Understanding how money works, from how to maintain a budget to the basics of investment, is crucial to both surviving and thriving in the modern world. Personal finance courses are now required in more than half the United States, although many students don’t get an adequate amount of financial education in school. The results are alarmingly evident when you look at the statistics: a survey from the National Financial Educators Council shows that 50% of individuals lost at least $500 in 2024 due to a lack of financial literacy—including 15% who said it set them back by $2,500 or more.
A lack of financial literacy can lead to bad credit, excessive debt, and even bankruptcy or foreclosure, but a solid understanding of finances can help students avoid all of that and instead build a comfortable and successful future for themselves. Don’t let your students become statistics. Give them a solid head start on finance with Infobase’s streaming video platforms, eBooks, and award-winning databases.
Looking for Media on Financial Literacy for Young Students? Try Learn360
You’re never too young to learn about money, and Learn360 has excellent resources that can help educators show young students how to remain financially well in ways that are fun and will stick with them for years to come.
Introduce Young Students to Money…with a Little Help from Their TV Show Friends
Sometimes, the best way to learn about something new is to watch someone else learn about it—especially if that person is on their favorite TV show. Learn360 features a wealth of children’s shows from renowned and beloved producers such as PBS, Doggyland, and Highlights for Children starring the characters your students already enjoy watching at home.
Here are some episodes from popular series on Learn360 you can use to introduce financial literacy. (Not all titles are available in all countries. We have included searchable item numbers for each title for your convenience.)
- Lemonade Champs (Item #292430): In this episode of Lyla and the Loop from PBS, Lyla and Everett make a lemonade stand to raise money for the animal shelter.
- Lemonade for Sale: Reading Rainbow (Item #66448): The Elm Street Kids Club needs money to fix up their clubhouse, so they decide to sell lemonade and monitor their success by tracking daily sales. Plus, LeVar Burton goes to Wall Street, discusses big and small business, talks about entrepreneurs, and explores two different kinds of businesses: a for-profit business and a nonprofit organization.
- Let’s Talk about Money (Item #287630): In this episode of Doggyland, Bow Wizzle (played by Snoop Dogg) is here to teach the puppies all about money through singing, dancing, and rap! Kids can sing along and learn the difference between pennies, dimes, nickels, quarters, and dollars in this fun, math, and counting-based kids music video.
- Keeping Cool (Item #168902): In this short video from Highlights for Children, Gabe and Nico set up a lemonade stand.
- Donating Day/Gatita the Volunteer Cat (Item #291829) and Neighborhood Market Day/Rosie and Javi’s Slime Store (Item #290435): These episodes of Rosie’s Rules from PBS feature our hero Rosie and her friends learning valuable life lessons about money and responsibility.
Find Classroom Ideas in Learn360’s Financial Literacy Topic Center
Learn360 has an entire Financial Literacy Topic Center filled with entertaining and educational videos, audio recordings, interactives, and printables that teachers can turn to when putting together cross-curricular activities and projects focused on finance. Have students play games including Money Tree, Garage Sale Wizard, Piggy Bankers, and Lunch Lady that teach how to count money and recognize different types of coins. Also, teachers can find worksheets, activities, and classroom ideas from The Mailbox® such as:
- All Around the Town (Item #229690): a worksheet that teaches the difference between producers and consumers
- Business Is Popping (Item #211774): a worksheet that teaches about cost and profit
- Economics Vocabulary Game (Item #283575): a partner game that challenges students to understand the meanings of key economic vocabulary terms
- And many more!
Subscribers, log in to check out the Financial Literacy Topic Center now and see this content for yourself!
Other financial literacy titles you can find on Learn360 include:
- Your World on Money, Season 1 series (Million Stories, a project of the Singleton Foundation, Item #294697): Your World on Money is a show that answers the financial questions people are often too afraid to ask. Financial and industry experts give crash courses on the real-world implications money matters have on the world around us and how they directly affect you.
- Adulting with Richard Sherman series (Million Stories, a project of the Singleton Foundation, Item #294727): NFL football superstar Richard Sherman breaks down the money playbook.
- KidsECON: Grocery Store (South Carolina ETV Network, Item #294285): Learn the difference between a need and a want as Laila takes us on a tour through the grocery store.
- Financial Literacy series (Educational Voice Ltd., Item #283082): Follow Jamal and his friends and family as they learn new financial capability skills and explore how to manage their money.
- Money Kids series (Wonderscape Entertainment®, Item #276158): This series presents important information about economics in a fun and engaging way. Topics covered include the stock market; earning, saving, and investing; inflation; and cryptocurrency and NFTs.
- Two Cents series (Boclips, Item #205442): This series is an educational show covering all things personal finance to help everyone make better money decisions. With episodes on everything from budgeting, to investing, financial scams, and home ownership, CFP® Philip Olson is full of tips and tricks for nailing your personal finance goals.
Want to see this content for yourself? Make the most of your Learn360 subscription—log in today!
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Teach Elementary and Intermediate Students about Money with Trusted Content Sources
If your elementary and middle school students are using The World Almanac® for Kids Elementary or The World Almanac® for Kids to develop their budding research skills, point them toward the sections devoted to money. The World Almanac® for Kids Elementary’s features two modules that can help: Managing Money and Math: Time and Money.
The Managing Money topic area covers the basics of financial literacy—information that builds a foundation for lifelong money-wise habits—in language perfect for elementary-level readers. The topic area is supplemented with Fun Facts, editorially selected videos, and several printable handouts. Managing Money covers topics such as:
- Needs and Wants
- Earning Income
- Spending and Sharing Income
- Saving Income
- Borrowing Money
Math: Time and Money explains these fundamental concepts clearly and accessibly—through age-appropriate articles, Fun Facts, engaging videos, and related games and puzzles—to help students fully grasp these necessary skills. Math: Time and Money includes sections on:
- Understanding Time
- Time Telling Tools
- Telling and Writing Time
- Elapsed Time
- Understanding Money
- U.S. Currency
- Working with Money
The World Almanac® for Kids features a Money Matters topic area that gives students and educators a solid resource for understanding the basics of banking, investing, earning and spending money, sustainable living, and more. Each section includes an introduction to the topic, a chapter called “Here’s What You Need to Remember” with bulleted takeaways, and a glossary.
Topics covered in Money Matters include:
- Banking Basics
- Earning Money
- Spending Money
- Cost of Living & Sustainable Living
- Understanding Credit
- Planning for Your Education
- Money & Relationships
- Entrepreneurship
- Investing Money
Money Matters also includes Fun Facts articles with topics such as “How Did Banks Begin?”, relevant videos such as “Good Credit and the Future,” games and puzzles, and biographies of entrepreneurs including Jeff Bezos, Madame C. J. Walker, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Meg Whitman.
Want to see this content for yourself? Make the most of your subscriptions to The World Almanac® for Kids and The World Almanac® for Kids Elementary—log in today!
Not a subscriber? Why not take a FREE trial?
Give Teens the Financial Advice They Need
Available through the Teen Reference eBook Collection and also on Credo Source, the Teen Finance Series from Omnigraphics is designed to help students understand basic economic principles and learn how these principles apply to their own lives. Authoritative, well-organized, and easy to use, each volume in this series presents topics designed to help teens develop the skills necessary to manage their money wisely and plan for a secure financial future.
Students will find articles written in a straightforward, easy-to-read style, with headings, definitions, and illustrations that break up the text and convey facts in different ways. Teens and other readers will find the volumes in the Teen Finance Series to be excellent resources for reference, research, and personal information.
Titles in the Teen Finance Series include:
- Financial Independence Information for Teens
- Personal and Automobile Loan Information for Teens
- Cash, Credit and Credit Repair Information for Teens
- College Financing Information for Teens
- Debt Information for Teens
- Earning and Employment Information for Teens
- Financial Literacy Information for Teens
- Savings and Investment Information for Teens
Subscribers: log into the Teen Reference eBook Collection or Credo Source today to check out these titles!
Take a FREE TRIAL of the Teen Reference eBook Collection or Credo Source today!
See also:
- Help Students Master Math with Infobase
- Test Students’ Trivia Knowledge & Research Skills with Infobase
- Librarians, Fight Misinformation with Infobase
- The Most Popular K–12 Programs of 2024
- 5 Creative Ideas for the Elementary School Classroom
- Give Students the College & Career Planning Resources They Need
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