Lesson plans

Explore the Canadian economy, financial literacy, money math, the history of money and more. These classroom-ready lesson plans include worksheets and hands-on activities—organized by grade or subject.

Contains

Grade levels

Subjects


August 6, 2025

Escaping debt: The risks and benefits of borrowing

Unlock financial literacy with challenging puzzles in this classroom escape room. Students will explore financial risk, credit scores, debt and interest with worksheets and an interactive game.
June 2, 2025

Saving and spending

Develop positive financial habits through a saving and spending game and a goal-setting activity with real-life scenarios.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Subject(s): Financial literacy, Math, Social studies Grade level(s): Grade 05, Grade 06
May 16, 2025

Entrepreneurship: Kids edition

Turn your students into young entrepreneurs as they explore business basics, budgeting and marketing. Pitching their own creative ideas is a fun way to build real-world skills and confidence.
March 28, 2025

Budgets: Math for life

Introduce budgeting concepts and best practices by planning an event. Students will build skills with fractions, decimals and percentages using worksheets and hands-on activities.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Subject(s): Financial literacy, Math Grade level(s): Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06
January 22, 2025

Value for money: Determining unit price

Calculate unit prices and compare value for money. Use real-life shopping scenarios to determine if something is a real deal.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Subject(s): Financial literacy, Math Grade level(s): Grade 04
October 11, 2024

Exploring payment methods

Compare different payment methods, such as credit, debit and cash. This lesson plan uses a quiz, group work and scenarios to boost financial literacy.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Subject(s): Financial literacy, Math Grade level(s): Grade 04
September 13, 2024

Five bucks: the economics of Treaty relationships

Explore treaties using art, artifacts and historical thinking.
September 9, 2024

Investing wisely

Make investment decisions based on what’s important to you and see how your spending and earning connects you to the global economy.
September 6, 2024

Tracing Canada’s place in the world

Use a data visualization tool to learn about how Canada’s place in the global economy has evolved.
June 18, 2024

Decoding Canadian economic data

Develop data literacy skills by interpreting charts of Canadian economic data.
February 12, 2024

Connecting Canadian industries

Explore different industries in the Canadian economy and see how they are interconnected and evolving.
October 31, 2023

Building budgets

Balance a monthly budget for a household and learn some financial saving and spending tips along the way.
October 31, 2023

Thinking like an economist

Introduce your students to foundational economic concepts using everyday examples.
November 18, 2022

A bank NOTE-able Canadian

Students will use the concept of historical significance to choose an iconic Canadian as a portrait subject for the Bank of Canada’s new $5 bank note.
November 18, 2022

The changing face of our money

Students will use a historical thinking approach to examine historical significance, continuity and change in Canadian bank notes.
November 18, 2022

Design your own bank note

Your students will research and choose their own iconic Canadian, theme, images and symbols to go on a new bank note.
February 25, 2022

Representing money in many ways: Addition, fractions and equivalents

Practise adding and making change. Worksheets introduce decimals and fractions using Canadian money.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Subject(s): Financial literacy, Math Grade level(s): Grade 03
October 25, 2021

Assessing the life cycle of a bank note

Examine the environmental impact of everyday items by assessing the life cycle of a universal product: money.
May 17, 2021

Counting money and making change

Use money for skip counting and begin making change in different ways. Engaging worksheets will introduce elementary students to Canadian money and math.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Subject(s): Financial literacy, Math Grade level(s): Grade 02
February 11, 2021

Money: Past, present and future

Explore the history of money in Canada and around the world using an inquiry approach.
November 27, 2020

Exploring coins and bank notes

Hands filling out a form on a table with art supplies and paper play money.
Identify symbols and denominations on coins and bank notes. Our printable worksheets will introduce young learners to Canadian money.
October 2, 2020

Trading Planets

Learn about the role of currency and free trade in this interactive game. Split your class into two planetary delegations to trade with each other and score points.
March 18, 2020

Trade rules

Introduce three key economic concepts: consumers and producers, goods and services, and trade. This hands-on game explores the benefits of trade.
Content type(s): Lesson plans Subject(s): Financial literacy, Social studies Grade level(s): Grade 03, Grade 04, Grade 05
December 2, 2019

Trading up: How countries benefit from freer trade

Use hands-on activities to explore comparative advantage, opportunity cost and specialization. Students will learn how these key economic concepts help countries benefit from trade.
September 26, 2019

Price check: Inflation in Canada

All about inflation: what it is, what it means and how it's measured. Students will learn how the consumer price index is calculated and create their own student price index to measure the prices that matter most to them.