An allowance to manage, an online purchase to evaluate, a receipt to read carefully. Even the youngest find themselves every day facing small choices with economic implications, and if until a few years ago talking about money was considered “for adults only,” today it is increasingly clear that financial education is needed in schools, in learning pathways, and in daily life. We live in an era in which inflation, global crises, interest rates, and even digital currencies are not just news headlines, but realities that also affect the new generations. Yet, being able to draw up and read a personal budget is still considered an “extra” skill, even though it is as fundamental as knowing how to read or write.
Skills for Choosing
Financial illiteracy is not only an economic problem: it is a cultural risk. It means growing up without the tools needed to evaluate a loan, understand what an interest rate is, or distinguish between a reliable and an unreliable source. This is where schools can make a difference with financial education programs: teaching how to think critically, to choose, and to plan in order to achieve our life goals. Economic education is not so much about numbers as it is about a form of active citizenship. It teaches how to recognize the value of money, to use it consciously, to look at the world with critical eyes, and to make rational decisions, while also learning how to correctly use technological tools, which are increasingly present and constantly evolving.
The Proposals of the Museum of Saving
The Museum of Saving has been committed for years to making financial education in schools accessible and engaging. Its proposals—already available for booking for the 2025–26 school year—are designed for children, young people, and teachers, both in person and online. Workshops, role-playing games, guided tours, and digital modules: each activity stimulates awareness, autonomy, and participation.
For the Youngest: Discover, Save, Protect Yourself
It begins in primary schools with the EDUFIN & FUN programs: traveling through time with the History of Money, learning how to manage Pocket Money, and navigating safely with I Won’t Fall for It, a workshop to learn how to recognize online traps.
For Middle School Students: Understanding Value, Choosing the Future
In middle schools, students dive into economic decision-making: with Price Discovery they explore the world of prices and inflation; with Your Turn! they manage a personal budget; in No Cash World they experiment with a cashless society made up only of electronic money.
For Older Students: PCTO and Global Scenarios
For high schools, the Museum offers ready-to-use 10-hour PCTO programs. Students can choose among topics such as The Great Financial Crises, ABC of Finance, and Money: Origins and Future, to reflect on the past, present, and prospects of the economic system.
Economy, History, and Literature: A Shared Story
Among the most original initiatives of recent years are events intertwining economy and history. From “shadow taxes” to Napoleon and the French franc, up to When Money Grew on Trees: events that show how finance has always influenced societies, governments, and even personal stories.
Starting in October 2025, MdR will launch “Economy Meets Literature”, a series of events that connects novels and economic concepts. From The Betrothed to Orwell, an opportunity to see finance with new eyes.
In a world that changes quickly, financial education in schools is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Every initiative that helps young people become conscious citizens—able to read the economic reality and navigate within it—is an investment in the future.
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June 18, 2025