Best Practices for Teaching Youth Financial Education

Mike Presenting at Jump$tart Training

Yesterday, Jump$tart Washington held a full day of training for financial education professionals.

The training covered the latest news, resources, and best practices for teaching financial education to K-College students.

One of the highlights was when Mike Shannon from Foster High School in Tukwila shared his best practices for teaching youth financial education.

1. Think about the time bias – Think like your audience when it comes to time. When talking to teens: “6 months is forever.” Start with framing discussion around short term goals and then looking towards the future.
2. Be honest about your mistakes – “Spill your guts.” Tell about some of your financial struggles and show them how they are correctible.
3. Know your kids needs – There are a lot of great curriculum and resources out there, but only you know the needs of your students. Each geographic region, family, and student is different. Really think about the concepts you feel your students need to know.
4. Use interactive activities – Lectures alone will not work. Use interactive activities that students will remember. Make sure to connect activities to key money concepts.
5. Encourage students to define their financial future. Use activities that encourage students to create a vision for a successful financial future. "Want to be a millionaire? Good! Try when you are sixty."

All great tips. Are you an educator with best practices you’d like to share? Email me at jeremy.lushene@dfi.wa.gov and we’ll share them here.