Banking

Before we start

Five minutes before Lesson 1, no scoring.

1. 1. What do you think a bank account keeps a record of?
2. 2. Name one detail about a payment card that should stay secret.
3. 3. A message says 'your bank needs your code now'. What would you do?

Lesson 1. The account is a record

Byte · 45 min · Explain deposits, withdrawals and a running balance.

1. Mark + for money in and − for money out.
2. Fill balances after each transaction.
3. Circle the final balance.
4. Does a card make a purchase free?

Lesson 2. Reading a statement

Tally · 45 min · Read the fields of a fictional statement — date, description, money in, money out, balance — and find a specific entry.

1. On which date was the €4 book bought?
2. What was the balance after the €5 gift?
3. Which row shows money going out?
4. Why do dates and descriptions help you check a statement?

Lesson 3. Ways to pay

Byte · 45 min · Compare cash, card and online payment and see that each moves real money from a pocket or an account.

1. A book costs €5. Does paying by card make it cheaper than cash?
2. Match each method to how the money moves.
3. Why can tapping feel like you spent nothing?
4. Name one care point for paying online.

Lesson 4. Pay safely, keep details private

Byte · 45 min · Recognise sensitive payment details and safe help-seeking.

1. Sort four cards.
2. A message asks for a one-time code: what do you do?
3. Write two questions before confirming a purchase.
4. Name a trusted adult or school role to ask for help, without writing personal contact details.

Final mission. Statement detective

Tally · 45 min · Check a record for arithmetic and duplicate entries.

1. Balance if both €4 entries are real?
2. Balance if the second is a duplicate?
3. What evidence would help?
4. Write a calm question to ask.

Extension. Check before you pay

Cash · 45 min · Check that an account balance is enough before paying, and decide what to do if it is not.

1. Balance €7. Can you pay for a €5 item? What is left?
2. Can you pay for a €9 item? Why not?
3. If not, name two safe options.
4. Why check the balance before paying?

Extension. Two kinds of account

Byte · 45 min · Tell an everyday (current) account from a savings account and keep goal money in the right place.

1. Which account is for everyday spending, and which for a goal?
2. You get €10: €6 to spend, €4 for a goal. Put each in the right account.
3. Why keep goal money in a separate account?
4. What could happen if goal money sits in the everyday account?

Extension. The fake bank message

Byte · 45 min · Spot a fictional fake "bank" message that asks for codes or details, and respond safely by checking independently.

1. Which message asks for something a bank should never ask by message?
2. List the warning signs in message A.
3. Should you send a one-time code because a message asks? Explain.
4. Write one safe step to check whether a message is real.

Extension. Private by default

Cash · 45 min · Tell what a payment genuinely needs from what should stay private, and explain why records are kept private.

1. Sort: item price, PIN, one-time code, the shop's name, a card number.
2. Which of these does a shop need to sell you a pen?
3. Why keep a PIN and a one-time code private?
4. Why does a bank keep your records private?

My money reflection

A quiet close to the month.

1. One thing an account keeps track of that I didn't realise…
2. A detail I'll always keep private…
3. How I'd check a surprising 'bank' message…

Cut-out coins

Play money for the lessons and the mission — fictional, for practice only. Cut along the dashed circles; print one page per pair for extra coins.