Why Nightcliff Primary School Uses MoneyTime
Teaching Financial Literacy Through Maths
Melissa Thompson, a Grade 5 teacher from Nightcliff Primary School, Darwin, has been using MoneyTime to teach financial literacy across her maths classes for the past 3 years. “I came across MoneyTime while researching financial literacy resources for my math lessons,” she recalls. “It showed up in my search, and I found it to be a great fit for my students. I’ve now used it with 82 students in total.”
Self Directed Learning
She integrates it into her maths classes during the second semester. “I try to get two sessions in each week,” says Melissa. Although not every student completes all 30 modules, she’s found that the program’s self-paced structure works well. “It’s self-driven. It’s a pretty comprehensive program and not all students complete them all, but that’s OK. The engagement is what matters most.”
Built to Match the Curriculum
“Aligning to the financial literacy section of the Australian curriculum is mandatory,” she explains. “I use the V9 Australian Curriculum Financial Literacy outcomes which MoneyTime matches well to as it supports developing skills like understanding needs vs. wants, resource allocation, budgeting, and making informed decisions in consumer and financial contexts.”
She appreciates how the program helps students apply skills in a real-world context. “The program reinforces curriculum outcomes with relatable, real-life scenarios. Students apply what they’re learning in class discussions and decision-making tasks. These are key outcomes in our curriculum.”
Real-Life Learning That Students Enjoy
“What I love about MoneyTime is that it provides real-life financial skills that are often assumed, but not explicitly taught,” says Melissa. “It introduces students to the language of banking and finance—things like wages, salaries, saving, and budgeting.”
Student engagement with the program is high. “The interactive nature of the program creates excitement and engagement, particularly with the leaderboard, which motivates students and encourages healthy competition. It makes learning about finances both fun and meaningful for them.”
“They love that MoneyTime is interactive and engaging. It makes complex topics like earning wages, saving, and budgeting easy to understand and gives them confidence to manage money in the future.”
Real Growth in Financial Understanding
When it comes to knowledge improvement, Melissa is seeing clear progress. “I’m really pleased with the knowledge growth my students are showing. They’re developing a stronger understanding of financial concepts, and I’ve noticed them using the correct terminology more confidently. The program does a great job of breaking down complex ideas into relatable, real-life scenarios. It’s great to see them not only grasp these concepts but also apply them in discussions and decision-making activities.”
Easy Setup and Strong Support
While the initial setup came with some minor challenges, Melissa says support from the MoneyTime team made it smooth. “It was a bit tricky at first for this younger age group as they needed an email address to create their accounts. But the support from Aaron helped solve this and overall the setup is relatively easy and smooth.”
Parental Involvement
Melissa thinks 13 optional modules for students to do at home with their parents are a great option but notes that support at home varies. “While it’s a great idea to involve parents in the learning process, not all students have the same level of access or help, which can make it challenging for some to complete the parent modules.”
Interclass Competition
Melissa is aware of MoneyTime’s national interclass competition but says the in-class leaderboard works best for her. “It really depends on your class. For mine, the class leaderboard is more engaging. It gives students a more immediate and meaningful way to compete with one another. The use of a leaderboard creates a sense of excitement and friendly competition, which keeps them motivated to participate.”
A Recommendation to Other Teachers
So what would she say to other teachers considering MoneyTime?
“I would definitely recommend MoneyTime,” she says. “It provides a structured and engaging way for students to develop financial literacy skills. The interactive lessons and class leaderboard keep students motivated, and the content is well-paced for their learning level. Plus, the program does a great job of reinforcing key concepts in a way that's both fun and meaningful.”
