Summary
Make the most of summer break with these five engaging and budget-friendly activities that will keep your kids entertained while building their financial literacy. From outdoor adventures to DIY crafts and financial board games, these ideas help create lasting memories and introduce valuable money skills in a fun and educational way.
Summer break is the perfect time to reconnect and deepen bonds with our family. Material possessions fade, but memories last a lifetime!
Check out these five budget-friendly activities to keep your kids engaged and inspired throughout the season.
The Great Outdoors
Nature is calling! Show your kids the joy of connecting with nature by going on an outdoor adventure. Your local parks are great places to start for some outdoor fun. Not only is it completely free, it’s a great way to take advantage of playgrounds, walking trails, and open spaces perfect for picnics.
Level up the summertime learning with a scavenger hunt with a budgeting theme!
Create a list of inexpensive items for your kids to find or collect, such as different types of leaves, rocks, or pinecones, and assign each item a monetary value. At the end of the hunt, they can “cash in” their finds for play money, which they can then use to “purchase” small treats or privileges like extra screen time or a special snack. Engaged but also educational, this introduces basic financial concepts like earning and spending.
DIY Craft Day
Low budget and convenient, bring the power of financial literacy to crafting! Grab what you already have at home and set up a station with paper, crayons, glue, and recycled items. As you get creative with your DIY projects, add savings jars to your list. Using empty jars or containers, help your kids decorate them with labels like “Save,” “Spend,” and “Share.”
New chapter in summer school: Goal setting!
Using this approach, you can introduce the concept of goal setting by having them set small saving goals, such as saving for a new toy or an activity with their friends. Encourage them to add spare change and any money they get as gifts in each jar strategically. A hands-on approach to building financial literacy familiarity, this approach helps make saving and budgeting tangible.
Mini Farmers Market
Marketplace made simple! Have your kids grab fruits, vegetables, or homemade goods like cookies they can “sell.” Provide them with play money to buy and sell items from each other or you.
What a fun way to bring to life the complex concepts surrounding selling your goods in the market by creating a simulation!
This fun activity increases money smarts by teaching them the basics of commerce, pricing, and the value of money. They might not make the best financial decisions at first but they will learn through the process to look at money differently and reconsider how they can use it best next time.
Family Finance Board Games
Sneak in fun financial lessons with board games that teach money management! Fun and familiar, games like Monopoly, Play Black Wall Street, or Sense 2 Cents are excellent for introducing concepts like earning, spending, saving, and investing.
An early start to financial literacy concepts has a massive impact on building Black generational wealth!
Check out Black-owned snack and treat brands to help create a fun atmosphere. Making a game of financial literacy is not only entertaining but also helps kids develop critical thinking and financial skills in a playful setting.
Join our “I Got Bank” Contest
Take the learning lessons even further by grabbing a free “I Got Bank” e-book and joining our 14th Annual “I Got Bank!” National Financial Literacy Contest. To champion financial literacy in our community, we select ten children from the contest to win a $1,000 savings account!
Is your kid a comic fan? Check out our one-of-a-kind custom edition comic book (featuring Black Panther and Shuri), created by Marvel Comics and Visa, Inc. which includes financial literacy exercises developed by OneUnited Bank.
Summer doesn’t have to be expensive to be memorable. Try out these cost-effective, fun and educational alternatives to the typical summer activities. Time to power up and build wealth! Let us know how you are inspiring your kids to learn more about financial literacy from an early age.
