Wages. Salaries. Creating a personal budget. Determining net worth.
These concepts play a role in everyday life. When students understand how money works, they are better prepared to evaluate options and make thoughtful decisions. Building financial literacy helps students develop skills they can use throughout their lives.
April is recognized as Financial Literacy Month, a time dedicated to highlighting the importance of financial knowledge and the ability to apply it in meaningful ways. While this month offers a natural moment to spotlight financial literacy, these concepts are valuable at any point in the school year.
Financial literacy lesson plans
Below you will find financial literacy lesson plans for middle school, complete with downloadable worksheets and answer keys. These activities will teach students about topics such as choosing a bank, protecting their credit, and building personal budgets.
Becoming a knowledgeable consumer and investor
Students explore how informed financial choices support responsible spending, saving, and investing.
Are You Ready? Learn about Fractions, Decimals, and Percent
This introductory activity refreshes key math concepts students will use throughout the following activities such as fractions, decimals, and percent.
Students compare checking accounts, debit and credit cards, and banking fees while practicing skills like balancing a check register and evaluating which bank offers the better deal.
This activity introduces credit history and credit reports, helping students understand how credit scores are used when borrowing money or renting a home.
Students examine different ways to finance college, including savings, grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study programs, and consider how each option affects future finances.
Students compare careers by looking at required education or training, median income, and long-term earning potential across different jobs.
Use the answer sheet to review student thinking and check understanding across all activities.
Making knowledgeable purchasing decisions
Students build skills for evaluating costs and benefits as they explore how taxes, interest, and pricing strategies affect everyday purchasing decisions.
Are You Ready? Learn about Percents and Decimals
This brief review helps students refresh their understanding of percents and decimals, preparing them for calculations used throughout the following activities.
Calculating Sales and Income Tax
Students learn how sales tax and income tax work by examining gross pay, net pay, withholding, and how taxes impact earnings and purchases.
Calculating and Comparing Simple and Compound Interest
This activity introduces simple interest, principal, interest rates, and compound interest, allowing students to compare how money grows over time.
Students apply math and reasoning to determine the better buy by analyzing prices, discounts, sales, and rebates.
Use the answer sheet to support instruction, guide discussion, and check student understanding across the activities.
Planning for the future
Students develop long-term financial thinking as they learn how budgeting, saving, and understanding net worth support informed financial planning.
Are You Ready? Learn about Decimals, Whole Number Operations, and Percents
This short review refreshes essential math skills, such as decimals, whole number operations, and percents, students will use throughout the activities.
Students explore the components of a personal budget by examining income, planned savings, fixed expenses, and variable expenses.
This activity guides students through organizing income and expenses to create a balanced budget aligned with financial goals.
Constructing a Net Worth Statement
Students learn how assets and liabilities contribute to net worth and practice calculating overall financial standing.
Use the answer sheet to support instruction, facilitate discussion, and review student work.
Math meets entrepreneurship
Connect financial literacy to entrepreneurship by showing students how math informs business decisions. In this episode of Math at Work, students explore how numbers shape pricing, profitability, and long-term success as industry leaders explain the role of math in business.
In the video, students present their business pitches to the sharks from the ABC® series Shark Tank: Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, and Kevin O’Leary. They then answer questions about their sales, prices, margins, and profits.
More financial literacy lesson plans?
Do you have financial literacy activities for middle school students? Or have any tips for teaching this topic to Grades 6–8 students? Share your lesson plans with us at shaped@hmhco.com.
This blog, originally published in 2021, has been updated for 2026.
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