Learning and understanding the niche vocabulary of personal finance is a crucial step in becoming financially capable. To fill this need, last year we released the Personal Finance Dictionary. There are a multitude of games to incorporate vocabulary learning with the dictionary. Here are five ideas. 

1. Pictionary 

1. Create slips of paper, each with a term and definition, for students to choose from. Be sure to include the term/definitions in all relevant languages for the multilingual learners. 
2. Divide the class into teams. You might choose to record points for each team for each round played. Prepare terms to be selected at random from the dictionary ahead of time.
3. A student from each team must convey the word to his or her team using only drawings. Students cannot use words, symbols or hand gestures. You might choose to have each team play simultaneously or by taking turns.
4. Limit the time to three minutes maximum. Each correct word is a point and the first team to get 10 points is the winning team.

2. Charades

1. Create slips of paper, each with a term and definition, for students to choose from. Be sure to include the term/definitions in all relevant languages for the multilingual learners. Verbs are likely to be the easiest, but you can also use more complicated words, provided you are sure most of the students know them.
2. Divide the class into teams and have one person from each team choose a piece of paper and act out the word. The student acting out the word cannot speak or write.
3. The teams must guess the correct word before three minutes run out. For each correct word, that team receives a point. The team that hits ten points first is the winning team.

3. Scavenger Hunt

1. Ask students to find five terms based on the scenario presented.  Terms found in the dictionary can be written down as notes, as part of a race, or as a gallery walk.  
2. Scenarios can vary by unit.  Example 1: Your best friend is starting a job next week.  She needs to open an account at a bank.  Example 2: Your cousin will study at the university in September.  He has started thinking about how he will pay for it. 

4. My Own Personal Finance Dictionary

1. Have students create their own personalized dictionary, choosing the terms and definitions. Students can choose terms based on difficulty, relevancy, unit focus, activity focus, or any other parameter that makes sense for the class.  
2. Students can be asked to include the term in a sentence, as part of a scenario, or as a picture.   

5. End of Unit Race

1. Print the terms and definitions for a specific unit (terms and definitions should be on separate cards.) 
2. Have students match the terms to their corresponding definitions. This can be done as a race at desks in small groups, taped on classroom walls in a gallery format, or as a relay-type activity. 

Don't forget the NGPF Personal Finance Dictionary includes: 

• Terms and definitions in both English and Spanish for all 12 of NGPF’s units and select mini-units
• A Glossary to provide testing accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL) and to be used for instruction during the school year
• Teacher Tips for using the dictionary and glossary with your students

View the Personal Finance Dictionary here.

About the Authors

Chris Salm

Chris (ella/she/her) joined NGPF full-time as a project manager and Spanish translator after 13 years as an educator in NY. She is a graduate of St. Louis University in Madrid, Spain with a degree in International Business. She has a Masters in Teaching from Pace University in New York and a certification in translation from NYU. She brings organizational skills to the team at NGPF, helping to ensure every high school student graduates financially literate. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and going back home to Spain with her husband and two children. She also enjoys running with her dog and exploring nature.

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Hannah Rael

As NGPF's Marketing Communications Manager, Hannah (she/her) helps spread the word about NGPF's mission to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.

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