Primary schools across the UK now get access to dozens of free money resources aimed at teaching children essential financial skills from reception right through to Year 6.
Teaching children about money early builds their confidence with spending, saving and making smart choices that can really help them later in life. Only 1% of primary teachers think their students have good financial skills, so finding quality resources that fit your curriculum matters now more than ever.
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole and a former primary teacher with over 15 years of classroom experience, says, “Financial literacy isn’t just about counting coins anymore. Children need to understand digital payments, budgeting and how the economy affects their daily lives.”
LearningMole offers curriculum-aligned videos and activities so young learners across Key Stages 1 and 2 can get to grips with these ideas.
Financial education resources for primary schools have become so much better in recent years. You can now pick up complete lesson plans, interactive activities and teacher guides that link to PSHE, citizenship and maths objectives.
Many of these materials use engaging characters and real-life situations, making it easier for children to relate money concepts to their own lives.
Teaching children about money from a young age builds life skills that shape how they handle finances as adults.
Primary schools play a key role in developing financial literacy alongside core subjects. Pupils gain practical knowledge they can use straight away and later in life.
Young children pick up money concepts more easily during primary school. Starting financial education in primary school gives children a chance to practise these skills while mistakes don’t carry big consequences.
Children as young as five already make choices about spending pocket money and get the idea of saving for something they want.
By Year 2, most pupils know that coins have different values. By Year 6, they can handle more complex topics like budgeting and understanding debt.
Early financial education helps prevent poor money habits from taking root. When you bring these ideas to life with activities like classroom shops or tracking pretend budgets, children start building a framework for sensible financial decisions.
This foundation supports them as they face real money situations in their teens and adulthood.
Financial education fits naturally in several areas of the primary curriculum, especially PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education).
The Money and Me programme links to English, Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh curricula, including PSHE, citizenship and maths.
The programme covers twelve lessons across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Topics include recognising coins and notes, understanding banking, supply and demand, and ethical spending.
Financial education resources line up with the Financial Education Planning Framework, which Young Money has accredited.
You can weave money lessons into existing topics instead of treating financial literacy as a separate subject. This approach makes it easier to fit into your already packed timetable.
Financial wellbeing means feeling secure and in control of your money, now and in the future.
When you teach children about money management in primary school, you help them grow in confidence when handling financial decisions.
Free financial education programmes help children set positive money habits and mindsets from early on. These programmes use fun activities and real-world scenarios, making money ideas stick.
Teaching financial wellbeing isn’t just about counting coins. You also help pupils deal with the emotional side of money, like resisting the urge to spend impulsively or coping with disappointment when they can’t afford something.
LearningMole provides free curriculum-aligned videos covering maths topics, including money skills. You can use these to reinforce concepts through visual learning.
Children who build financial literacy skills early tend to make better decisions in other areas of life. They learn to plan ahead, weigh up consequences and think carefully about choices, all while picking up practical skills for managing money both online and offline.
Children need to see that money serves different purposes in daily life, from covering basic needs to making choices about saving for future goals.
Teaching the difference between essentials and things we just want builds strong financial capability from the start.
Teaching needs versus wants forms the backbone of financial literacy for young learners.
Your pupils need to understand that needs are essentials for survival and wellbeing, like food, shelter, clothing and healthcare. Wants are things that make life more fun but aren’t necessary, like toys, sweets or cinema trips.
You can make this idea real by giving children picture cards to sort into two groups. This activity often leads to lively discussions, especially when items aren’t so clear-cut.
For example, is a coat a need or a want? It depends if it’s their only coat or their fifth one.
Common needs:
Typical wants:
This difference helps children think more critically about purchasing decisions and sets them up for responsible money management.
Learning to manage money responsibly means knowing when to save and when to spend.
You should show your pupils that saving is about putting money aside for future needs or emergencies rather than spending it all straight away. This kind of delayed gratification builds life skills that go beyond money.
Try out classroom activities where children earn coins or tokens for good behaviour, then let them decide whether to spend them at a class shop or save up for something bigger. This kind of simulation gives them a real taste of what it’s like to reach a savings goal.
Your Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils can explore spending plans using activities on platforms like LearningMole. These resources cover money management in a way that’s easy to understand.
Children learn that wise spending means comparing prices, checking quality and thinking if they really need something before buying.
Understanding how money works in society helps children see the bigger picture beyond their own piggy banks.
Money lets people trade goods and services without bartering, making life simpler. Your pupils need to realise that money only has value because we all agree it does.
You can explain that people earn money by working, then use it to buy what they need and want. This creates a cycle: workers provide goods or services, get paid, and then become customers themselves.
Children get these ideas more easily when you use examples from their own lives, like how their parents work to pay for family expenses.
Exploring the history of currency can make lessons more interesting. Show your class how people once swapped chickens for medical care or eggs for tools.
Then talk about how coins and notes made trading easier. Modern ideas like contactless payments or digital money connect history to their experiences now, building a full picture of financial skills across the curriculum.
Several high-quality programmes now offer comprehensive materials to help you teach financial education in your classroom.
These resources include ready-made lesson plans, activities, and interactive tools tailored for primary children.
Money and Me provides curriculum-aligned materials for teaching financial concepts to children aged 4 to 11.
The programme covers key topics like saving, spending wisely, and understanding needs versus wants.
You can grab worksheets, lesson plans, and classroom activities that fit neatly into your maths and PSHE teaching. The materials break down tricky money ideas into simple language young learners can get their heads around.
Many teachers use Money and Me during money weeks or as part of regular numeracy lessons. Activities include practical tasks like running classroom shops and tracking pocket money, which help children put their learning into real situations.
Money Heroes brings financial responsibility to life through stories and interactive challenges.
The programme partners with groups like Beano to create age-appropriate materials that really grab children’s attention.
Your students can dig into topics like budgeting, making choices with money, and understanding how people earn income.
The resources include video content, worksheets, and games that make finance feel less like a lesson and more like an adventure.
Teachers find the character-based approach helps younger children connect with money ideas more easily. The materials suit both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils, with content tweaked for different ages.
LifeSavers takes a whole-school approach to financial education for primary schools across the UK.
The programme includes 50 assemblies, teacher training and loads of classroom resources covering Years 1 through 6.
You get access to storybooks, soft toys, interactive games and curriculum-linked activities for maths, PSHE and English. The programme works with trusted partners like Young Enterprise and provides materials that fit requirements across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The training helps you feel more confident teaching money topics, even if finance isn’t your strong point. Schools can book a consultation to join the programme and get ongoing support through the year.
Primary teachers can make money lessons come alive with pretend shops, board games and favourite book characters.
These hands-on approaches help children understand everyday financial decisions while keeping lessons fun and memorable.
When you set up a classroom shop, money concepts suddenly feel real. Scatter plastic cups with different prices around your learning space and let children try counting out the right coins.
A pretend grocery store makes financial transactions fun. Children swap roles as shopkeeper and customer, using a toy cash register and play money. They learn about measuring ingredients precisely through simple price calculations and giving change.
Barter days show why we use currency. Each child brings in a small item, then they trade with classmates. They soon realise how tricky it gets to swap goods without any money involved.
Needs versus wants activities often start lively discussions. Give children picture cards of different items and services. They sort these into groups and explain their reasoning, which builds critical thinking about spending.
Money bingo turns coin counting into a fast-paced game. Call out different totals and children try to match the amounts on their cards using various coins.
Board games like Monopoly Junior suit children aged five and up. The simple rules teach money management and decision-making while they play.
Try making a coin caterpillar. Children trace coins on paper to create a caterpillar, then count and write the total value. Art and maths come together. Fractions and sharing equally links to dividing money fairly between people.
Hide coins around the classroom for a treasure hunt. Children gather them and add up their totals. You can offer prizes for the most accurate counting or the highest value found.
Coin sorting activities help children recognise different coins. Use trays with labels for pennies, nickels and other coins, and let children sort real or plastic versions.
Picture books bring financial ideas to life for young learners. The Berenstain Bears: Trouble With Money follows Brother and Sister Bear as they learn to manage their finances through everyday adventures.
Pigs Will Be Pigs: Fun With Maths and Money tells the story of a pig family collecting and counting their coins for a meal out. It shows practical addition skills in a funny, memorable way.
Familiar characters boost engagement in money lessons. When teachers use popular figures in financial activities, children pay more attention.
One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent uses Dr. Seuss-style rhymes to explain the history of money. The rhythm and rhyme help children remember coin values and currency facts.
Word problems with favourite characters let children practise counting skills. Give them scenario cards with book characters making purchases or saving money, then solve the maths together.
Money education works best when you weave it into everyday lessons instead of teaching it on its own. Teachers can use financial concepts to support learning in maths, citizenship and project work, all while meeting National Curriculum goals.
Financial literacy grows through projects that link different subjects. You might organise a school enterprise project where pupils design products, calculate costs and manage budgets, and practise writing skills through marketing and English presentations.
A class shop gives pupils hands-on experience with money transactions and record keeping. They can rotate as shopkeepers, accountants and customers.
Try themed weeks where Year 5 and 6 classes explore fair trade, compare prices and look at ethical sourcing. This blends geography, maths and PSHE, helping pupils think about consumer choices and global economics.
Enterprise challenges become more exciting when pupils pitch ideas to staff or parents. They build presentation skills, teamwork and learn how to handle limited resources.
Money topics fit naturally with Key Stage 1 and 2 maths objectives. You can teach place value, decimals and percentages using real costs and budgets.
Year 3 pupils practise addition and subtraction with pounds and pence by comparing prices at different shops. Year 4 classes work out discounts and calculate change from £20 or £50 notes.
Key maths connections:
Pupils find problem solving more interesting when they work out party budgets or plan school trip costs. These activities tick off curriculum boxes and build skills they’ll use after primary school.
Financial education supports PSHE and citizenship lessons for all year groups. You can look at wants versus needs, helping pupils understand spending decisions and their impact.
Topics like pocket money, earning and saving fit well into personal development time. Year 5 and 6 pupils learn about taxation, public services and how communities pay for shared resources.
Charitable giving and fundraising link money to values and social responsibility. Your class might research charities, plan fundraising events and decide how to use donations.
Lessons on advertising and marketing encourage pupils to think critically about consumer culture. They learn to spot persuasive tricks and question whether they really need advertised products. This builds financial know-how and media literacy, so they can make better choices day to day.
Teachers can find plenty of support through structured guides, flexible resource packs, and professional development that boost confidence when teaching financial skills. Many programmes offer ready-made materials for busy teachers who want to cover money topics well.
Teacher guides give step-by-step help for teaching financial education across Key Stage 1 and 2. These guides show how to use resources, adapt activities for different abilities, and link money topics to maths and PSHE requirements.
The Money Heroes Teacher Guide makes it easier to provide quality financial education in your classroom. It explains how to start with the Young Money Primary Planning Framework and gives practical tips for adapting lessons and supporting children with SEND.
Many free resources come in packs with worksheets, lesson plans and teaching notes. LearningMole provides free curriculum-aligned videos covering money skills for primary pupils, like counting coins, making change and understanding value. These videos work well as lesson starters or for independent learning.
Adapt financial education materials to your pupils’ ages, abilities and life experiences. Resources for First Level in Scotland or Year 2 in England will need a different approach than those for Year 6.
Think about your class when choosing activities. A Year 4 class with mixed literacy levels gets more from visual resources like coins, notes and picture cards than from wordy worksheets. Breaking complex ideas into smaller steps helps all learners understand saving, spending and budgeting.
Most free financial education programmes suggest ways to differentiate. You can stretch higher achievers with problem-solving or simplify tasks by reducing steps.
Professional development gives you more confidence to teach financial education well. Some organisations offer online training, webinars and in-person sessions that count towards CPD hours.
Teacher training usually covers the basics of financial education, curriculum links and practical teaching ideas. You’ll learn to tackle common money misconceptions and create age-appropriate activities that keep pupils interested.
Schools can find guidance through Money and Pensions Service resources that show practical steps for improving financial education. These materials point to extra support and services across the UK.
Every child should learn about money in a way that makes sense for them. Good financial education materials include adaptations for different learning needs and offer several ways for pupils to engage with saving and spending.
Make money lessons accessible with visual supports, hands-on materials and simple language. Picture cards of coins and notes help pupils with communication difficulties understand currency values. Real money or high-quality replicas work better than worksheets for children who learn through touch.
Break ideas into small steps. Start with sorting coins by size or colour before teaching budgeting. Timers and visual schedules help pupils know what’s coming next.
The APEF provides free financial literacy curriculum with scaffolding and support options from PreK through Year 12. Many programmes include teacher guides that explain how to adapt activities for different abilities. You might slow the pace, use fewer coins when counting or give sentence starters for talking about financial choices.
Think about sensory needs too. Some pupils dislike the feel or smell of coins. Laminated pictures or digital money offer alternatives.
Choose activities where all pupils can join in at their own level. Role-play shops let confident readers write price labels while others focus on swapping coins for items. Money heroes characters or stories with diverse families help every child see themselves in money situations.
LearningMole offers curriculum-aligned videos that explain money concepts through animation and clear narration, supporting visual and auditory learners in Key Stage 1 and 2. Combine these with practical activities to reinforce understanding for pupils who need more repetition.
Use large print and high contrast for pupils with visual impairments. Provide counting frames, number lines and calculators so children can focus on money ideas, not just calculations. Group work pairs stronger pupils with those needing more help, creating natural peer support.
Financial education sticks best when it’s part of your school’s culture, not just a one-off lesson. Schools that link money skills to assemblies, awareness weeks and cross-curricular planning help pupils see how money matters in daily life.
Your school can make financial education stronger by linking it to different subjects and year groups. Maths lessons connect easily to budgeting and percentages, while PSHE covers topics like needs and wants.
A whole-school planning framework lets you map out financial concepts from Key Stage 1 to 2. Year 1 pupils start with coin recognition, while Year 6 students look at interest and credit.
Staff training helps make these connections clearer. When teachers across subjects know how to link lessons to money skills, pupils get more chances to learn key ideas. You might work with specialist organisations that run teacher training, or use INSET days to build staff confidence in financial content.
Cross-curricular planning helps too. History lessons about Victorian money or geography units on fair trade give you chances to talk about financial topics without overloading your timetable.
School assemblies give you a chance to introduce money ideas to every year group. Use these sessions to start themes like saving, spending wisely or spotting the difference between needs and wants.
Awareness week resources tie financial topics to events like Talk Money Week each November. During these weeks, you might set up a school savings bank, run workshops with parents or create displays about pocket money.
Many schools invite charities to deliver free financial education programmes for 7 to 11 year olds. These expert-led sessions bring real-world scenarios into school and help pupils build good money habits early.
LearningMole has curriculum-aligned videos that work well for assemblies or classroom follow-up. Their resources reinforce money ideas through engaging visuals that pupils can revisit.
Schools often use national programmes that supply ready-made resources and activities. Talk Money Week gives out free materials each November. Financial Literacy Month in April brings extra chances to focus on money skills.
Talk Money Week runs every November and gives a free financial education programme for primary schools. This initiative gets schools to set aside time for open discussions about money through assemblies, classroom activities and projects.
You’ll find lesson plans ready to use, all linked to the National Curriculum for maths and PSHE in Key Stages 1 and 2. The resources cover saving, spending sensibly and sorting out needs from wants.
Many schools hold special assemblies during this week. Pupils often share what they’ve learnt about managing money.
Teachers like the pre-prepared materials because they save planning time and keep the content age-appropriate. LearningMole has free curriculum-aligned videos on money and counting that fit well with Talk Money Week.
You could organise a coin recognition workshop for younger classes or try budgeting challenges with Year 5 and 6.
Financial Literacy Month takes place in April. It gives schools another chance to focus on money education throughout the month, not just in one week.
You might plan a sequence of lessons that build up over time. Start with coin recognition for Reception and Year 1, then add simple money addition in Year 2 and 3. Later, move on to budgeting and saving for older pupils.
Try setting up a school shop so pupils can practise real transactions with play money or tokens. This hands-on method helps children see how maths skills work in real life.
Many primary schools team up with charities and organisations that deliver structured financial education programmes. These partnerships bring in specialist resources and training. Accreditation helps teachers spot high-quality materials.
Several charities supply free financial education programmes for primary schools. Money Heroes from Young Enterprise gives out award-winning resources for ages 3–11, like storybooks, digital games and lesson plans that match the curriculum.
They include resources in different formats, such as Welsh and British Sign Language. Money Ready runs free workshops for children aged 4–11. These sessions help pupils build positive money habits through interactive activities.
The Bank of England’s Money and Me programme links directly to the English, Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh curricula. It covers PSHE, citizenship and numeracy, and explains ideas such as ethical spending and how money works in daily life.
Organisations like Young Money accredit financial education programmes that meet certain quality standards. They review these programmes to check they deliver age-appropriate content and support curriculum objectives.
Accredited resources usually follow the Financial Education Planning Framework. This framework shows what children should learn at different ages.
It helps you pick materials that suit your pupils’ stage and build on what they already know. When you select resources, look for ones that offer teacher training as well as classroom materials.
This mix helps you feel confident teaching financial education, even if you’re not a subject expert.
Teachers across the UK usually ask similar questions when they look for money resources and activities for primary learners. These answers give practical advice on activities, free materials, teaching tips and printable resources linked to the National Curriculum.
Role-play shops are a hit with Key Stage 1 pupils. They get to practise paying for things and giving change using real or pretend coins.
You can set up a classroom shop with everyday items and price tags. Let children swap between being shopkeeper and customer.
Coin sorting and counting games help younger children spot different coins. Try sorting trays so children can group coins by value or build towers to compare amounts.
Budgeting challenges work well for Key Stage 2. Give pupils a set amount of pretend money and ask them to plan a birthday party or school trip within that budget.
Online maths games focusing on money calculations offer interactive practice. LearningMole has curriculum-aligned videos that break down money ideas with visual demonstrations.
The Just Finance Foundation provides free classroom packs for children aged 4 to 11. These resources match the UK primary curriculum across all year groups.
They cover values-based financial education and include activities created with partners like GamCare and Sumdog. The Bank of England offers Money and Me, a free 12-lesson resource made with Beano and Tes.
This programme introduces how money and the economy works through structured lessons. Primary Resources hosts free worksheets and lesson plans on money problems. The site organises materials by topic, so it’s pretty easy to find what you need.
Money Advice Scotland provides resources split into First Level and Second Level, matching the Curriculum for Excellence. They also have short videos with their mascot Max to introduce financial topics.
Start with real coins before moving to pictures or worksheets. Let children touch, sort and count actual money to get used to different coins.
Tie money lessons to everyday situations. Chat about pocket money, school dinners or tuck shop items to make ideas more relatable.
Use the CPA approach: concrete, pictorial, abstract. Begin with real coins, then use pictures, then move to number problems without visuals.
BBC Teach has short videos that explain financial concepts like how money has changed, wants versus needs and spending and saving. These clips work well as lesson starters.
Break big tasks into small steps. Instead of asking Year 1 pupils to solve a whole shopping problem, first practise counting coins, then add two amounts, then work out change.
Tes hosts a collection of KS1 and KS2 money resources to help pupils understand pounds, pence, coins and notes. Many teachers share their worksheets here, so you get materials tested in real classrooms.
Pick worksheets that fit your pupils’ understanding. Year 1 may need simple coin recognition sheets. Year 4 pupils can try multi-step word problems with decimals.
Choose resources with clear British currency. Worksheets should show the coins and notes children actually use, not old or made-up designs.
Try worksheets that mix money with other maths skills. Finding change supports subtraction, while comparing prices helps with greater than and less than.
The National Academy has lesson resources including starter quizzes for Year 1 financial education. These come as PDFs, with and without answers.
Start with coin recognition before any calculations. Year 1 pupils need to spot 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2 coins by sight.
Use songs and rhymes to help children remember coin values. Musical repetition often makes facts stick.
Begin with pence only and leave pounds for later, maybe in Year 2. This keeps things simple and lets children master one idea at a time.
Set up matching games where children pair coin images with their values. This helps with recognition and number writing.
Resources for financial literacy concepts offer activities for ages four to seven, including pre-school to second grade equivalents. These provide age-appropriate lesson plans for early money ideas.
Practise counting in 2s, 5s and 10s during maths lessons. This skill makes counting coins much easier when you start money work.
Plenty of organisations offer downloadable PDF toolkits made just for primary schools. These toolkits usually come with posters and step-by-step lesson plans.
The Just Finance Foundation lets teachers grab full resource packs, but you’ll need to sign up for their newsletter first. These packs include Milo’s Money magazines, which are great for kids up to age 11.
Try to find PDF resources that you can edit. That way, it’s easier to tweak them for your class.
Some children need simpler language or extra pictures. Editable PDFs make that much easier.
Always check if the PDF matches the UK National Curriculum. That saves you headaches later.
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