Teach a Child to Save
At Abilene Teachers FCU, we take teaching children how to save seriously. We sponsor Banzai!—an interactive course that teaches students real-world finance—for every elementary, junior high/middle school, and high school in our service area (excluding the three high schools in Abilene that are sponsored by another credit union). Banzai! offers many amazing financial tools, but in this article, I’m going to highlight the core Banzai courses.
The Banzai courses use real-life scenarios to demonstrate the power of good financial planning. For kids, teens, and young adults, these modules teach everything from basic budgeting to advanced life skills.
I consider myself pretty good at financial decisions, and I am much older than those for whom these courses were created, but I’m not going to lie… they are hard! I may or may not have had to take them more than once to pass!!! What in the world?!? It is never too early to start teaching our children about finances and the importance of making smart, thought-out decisions when it comes to money—both saving and spending.
I’ve had the privilege of walking some classes through a Banzai course. I remember working with an elementary class at Ortiz Elementary here in Abilene. It was interesting to hear their thoughts and reasoning behind why some made one decision while others made the opposite, and how that affected their bottom line. I have also gone to Clyde Junior High while they did the Banzai Teen course. Both classes had stressful decisions to make, and they did not take them lightly.
As Banzai has grown, they have expanded far beyond standard budgeting games. Here is a look at the full suite of courses we now offer completely free to our community:
Elementary Personal Finance
Designed for kids aged 8 to 12, Banzai Junior uses the storyline of a summer lemonade stand and the goal of saving up for a new bike (or hoverboard for the financially daring!) to teach concepts like interest, fees, envelope budgeting, and discretionary income. This course also weaves in activities like quizzes and counting currency. It provides real-life scenarios that show users how to make wise choices when faced with daily financial dilemmas. Plus, Banzai Junior is available in both English and Spanish!
Middle School Personal Finance
Created for users aged 13 to 18, Banzai Teen gives teenagers the opportunity to work through real-life financial problems in a safe environment. Throughout the course, the user’s goal is to save enough money to register at Vanderbilt Community College, but unforeseen challenges and quirky scenarios make reaching that goal not-so-straightforward—just like real life! It covers critical topics like credit cards, auto loans, checking accounts, and basic banking.
High School Personal Finance
Designed for users 16 and up, Banzai Plus elevates budgeting simulations to an advanced level. This course calls for users to embrace adult-sized obstacles, walking them through the steps of purchasing a home, managing credit scores, handling tax returns, and protecting themselves against identity theft. It shows users how to spend money on what matters most and demonstrates how tiny financial choices have far-reaching consequences.
College and Careers
A perfect addition for high schoolers (ages 15+), this course helps ease the anxiety of transitioning into adulthood. Built using real-world data from the National Center for Education Statistics, students get to virtually tour the actual costs of higher education—from tuition and fees to meal plans and rent. It also helps them build a real plan by teaching them how to find scholarships, look into college alternatives (like trade schools), take a career field quiz, and master crucial soft skills like time management and communication.
Digital Citizenship
Because money and technology are completely intertwined today, this course focuses on internet safety and digital wellness for students in grades 3 to 12. Through interactive games—like navigating a fictional social media app called Cybr or embarking on a quest to protect the web from malware—kids learn how to spot phishing links, build unbreakable passwords, recognize online scams, and understand the real impact of their digital footprints and cyberbullying.
Entrepreneurship
Created in a brilliant partnership with Intuit for Education, this module is for any middle or high school student who dreams of being their own boss. It combines gamified business scenarios with hands-on, actual Intuit QuickBooks simulations. Students get to step into the shoes of a business owner to calculate sales tax, build balance sheets, read real financial statements, and map out an actual, viable business plan.
If you are reading this as a parent, ask your kids’ teachers if they have heard of Banzai! or if they use it in their classroom. Have them check our website for more information. Or reach out to me, Elizabeth Gray, at egray@abileneteachersfcu.org if they would like me to come present it to their class or just answer any questions they may have. I am always ready and willing to help teach financial education when asked!
