National Financial Literacy Month is recognized in the United States in April in an effort to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach Americans how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits.

Teaching your child about money not only gives her an important life skill, it helps her practice math, too. Young children—and many adults, too—often have a hard time making change or knowing if they’ve received the correct change back after a purchase. Playing “store” is a fun way to give your child much-needed practice.

Start by creating an imaginary cash register. Take $5 worth of change. Divide it into four small, shallow boxes—one each for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Then, put together a bag of groceries and other store-bought items. If the items don’t have their prices on them, mark them with a price yourself.

Take turns with your child being cashier and customer. Make the game more challenging by increasing the number of items purchased. You might also include a product that is priced “3 for $1” and buy only one (explain how the store rounds the price up to 34 cents). Or see who can buy the most items without going over $5.

Practique con su hijo cómo dar cambio

Si usted le enseña a su hijo a administrar el dinero, él no solo adquirirá una importante habilidad para la vida, sino que también practicará matemáticas. A los niños pequeños, y también a muchos adultos, con frecuencia les resulta difícil calcular el cambio o saber si han recibido el cambio correcto después de hacer una compra. Jugar a la “tienda” es una manera divertida de darle a su hijo la necesaria oportunidad de practicar.

Primero, haga una caja registradora imaginaria. Tome $5 en monedas. Póngalas en cuatro cajas pequeñas, una para las monedas de un centavo, otra para las de cinco, otra para las de 10 y la última para las de 25. Luego, ponga en una bolsa artículos que haya comprado en el supermercado. Si los artículos no tienen el precio, póngales el precio que quiera.

Túrnese con su hijo para ser el cliente y el cajero. Para que el juego sea un poco más difícil e interesante, aumente el número de artículos que compra. También podría incluir un producto que esté marcado “3 por $1” y comprar uno solo (explíquele que las tiendas redondean sus precios a 34 centavos). O vea quién puede comprar el mayor número de artículos sin pasarse de los $5.

Grades K–2

Lesson 1: Money Basics
Why do we use money? In this lesson, students will define “money,” discuss why we need money, identify bills and coins, and consider how money is used.

Lesson 2: Money Planning
In this lesson students learn that it takes planning to decide what the best uses for money are as they learn to discern the difference between needs and wants, as well as the concept of giving.

Lesson 3: Money in Our Community
In this lesson students are introduced to the basic concepts of wants vs. needs when it comes to spending money.

Grades 3–5

Lesson 1: Money Matters
In this lesson, students will identify key terms associated with earning money, explore ideas for earning money now, and evaluate various career options as sources of future income.

Lesson 2: Plans and Goals
In this lesson, students will define the word “budget” and identify the three key components associated with creating a budget, evaluate wants versus needs, and demonstrate an understanding of product pricing.

Lesson 3: Smart Saving
In this lesson, students will define and identify the differences between saving and investing, evaluate the risks associated with investments, and explore the costs of using credit cards to make purchases.

Lesson 4: Spending, Saving, and Giving: How to Use Your Money
This lesson has students thinking about thoughtful and responsible ways to use money and will identify why having a budget and keeping records of their spending and saving habits helps them make better financial choices.

Lesson 5: Make A Difference
This lesson asks students how sharing with others can improve our community and the lives of people throughout the world. Students then create colorful, persuasive posters that entice others to support a charity of each student’s choice.

Grades 6–8

Lesson 1: Saving Money for Your Future
In this lesson, students will explore saving money as a way to achieve financial goals, and they will examine the difference between simple and compound interest.

Lesson 2: Saving Money by Finding the Better Buy 
In this lesson, students will evaluate purchasing decisions by determining the better buy through calculating unit rates, discounts, and fixed and variable costs.