Money doesn’t have to be a dry or complicated topic for children. In fact, it can be one of the most engaging subjects you teach!
These 9 fun financial literacy activities for kids are designed to help families learn about money God’s way—through play, stories, and real-life practice. Whether you homeschool or just want to raise wise stewards, each activity connects everyday learning with timeless biblical truth.
The Four Baskets Game
What you’ll need: four jars, envelopes, or baskets labeled Spend, Save, Give, and Invest.
Each time your child earns or receives money, have them divide it among the baskets. Talk about what each one means and how it reflects stewardship.
- Spend: needs and simple wants
- Save: something for later
- Give: helping others or supporting church or charity
- Invest: growing what you have wisely
This simple game is one of the most fun financial literacy activities for kids because it turns biblical stewardship into a hands-on routine.
Proverbs 21:5 — “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.”
We talk a lot about the 4 baskets of stewardship in our Money Explorers course.
2. Grocery Budget Challenge
Take your grocery list and let your kids help plan, shop, and budget. For younger kids, make it a pretend shopping trip with play money. For older ones, give them a real-world challenge: “You have $20 to buy healthy snacks.”
This encourages comparison shopping, math, and value-based decision-making. It is one of the most fun financial literacy activities for kids because it connects learning to something families already do every week.
Our Money Explorers course has a lesson called Banks and Budgets that gives kids an overview of budgeting, a printable activity to practice at home, and opportunities in the lesson to have business-related conversations with your kids.
🧱 3. Build-a-Business Brainstorm
Ask your kids what kind of business they would love to start if they could serve people through it. Have them list what they would sell, who they would help, and how they could show integrity through their work.
This activity plants seeds of creativity, work ethic, and service. It also helps them see that entrepreneurship can be part of God’s design for using our gifts to serve others.
Lessons like Be Clear and Kind, Business Basics, and Building a Business teach kids about what it means to be an entrepreneur, and what the 7 essential business toolbox tools are in the Money Explorers financial literacy course for kids.
4. Coin Sort & Story Time
Collect loose change and let your kids sort it by type and value. For each coin, tell a fun story about what it could buy or where it might have traveled. Then talk about how small amounts add up, and how saving even a little at a time can grow.
This is another example of fun financial literacy activities for kids that make abstract ideas tangible.
5. Needs vs. Wants Sorting Game
Cut out pictures from magazines or print photos online, toys, clothes, groceries, a Bible, school supplies, etc. Ask your kids to sort them into two piles: Needs and Wants.
Talk about how it’s okay to enjoy wants, but wisdom means meeting needs first.
Have older kids explain why they sorted each item where they did. This simple exercise builds awareness of gratitude, stewardship, and contentment.
We teach kids about needs and wants in the Spending Smarts lesson of Money Explorers.
6. The Family Giving Jar
Place a jar in a visible spot labeled Giving. Every week, let each family member add money, even small amounts. At the end of the month, choose together where it will go, or who you will give it to.
This activity demonstrates generosity, compassion, and unity. It is one of the simplest yet most fun financial literacy activities for kids because it turns giving into a joyful family tradition.
7. Money Memory Match
Create matching cards with pairs like:
- Dollar – $1
- Quarter – 25¢
- Piggy Bank – Save
- Gift Box – Give
Shuffle and play just like Memory. Each time a match is made, have your child explain what it means. Perfect for ages 5–9 and easy to adapt for older kids with bigger concepts.
The Money Explorers financial literacy course for kids has 30 lessons. Each lesson should take anywhere from 15-30 minutes to complete and includes a printable activity and a fun game in each lesson. Some of the games are matching games, just like this one (except the game is online).
8. Bible Verse Treasure Hunt
Hide verses about stewardship and money around the house (Proverbs 3:9, Luke 16:10, Matthew 6:21, 1 Timothy 6:6-10). Each verse leads to the next clue, ending with a small treat or message: Wise Steward in Training.
This reinforces truth through movement and excitement, perfect for visual and kinesthetic learners, and makes learning Scripture about money exciting and memorable.
Lessons 21-30 of the Money Explorers curriculum ends the course by teaching kids all about stewardship. From spending and saving to giving, investing, and recognizing marketing messages that tell us we need more, we guide kids through the wonderful world of managing money wisely.
9. The Home Store
Turn your home into a pretend store using play money. Label items (snacks, toys, screen time) with prices. Give your kids a certain amount of money to spend that allows them to not buy everything at one time.
This simple role-play demonstrates a real-world lesson about value and delayed gratification. It’s one of the most memorable and fun financial literacy activities for kids to repeat throughout the year.
Enhance the learning by giving them one or more jobs to do to earn the money first, and then allow them to actually buy the items and experiences you are selling.
10. Reflection Time: What Did You Learn About Money?
After each activity, pause for a few minutes to talk. Ask:
- What surprised you today?
- What was easy or hard about these decisions?
- How does God want us to use money?
When kids connect real-world choices to their faith, the lessons stick for life.
Why Fun Financial Literacy Activities for Kids Matter
Fun activities do more than entertain, they build understanding, character, and long-term confidence.
Starting financial literacy early teaches kids to see money not as a source of stress and something to constantly strive for, but as a tool for stewardship and generosity. And when those lessons are rooted in faith, they grow into habits that last a lifetime.
Free Resource: The Literacy Dividend
Want more insight on why early financial education matters? Download The Literacy Dividend, a free whitepaper packed with research, stats, and biblical perspective on how financial literacy shapes futures.
Start Exploring
Visit RestOverRiches.com to learn more about the Money Explorers course, preview sample lessons, and join our email list, or join our financial literacy community on Facebook for family resources and updates.
