Win grants/scholarships with a free financial literacy game

Disclosure: H&R Block has been a longtime supporter of The Cornerstone through their financial literacy initiatives. They have compensated me for helping them spread the word about these free resources for teachers and kids.

The H&R Block Challenge is a completely FREE teen financial literacy program in the form of an online game. Through this game’s simulation, high school students can explore real life issues such as paying bills, budgeting, and paying taxes. They are immersed in the financial life of a recent college graduate who has been working for about six months. Each student gets a regular paycheck, a checking account, a 401(k) savings account and bills to pay throughout the simulation. By maximizing savings, paying bills on time, and responding correctly to quiz questions while avoiding fees like late fees, overdraft fees and finance charges, students increase their individual scores.

Though the game itself is a valuable experience for students as they learn money management skills and apply them in authentic contexts, students can also compete against students in other classes and schools to earn grants for their classroom and scholarships for themselves!

The average student score of each class enrolled is updated nightly from October through April of this school year. At the midway point and conclusion of the simulation, classes with the highest scores win a classroom grant. At the conclusion of each simulation period, the 22 students with the highest individual scores each win a $20,000 student scholarship. In April, the student with the highest overall score receives a $100,000 scholarship! More details can be found on the FAQ page.

If you teach any grade from 9th through 12th, your students are most likely eligible! Register here for your students to play the game: sign up is super quick and simple. As they start playing, your students scores will be automatically calculated and they’ll be entered to win the grants and scholarships. Good luck!