes.
Understanding Taxes (teacher and student sites)
Internal Revenue ServiceThe IRS's free tax-education site, with 38 lesson plans, The Whys of Taxes (history and theory) and The Hows of Taxes (forms and filing), and a linked student site with activities and simulations. Use the Whys of Taxes lessons to explain what taxes pay for.
6-8 · FreeK-12 Classroom (Student's Desk and Teacher's Desk)
U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBLS's K–12 site, with career exploration, games and quizzes, and teacher resources based on Occupational Outlook Handbook data. Use it when students explore jobs, what workers earn, and the training each job needs.
3-5, 6-8 · FreeYouthRules!
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour DivisionDOL's guide to federal and state rules for young workers, with sections for teens, parents and educators, plus a timesheet app. Use it in grades 7–8 when students start thinking about first jobs and allowed hours.
6-8 · FreeYour Guide to America's Finances
U.S. Department of the Treasury (Fiscal Data)A plain-language Treasury explainer on where federal revenue comes from (mostly taxes), how it is spent, and what the deficit and debt are. Use it to connect students' own budgets to the government's.
6-8 · FreeSaving, investing and compound interest
Calculators and lessons that show how saving and compound interest make money grow over time.
Compound Interest Calculator
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Investor.gov)An SEC calculator that shows how an initial deposit plus monthly contributions grow at a chosen rate and compounding frequency. Project it in class so students can compare saving early versus late.
6-8 · FreeSavings Goal Calculator
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Investor.gov)An SEC calculator that works out how much to save each month to reach a goal by a target date. Use it when students plan for a goal such as a bike or a class trip.
6-8 · FreeResources for Classrooms
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Investor.gov)Free printable SEC lessons and activities on why to save and invest, diversification, and risk and return, with links to student quizzes and calculators. Use them for an introduction to investing in grade 8.
6-8 · FreeCPI Inflation Calculator
U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe official calculator for comparing the buying power of a dollar between years using the Consumer Price Index. Use it to show students why money sitting still loses value and why interest matters.
6-8 · FreeCredit, borrowing and consumer protection
Official sources on credit reports, scams, identity theft and where to get help with a money problem.
AnnualCreditReport.com
Equifax, Experian and TransUnion (federally authorized)The only website authorized under federal law to provide free credit reports from the three nationwide credit bureaus. Show it as the 'real' site when teaching about credit reports and look-alike scam sites.
6-8 · FreeFree Credit Reports
Federal Trade CommissionFTC guidance on getting free credit reports, why to check them, and how to avoid imposter sites; free weekly reports from each bureau are now permanent. Use it as the plain-language teacher explainer for a credit lesson.
6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeConsumer Advice
Federal Trade CommissionThe FTC's consumer site, with tips and alerts on scams, shopping, credit and debt, and identity theft. Use current scam alerts as real-world cases for middle school 'spot the scam' lessons.
6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeIdentityTheft.gov
Federal Trade CommissionThe FTC's official site for reporting identity theft and getting a step-by-step recovery plan. Show students where victims get help when teaching about protecting personal information.
6-8 · FreeAsk CFPB
Consumer Financial Protection BureauPlain-language CFPB answers to common questions about credit cards, bank accounts, loans and debt collection. Use it as a reliable reference when students ask 'what happens if…' questions about borrowing.
6-8 · FreeSubmit a complaint
Consumer Financial Protection BureauThe CFPB page that explains how consumers file complaints about financial products and services and what happens next. Use it to show students that there are official places to get help with a money problem.
6-8 · FreeAccessibility and multilingual
Spanish-language and multilingual versions of trusted resources, plus accessibility tools for U.S. currency.
consumer.gov (plain language, multiple languages)
Federal Trade CommissionThe FTC's short, plain-language money site on budgeting, credit, debt and scams, in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean, with a Teacher Resources section (budget worksheet, free print materials in several languages). It suits families with limited English or low literacy.
6-8 · English and Spanish · Freeconsumidor.gov
Federal Trade CommissionThe Spanish-language version of consumer.gov, with plain-language guidance on budgeting, credit, debt and avoiding scams, plus materials for educators. Share it with Spanish-speaking families.
6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeConsejos para consumidores (FTC en español)
Federal Trade CommissionThe FTC's Spanish-language consumer advice site, with alerts and articles on scams, identity theft and debt. Use it to send Spanish versions of FTC articles home.
6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeInformación en Español (Investor.gov)
U.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionThe SEC's Spanish investor-education hub, with alerts, publications, a glossary and financial tools in Spanish. Use it to support Spanish-speaking families during saving and investing units.
6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeMiDinero.gov (MyMoney.gov en español)
Financial Literacy and Education Commission (U.S. Treasury)The Spanish-language home of the federal MyMoney.gov site, built around five money principles, with resources for youth and educators. It gives families a trusted federal starting point in Spanish.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeMyCreditUnion.gov en español
National Credit Union AdministrationNCUA's Spanish-language financial education site covering accounts, credit, deposit insurance, fraud and identity theft. Share it with Spanish-speaking families during banking lessons.
6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeU.S. Currency Education Program en español
U.S. Currency Education Program (Federal Reserve)The Spanish version of uscurrency.gov, with classroom resources such as the children's currency academy, lesson plans and the La Aventura del Dinero app. The site is also offered in Vietnamese, Arabic, Tagalog and Chinese.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeMoney Smart grades 3–5 parent/caregiver guide (Spanish)
Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationA Spanish-language FDIC guide that helps parents of grade 3–5 students talk about money at home, with activities, conversation questions, and information on youth banking and protecting children's personal information. Send it home with Money Smart lessons.
3-5 · English and Spanish · FreeU.S. Currency Reader Program
Bureau of Engraving and PrintingFree iBill currency readers that announce a bill's denomination, for eligible blind and visually impaired people. The program is distributed through the Library of Congress National Library Service. Share it with families of students with visual impairments.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · English and Spanish · FreeMeaningful Access Program
Bureau of Engraving and PrintingTreasury's plan for making paper money accessible: a raised tactile feature, large high-contrast numerals and the currency reader program. Use it in a currency unit to discuss how money is designed for everyone.
K-2, 3-5, 6-8 · FreeKnow a free resource we should add, or a link that moved? Email [email protected]. Listing a resource is not an endorsement.