November · Month 3 of the money year

Budgeting

“If every euro had a job, what would yours do?”

By the end of the month, pupils can build a balanced budget, fund needs before wants, sort fixed from flexible costs, revise a plan when a surprise or a change in income hits, and judge which of two plans better fits a goal.

Ages 8–11 · 4 lessons + a mission · 45 min each

🖨️ Print the pupil workbook Browse in the Lesson Finder

📖 Also in the printable year workbook (PDF), pupil pp. 39–55

The month's teaching plan

Four 45-minute lessons in this order, then the classroom mission.

Give every euro a job

Cash · 45 min

Goal: Build a balanced fictional budget.

incomeexpensebudgetbalance

You need: 30 paper euro counters per group and four envelopes.

Lesson plan (45 min) + what pupils do+

Scenario

Your fictional project receives €30. It plans €12 for materials, €8 for transport, €5 for a goal and €5 for surprises. Check that the plan balances.

45-minute flow

5m give groups €30 and four requests; 8m model a budget as a plan, not a ban; 20m groups allocate €12 materials, €8 transport, €5 goal and €5 “just in case”; 8m explain why the total must equal €30 or leave an intentional unassigned amount; 4m exit: one-sentence definition.

What pupils do

Add the four jobs.
Income €30 minus planned jobs = ?
Move €2 from materials to goal; write the new amounts and total.
Explain one reason for keeping a buffer.

Fixed and flexible costs

Cash · 45 min

Goal: Sort spending into fixed costs that stay the same and flexible costs that can change, and see why the difference matters for a plan.

fixedflexiblecostsort

You need: cost cards (weekly club fee €3, bus pass €4, snacks, art supplies, a treat), a two-column mat.

Lesson plan (45 min) + what pupils do+

Scenario

Cards: weekly club fee €3, bus pass €4, snacks, art supplies, a treat. Sort each into fixed or flexible, and mark the two easiest to change if money is tight.

45-minute flow

5m show a club-fee card and a snack card and ask which is easier to change; 8m model fixed (agreed, repeats the same) versus flexible (you decide the amount); 20m groups sort ten fictional cost cards and mark which they could reduce if needed; 8m discuss why flexible costs are where a plan can flex first; 4m exit: name one fixed and one flexible cost.

What pupils do

Sort into fixed or flexible: club fee €3, bus pass €4, snacks, art supplies, a treat.
Which two are easiest to change if money is tight?
Why is a fixed cost harder to change quickly?
Give one fixed and one flexible cost of your own.

Needs first, then wants

Cash · 45 min

Goal: Fund needs before wants when building a budget, then use what remains for wants.

needwantfirstremain

You need: a €12 income card, item cards (lunch €4, bus €3, comic €3, sticker €2, extra snack €2), a plan strip.

Lesson plan (45 min) + what pupils do+

Scenario

Income €12. Items: lunch €4, bus €3, comic €3, sticker €2, extra snack €2. Fund the needs first, then choose wants that fit what remains.

45-minute flow

5m give groups €12 and five items; 8m model funding needs (lunch, bus) first, then wants with what is left; 20m groups build a plan that covers the needs and choose wants that fit; 8m discuss what happens if wants are funded first; 4m exit: write which need you funded first.

What pupils do

From €12, fund lunch €4 and bus €3 first. How much remains?
Choose wants that fit the remainder.
What could happen if you buy the comic and sticker before lunch?
Why fund needs first?

A surprise enters the plan

Cash · 45 min

Goal: Revise a budget without pretending extra money appears.

bufferflexiblefixedrevise

You need: Lesson 1 plan plus surprise cards: repair €3; transport rises €2; materials donation saves €4.

Lesson plan (45 min) + what pupils do+

Scenario

Start with the €30 plan. A repair costs €3. Then transport costs €2 more than planned. Revise the same €30; no new income has arrived.

45-minute flow

5m reveal a repair card; 8m model paying €3 from the €5 buffer; 20m groups draw different surprise cards and produce a revised budget; 8m compare which jobs they protected and why; 4m exit: “Our plan changed by…”

What pupils do

Start with €30 budget from Lesson 1.
A repair costs €3: where will it come from?
What remains in the buffer?
Transport rises €2 as well: propose a valid plan.
State what you chose to protect.

Final mission

Cut, keep, or swap

Cash · 45 min · independent, after rehearsal

Goal: Balance a plan that starts over budget by cutting, keeping or swapping items.

Lesson plan (45 min) + what pupils do+

Scenario

Income €10. Wish list: art kit €6, snack €2, comic €3, sticker €2 (totals €13). Cut or swap to reach €10 or less, and keep the item that matters most.

45-minute flow

5m show a €13 wish list with only €10 available; 8m model three moves — cut an item, keep the essentials, or swap for a cheaper option; 20m groups bring the list to €10 or under and record their moves; 8m discuss why a plan must balance before you spend; 4m exit: write one move you made.

What pupils do

Add the wish list. By how much is it over €10?
Cut or swap items to reach €10 or less.
Which item did you keep, and why?
Why balance the plan before spending?

Optional extensions

Extra lessons for classes that move faster — invitations, not compulsory homework.

Planned versus actual

Tally · 45 min

Read a simple record and learn from a difference without blame.

Make it last the week

Cash · 45 min

Spread a small weekly income across the days so it lasts, instead of spending it all at once.

Two plans, same money

Tally · 45 min

Compare two budgets for the same income and judge which better meets a stated goal.

When income changes

Cash · 45 min

Revise a budget when income falls or rises, deciding what to protect, cut or add.

Practise it — free games & tools

The same ideas as a game or tool a child does themselves — for a station, quiet time or home.

Budget game Budget Bridge mission Cashflow tracker

For the teacher

Prepare once

Print the budget sheet and a small set of fictional income + expense cards (a weekly €10, a bus fare, a snack, a saving goal, one surprise cost). Use a board for the 'give every euro a job' model. No real household finances needed.

Adapt for your class

For 6–8, use a €10 whole-euro budget with picture cards and read aloud. For 9–12, add a surprise cost and a change in income, and ask for a written reason behind each cut, keep or swap. Offer a partly-filled budget as a scaffold and a calculator for checking.

Assess the mission

In the mission (balance an over-budget plan), mark: every euro is assigned (income = spending + saving); needs are funded before wants; and the fix (cut, keep or swap) is explained. A plan that balances with a weak reason needs a 'why' prompt; one that protects wants over needs needs a priorities talk.

The pupil workbook

Print-ready A4 pages: cover, diagnostic, every lesson with writing space, the mission, reflection and cut-out coins. Open and print (or save as PDF).

Open the workbook →

Next month: December — Giving

Education only — not financial advice. All shops, prices and people in the scenarios are fictional.

Budgeting

“If every euro had a job, what would yours do?”

Ages 8–11 · 4 lessons + a mission · 45 min each

📖 Also in the printable year workbook (PDF), pupil pp. 39–55

🧮 Budgeting

The month's teaching plan

Give every euro a job

Fixed and flexible costs

Needs first, then wants

A surprise enters the plan

Cut, keep, or swap

Optional extensions

Planned versus actual

Make it last the week

Two plans, same money

When income changes

Practise it — free games & tools

For the teacher

Prepare once

Adapt for your class

Assess the mission

The pupil workbook

🧮 Budgeting

The month's teaching plan

Give every euro a job

Fixed and flexible costs

Needs first, then wants

A surprise enters the plan

Cut, keep, or swap

Optional extensions

Planned versus actual

Make it last the week

Two plans, same money

When income changes

Practise it — free games & tools

For the teacher

Prepare once

Adapt for your class

Assess the mission

The pupil workbook

Budgeting

Budgeting