Visa Provides Students with Practical Money Skills for Life

Visa Provides Students with Practical Money Skills for Life

Throughout April, we are celebrating Financial Capability Month by featuring a variety of financial education programs and resources that you can put to use in your classroom right away. The 25th in this series focuses on Visa’s Practical Money Skills for Life program. Provided at no cost and with no product advertising, Practical Money Skills for Life from Visa offers something for everyone - students, educators, and parents. The site is organized into four primary categories: Learn - This provides information on a variety of financial topics - everything from budgeting to debt to identity theft. There are also calculators such as deciding how much money you should have in an emergency fund, and there are apps such as the Lunch Tracker app that helps you calculate how much you are spending and find ways to save money. The learn section also includes information specific to key life events including going to college, buying a car, and handling the unexpected. Teach - Practical Money Skills offers lessons plans for PreK - grade 2, grades 3-6, grades 7-8, grades 9-12, college, and special needs students. The course curriculum is also available for download in iBooks format. For students, the Your Money, Your Future interactive financial guide offers information on seven topics. Innovative educators are featured each month on the site, as well. You can be nominated or nominate yourself. Play - Looking for engaging games to get your students interested in a personal finance or review topics they have learned? Practical Money Skills has seven games which range in style and audience type. Financial Football and Financial Soccer are perhaps the best known. Each tests students’ knowledge of personal finance concepts in a fun, video-game style format. Younger students (ages 5-8) might be interested in Peter Pig’s Money Counter which is offered as an app. Other games include Cash Puzzler and Money Metropolis.Resources - Find out about the annual Financial Literacy Summit Visa hosts each spring, check out comics that engage students in personal finance topics, view infographics, watch videos, access apps and financial calculators, and more.Disclaimer: Resources included on the Making Cents blog have been reviewed by Pennsylvania educators and deemed worthwhile for classroom or professional use. Inclusion does not indicate endorsement by the Pennsylvania Department of Education or Penn State University.