Financial education resources for teachers and parents

Parents, teachers and financial educators, develop money management skills in kids, youth and adults with the following practical resources available from a variety of providers online or, where indicated, from Oregon State Credit Union.

Financial education makes good sense, whether it's in classes, with online resources or at an Oregon State Credit Union branch. Send an email to our community financial education department at communityed@oregonstatecu.com.


Online learning

Our financial educational modules cover a variety of money management topics. The modules allow self-paced learning and are easy to use.

Scottie Savers:

Play through a fun game to open your very own virtual lemonade stand, save up for a special purchase, and decide how to save and spend the money you make! 

Learn about:

  • Budgeting basics
  • How IOUs can mess with your budget
  • Vocabulary
  • Coin and bill recognition
  • Emergency savings
  • Wants vs. Needs
  • Saving for an important goal

TLT:

Check out our teen modules and test your knowledge! How much do you know about being cyber safe? What is the 50/30/20 budget and will it work for you? You can also run through real life scenarios and decide how you'll manage your paycheck in order to pay rent and other expenses, and have some fun too!

Learn about:

  • Basics of loans and credit cards
  • Budgeting in high school and beyond
  • Digital citizenship
  • The cost of college
  • How to write scholarship applications
  • Income taxes
  • Compound interest

Parents

Our modules offer resources for parents who want to learn more about how to teach financial literacy at home. 

Learn about:

  • What to expect when opening your child's first account
  • The 3 jar allowance method for kids
  • Activities to teach spending, saving and investing to kids
  • How the household can work together on financial decision making

For resources in Spanish:  Fundamentos Financieros en Español


Money Management: a financial planning workbook for young adults

Are you a parent with a student getting ready to leave the nest, or a teacher looking for an activity that will help your students evaluate their future options? Mindful Money Management, a financial planning workbook that can be used by teachers or parents to educate young adults, helps students learn how physical, mental and financial health are related. With this workbook students will learn whether or not they can create the lifestyle they want while giving themselves “peace of mind” by having money in their savings account. The workbook is designed to be used independently by teens, but if facilitated by a teacher or parent it will open new opportunities for learning and discussion. Watch a video showing workbook steps.

Get the Money Management workbook | English Get the Money Management workbook | Spanish

Who can benefit from this workbook? Teachers, parents and financial educators. Young adults: Current high school students, those just out of high school, ready to join the workforce; headed to college or almost done with college and looking for employment. Purpose: The workbook gives students a way to test what life could look like based on education and lifestyle choices. Each page has a series of choices about real life experiences. Based on the education level your student expects to achieve, they receive a "points" budget to spend on lifestyle choices. The workbook can be filled out online or printed for offline use.

What users say about Mindful Money Management

  • Parent Molly Bell: "I appreciated the experience both of my teens had completing the Mindful Money Management workbook. It led to some great family discussions as they compared their different choices. We appreciate your outreach to students and the community." — Molly Bell

  • Teen Elise Reese: "The workbook helped show me a good lifestyle that I will be comfortable in. It also showed me that I will not be struggling when I'm older."

  • Teen user Naia Rasmussen had this to say: "Eating outside of the home costs five times as much as cooking at home...The utilities section made me think about how big a difference keeping all of the lights on can make in the electricity bill...I need to prioritize savings more."

  • Teacher, Auschere Caufield, Banks High School: “One of the hardest parts of teaching kids how to budget is getting them to realize how many things they have to think about when creating a budget. I love it that the Mindful Money Management workbook goes through all the things that might be included in an adult budget.”


Articles

Money habits are set by age 7

How to Raise Money-Smart Kids - CyberParent

How To Raise A Financially Responsible Child | My Nourished Home

Study finds Money habits formed by age 7

Research: Kid’s Money habits are formed by age 7

Teach your children well: Money habits are set by age 7


Book lists

Here are several recommended books available from many online merchants.

Elementary/picture books

A Boy, A Budget, A Dream by Jasmine Paul

Alexander who used to be rich last Sunday by Judith Viorst

How to sell a Rock by BJK Coy

Lily Learns about Wants & Needs by Lisa Bulard

Madison’s First Dollar by Ebony Beckford

Money Plan by Monica Eaton

Rock, Brock and the Savings Shock by Sheila Blair

The Berenstain Bears: Dollars and Sense, & The Trouble with Money, & Get the Gimmes by Stan Berenstain

The Coin counting book by Rozanne Lanczak Williams

The Go-around Dollar by Barbara Johnston Adams

The Original Story of the Piggy Bank: the beginning of a Legend by Lance Douglas

You can’t buy a Dinosaur with a Dime by Harriet Ziefert

Chapter books

Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire – the Lemonade Escapade by Ty Allan Jackson

Economics through Everyday stories from around the world by Elena Fernandez Prados

Grandpa’s Fortune Fables by Will Rainey

Lunch Money by Andrew Clements

Make your own money, How Kids can Earn it, Save it, Spend it and Dream Big by Ty Allan Jackson

Mansa’s Little Reminders by AD Williams & Kendal Fordham

Quest for the Pillars of Wealth by J.J. Pritchard

The Kids’ Money Book by Jamie Kyle McGillian

The Lemonade War Series by Jacqueline Davies

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merril

Books for teens and adults

I want more Pizza by Steve Burkholder

I will teach you to be Rich by Ramit Sethi

Make your Kid a Money Genius by Beth Koblinger

Mom’s Got Money by Catherine Alford

Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze

Why didn’t they teach me this in school by Cary Siegel

Wired for Wealth by Brad Klontz and Ted Klontz

Your Money or your Life by Vicki Robin

Kids' Money

Explore Kids' Money to take charge of financial education and build smart money habits. For kids, parents, teachers, teens, college students.

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