Life Skills
Life Skills Worksheets and Lesson Plans for Teachers
Practical worksheets and lesson plans for teaching everyday money skills — spending decisions, earning money, paychecks, and managing income in real life. Grades K–12 and adult education.
About This Section
This section brings together MoneyInstructor life skills lesson plans, worksheets, and activities for teaching everyday money skills — spending decisions, earning income, paychecks, and managing money in real life — for Grades K–12 and adult education.
You’ll find free lesson plans, video lessons, and member-supported worksheets to help students build practical financial habits — making spending decisions, reading a paycheck, planning allowances, and managing income. Many cards link to the existing MoneyInstructor library at resources.moneyinstructor.com; new bridge pages are being added over time.
Featured Resources
Life skills resources for the classroom
A selection of worksheets and lesson plans covering everyday money skills — major financial decisions, everyday spending, consumer skills, and managing income in real-world situations.
Major Life Decisions
Renting an Apartment
Read sample apartment ads and compare rentals on monthly rent, utilities, location, and amenities — the practical math behind a major adulting decision.
Grades 7+
Buying a Car
Car-loan basics — cash price, down payment, monthly payment, and finance charges. Read sample car ads and work the math behind financing a major purchase.
Grades 7+Everyday Spending
Restaurant Menu Word Problems
Read a restaurant menu, total an order, calculate change — basic consumer math applied to a familiar dining-out setting.
Grades 3+
Restaurant Tipping
Calculate the tip at a restaurant — 15–20% of the pre-tax bill, the dollar tip, and the total paid. Pairs naturally with Restaurant Menu.
Grades 6+
Grocery Shopping with Coupons
An introduction to coupons and the math of saving money at the grocery store — plus the most important caveat: coupons only save money on things you would have bought anyway.
Grades 4+
Paying Bills
Paying monthly bills with check writing and checkbook-register practice — built for life-skills classes, special education, and adult learners.
Grades 7+ · AdultGrocery & Food Skills
Shopping List
Using a shopping list — the everyday money-management skill of writing down what you need before going to the store and staying within budget. Customizable practice worksheet.
Grades 6+ · Adult
Food Shopping Word Problems
A simple grocery list with prices — students calculate how much was spent. Two versions: standard pricing and modern (updated) pricing.
Grades 4+ · Special Ed
Grocery Math (Produce)
Price-per-pound and price-per-item math at the grocery store, with worked examples (bananas, tomatoes, apples) that connect arithmetic to real shopping.
Grades 4–7 · Special Ed
Cooking with Recipes
Reading recipes and scaling servings up or down using a conversion multiple — the multiplication, division, and fraction math behind cooking from scratch.
Grades 6+ · Special EdConsumer Skills Foundations
Needs vs. Wants
A worksheet helping students understand the difference between needs and wants — a foundational consumer decision-making skill.
Grades K–8
Cost Comparison & Unit Pricing
An introductory lesson on comparing prices and value — connecting consumer math skills to real purchasing decisions.
Grades 6–12Earning Money & Paychecks
What is a Paycheck?
A video lesson introducing paychecks and pay stubs — what they show, how to read them, and what the deductions mean.
Grades 6–12
Earnings Statement
A worksheet where students practice reading and interpreting a pay stub — including gross pay, deductions, and net income.
Grades 6–12
Time Card Worksheet
Calculating work hours and pay from a time card — the input side of every hourly paycheck. Customizable worksheet generator.
Grades 5–12
Health Insurance & Payroll Deductions
How health insurance and other payroll deductions reduce a worker’s take-home pay — the gross-to-net math on a real pay stub.
Grades 9–12
Earning Money Word Problems
A taxi-driver-themed worksheet — fares, expenses, and optional percentage tips. A real-world way to teach earning math beyond the hourly model.
Grades 4+The MoneyInstructor classic library has additional life skills lessons on shopping lists, food shopping, recipes, nutrition, time cards, health insurance, sales commissions, and personal savings — including video lessons and printable worksheets. Still available while we continue modernizing.
Grade Level Guide
Life skills resources by grade level
Counting coins and bills, identifying money, making change, and basic spending concepts.
Needs vs. wants, spending decisions, allowances, earning basics, and introduction to paychecks.
Paychecks, earnings statements, income management, paying bills, and real-world consumer skills.
Practical money management, paying bills, renting, side income, and everyday financial independence.
These resources are part of the full MoneyInstructor library
Members get unlimited access to worksheets, lesson plans, and teacher resources across every financial literacy topic — life skills, budgeting, taxes, banking, and more.
Related Topics
More financial literacy resources
Budgeting
Income, expenses, needs vs. wants, and personal budget planning.
Banking
Checking, savings, online banking, and account management basics.
Career Readiness
Job applications, pay stubs, earnings, and workplace money skills.
Money Skills by Grade
Grade-level pathways from Pre-K through adult education.
Taxes
Paychecks, W-4 and W-2 forms, and filing basics for students.
Money Math
Counting money, making change, percentages, and consumer math.