For Teachers

Money Activities & Games for 11th Graders

Here are fun and educational money activities and games you can play with your 11th grade students.

teacher-eleventh-grade

By eleventh grade, students are well into their financial education. They understand the main drivers of economies and many economic principles, and begin to see how these theoretical concepts will impact their lives in just a few years. As a teacher of these learners, you know how important it is for them to be ready for life after graduation. Money education is such a broad subject; it can be challenging to know precisely what to teach them. The good news is we have you covered: Head over to the 11th grade money lesson plans page to download all the plans you need for a successful junior year!

The core topics you cover in-depth with your lesson plans are crucial and will carry your kids far into the future, but you will also need ways to reinforce your instruction. But, how to engage students, so they keep learning about money? Games and in-person activities! Check out the list below to give you some ideas: which exercises you can use in your curriculum, which approaches you can use for homework, independent work, or small group instruction, and what items may be fun ways to review critical concepts. Let’s take a look!

Online Games

Online games and interactive sites are an excellent way to introduce your 11th-graders to new topics or review the ones you covered. Here are some of the best.

Shady Sam

As your kids enter the “real world,” they need to be aware of some less honest practices that can, unfortunately, affect their pocketbooks. This game introduces Sam, a loan shark out to take as much money off unassuming customers through absurdly high interest rates, and shows kids what to look out for when they take a loan.

Lights, Camera, Budget!

Playing the role of a film producer, students get 100 million dollars to produce a blockbuster movie. The catch is they have to make well-informed financial decisions to receive the highest review, making this game a fun combination of Hollywood dreaming and smart money moves for your students.

Misadventures in Money Management

Your 11th-graders will learn key financial concepts through this fun and interactive game, including how to reduce debt, avoid impulse buys, and the importance of saving cash. They take on the personas of superheroes to fight against the bad guys: money problems coming to take down their finances.  

The Uber Game

The gig economy is a great place to make some money, but is it enough alone to support the lifestyle your students picture? This game has them live and make money as an Uber driver, trying to pay for typical bills consistently, making this activity an eye-opening and exciting exercise.

Claim Your Future

Many kids assume they can afford the luxuries of life as long as they pursue specific careers. This game puts that idea to the test: it has students plug in numbers to see what kinds of items they can afford, showing them that they will need to prioritize some things over others to live the life they want.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Games for Students

This website offers students a broad selection of games to strengthen their skills, including banking basics, financial aid offer comparisons, and the pros and cons of cosigning loans. These practical lessons will do your students well and tie in excellently to the topics you teach at this level. 

Reality Check

Money education covers the notion of wants vs. needs from a very young age, and this game shows your students how this idea can manifest in real life. Students get to choose the products they want and then plug in live internet numbers to see if they can realistically afford them, based on salaries and how much they need to earn to live that life.

Money Magic

This engaging budgeting game has kids pretending to be Enzo the magician, who needs to manage $50,000 to hold his magic show in Las Vegas. Students need to allocate their cash to different spending categories, including advertising, maintenance, his magic shop fund, and more, to help Enzo make it big in Vegas.

Spent

Many of our students come from low-income situations, and the truth is they don’t have much money to spend and save. This excellent reality-based game has students step into the shoes of one living in poverty, making them stretch the little they have to make it through the month. It is a great way to show how many people live, create empathy in your students, and learn how to make it on a tight budget.

Hit the Road Financial Adventure

Road trip! Your kids embark on a cross-country journey with a financial twist in this game, as they have to make it to their destination through intelligent money decisions. Watching the gas gauge, spending wisely at rest stops, and maintaining the basics are all things to keep an eye on to ensure success.

The Stock Market Game

One of the major themes of 11th-grade money education is investing and the stock market. In this game, learners need to invest $100,000 in different stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, tracking their performance and seeing what kinds of investments perform in specific ways and why.

Finances 101

This game shows your 11th-graders how to break down their salaries, how much tax they will pay, and how much they can put into savings and checking accounts. The variables change every time they play, so teachers can assign this activity as an independent exercise to boost their kids’ financial awareness.

Payback

Many kids are aware of the dangers of student loans and how they can drain their finances in adulthood, and this game shows them ways out of the trap. They can choose various colleges and careers, the game simulates salaries and loan amounts, and students can see which jobs may work best for them in the future.

Mind Your Own Budget

This interactive site is an excellent comprehensive review of 11th-grade topics, which students can navigate independently or with a partner. It covers banking, renting vs. buying, charitable giving, and the pros and cons of borrowing money, giving your kids a way to keep these concepts fresh as the year moves along.

In-Person Activities

Games are outstanding learning and review tools, but many students also do well with hands-on, in-person activities. Check these out to supplement your money education lesson plans, giving you another path to unlock student understanding and broaden their financial knowledge.

Renting a Place to Live

Students will face this age-old question sooner than they may realize: Should I rent or buy a home? For many, the first step is renting, and this handout goes over the actual cost of renting, showing them what kinds of places they can research to live.

Use Credit Wisely

This worksheet is a mini-lesson that gives students enough information to complete the accompanying activity page about a topic your 11th-graders will deal with very soon. It walks kids through a credit report and asks students to analyze the numbers and improve their comprehension of credit scores and reports, which is an outstanding ability to have as they enter adulthood.

What’s Worth Saving For?

In this short activity, students look closely at specific items they want to save for, providing them a way to reflect on their “wants” and see if these are things worth saving for. Kids can complete this activity alone, combining research with self-reflection and giving them a valuable strategy for the future.

Shark Tank Marketing Mix Activity

Advertising and marketing are crucial topics in 11th grade, and this sheet has students break down some marketing tactics they see in various Shark Tank videos. The shows are engaging, and this worksheet requires critical thinking and analysis to see how contestants use specific marketing techniques.

Draw Your Own Savings Comic Strip

This activity combines students’ art skills, financial knowledge, and ELA abilities into one fun project. The materials are self-contained and accessible here, making this exercise an interesting and exciting task for your students to complete during class or as homework – and they get to draw, which many older kids still enjoy. 

Composing Songs and Verse About Paying for College

In this activity, students get to create their own song, rap, or poem about paying their way through college, giving them a way to show their knowledge creatively. Kids can present their songs in writing or – if they are brave – perform them in front of the class. The materials include suggestions on reviewing student loan processes and amounts, ways to manage debt, and the different forms of financial aid available to students today. 

Financial Awareness Activities

This website provides teachers with an excellent resource for worksheets to review the essential topics 11th-graders should know. There is a wide variety of sheets and games that kids can play and complete on their time, making these quick exercises ideal for centers, partner work, or for kids to review previous concepts or challenge themselves to reinforce new learning.

About the Author

Peter Brown

Peter Brown is a National Board Certified teacher with over two decades of experience in the classroom. He loves working with students of all ages in many subjects, but particularly in practical areas like money education, to help kids achieve their goals. When he is not teaching or writing about financial literacy, you can find him surfing, hiking, skiing, or traveling to new places.

Last updated on: September 6, 2023