Keeping Money Safe

Overview

Duration: 20 minutes
Class size: 4 children
Age group: Reception (ages 4-5)
Subject: PSHE – Understanding Banks and Building Societies
Curriculum links:

• Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Managing feelings and behaviour, Making relationships
  • Understanding the World: People and communities – Children recognise that people have different roles in the community
• PSHE Association Framework
  • Economic Wellbeing: Recognising the different ways people save money and keep it safe

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, children will:

• Understand that banks and building societies help keep people’s money safe
• Recognise that people can save money in a special place called a savings account
• Begin to grasp how money can be kept safe when using online accounts

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Resources

• Soft toy “Penny the Piggy Bank”
• Picture cards of a bank, building society, piggy bank, coins, and a computer/tablet
• Small plastic coins or play money
• Large cardboard “safe” box
• Storybook or short script about a character saving money at the bank
• Whiteboard and coloured markers
• Interactive tablet or pretend computer (for role-play)

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction – 5 minutes

Starter activity: Meet Penny the Piggy Bank

• Bring out Penny the Piggy Bank toy. Explain that Penny helps keep money safe.
• Show pigs and ask: “Where do you keep your money or coins at home?”
• Introduce the idea of a bank and building society using picture cards. Explain simply: “A bank is like a big safe where grown-ups keep their money so it doesn’t get lost.”
• Connect to children’s experience: “Just like Penny keeps your coins safe, banks and building societies keep grown-ups’ money safe.”

2. Teaching and Discussion – 7 minutes

Interactive Storytime: Saving at the Bank

• Read a short story or narrate about a child named “Sam” who wants to save money for a toy. Sam’s family goes to a bank to open a savings account.
• Use visual aids to show how Sam puts coins into a safe place at the bank instead of keeping them all at home.
• Pause to ask questions:
  • “Why do you think Sam put the money in the bank?”
  • “What happens if money is kept at home and not in the bank?” (e.g., it could get lost or broken)
• Introduce the idea of an online account simply: “Sometimes, banks keep money safe using computers and phones so people can see how much money they have without using coins.”

3. Activity – 6 minutes

Role-play: Opening a Savings Account

• Set up a pretend “bank” corner with the cardboard safe, toy coins, and pretend computer/tablet.
• Children take turns being the customer, bank teller, and money saver.
• Customer brings coins to the teller and “puts” them into the safe (bank). Teller counts coins and writes the total on the whiteboard.
• Use the tablet to “show” the online balance. Explain this keeps the money safe and shows how much there is.
• Encourage children to say sentences like: “I am saving my money at the bank to keep it safe” or “I can see my money on the computer.”

4. Plenary – 2 minutes

Recap Circle Time

• Gather children in a circle. Ask:
  • “What does a bank do?”
  • “How does a bank keep our money safe?”
  • “What can we use to save money besides a piggy bank?”
  • “How is money kept safe on the computer?”
• Praise all contributions and reinforce key messages clearly.
• End with Penny the Piggy Bank saying, “Remember, saving money is good because it keeps you safe!”

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Teaching Tips

• Use simple language and repeat key words: “safe,” “save,” “money,” “bank.”
• Maintain a calm, positive tone to encourage willingness to share ideas.
• Use plenty of visuals and concrete objects since Reception children are concrete learners.
• Engage all four students by allowing turn-taking and encouraging shy children with gentle prompts.
• For children with additional needs, provide extra visual supports or simplified choices during activities.

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Assessment

Observe and note:

• Can the child correctly identify the purpose of a bank?
• Can the child explain why money is safer in a bank or building society than at home?
• Does the child demonstrate understanding of an online account as a safe place for money?
• Contributions and participation during the role-play activity.

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Extension Ideas

• Create individual “My Savings Booklet” for children to draw or stick pictures of how they save money.
• Invite a local bank representative for a virtual or in-person visit to show real-life savings accounts (age appropriate).
• Use a simple app or interactive game about money saving designed for young children.

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This lesson plan uses play-based learning and narrative approaches aligned with EYFS and PSHE frameworks while building early financial awareness in a gentle, developmentally appropriate manner. It’s designed to engage young children with hands-on and creative experiences that stick in their memories.