Counting and Tracking Your Savings
Story Lines (Page 13)
“I would crawl under the bed and count carrots.”
“My savings kept getting bigger and bigger.”
“It was fun counting and watching my savings grow.”
Big Idea
Counting and tracking your savings helps you see growth, build confidence, and stay motivated to save.
Financial Literacy Concept
Tracking savings & monitoring growth. (Introduction to balance awareness)
Standards Alignment
CEE (K–4):
People keep track of how much they save.
Regular saving increases available resources.
Monitoring savings helps people make informed choices.
Jump$tart (K–2):
Recognize that saving means keeping money for future use.
Understand that money saved can increase over time.
Jump$tart (3–5 Extension):
Track deposits and balances.
Explain how savings grow when money is added consistently.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Understand why it is important to count and track savings.
Recognize that tracking helps them see growth.
Explain how monitoring savings builds confidence.
Practice counting and recording savings.
Materials and Supplemental Resources
It's a Habit, Sammy Rabbit! Note: Any of the following will work: Full color story book or Read and Color Activity Story Book / Bilingual Read and Color Activity Story Book / Author Reading
Sammy Dictionary for Kids (See: save; account; balance; budget; track; manage)
Sammy Song Series (See: Get in the Habit, Budget)
Counters (paper carrots, beans, cubes)
Simple savings tracker worksheet
Activity
Watch It Grow Demonstration
Start with 3 carrots (or counters).
Add 2 more.
Count together.
Record the total on a simple chart.
Repeat for several rounds.
Ask students:
“What do you notice happening?”
Guide them to say:
“It’s getting bigger.”
“It grows when we add more.”
Then ask:
“How do we know it’s growing?”
Answer:
“Because we counted and tracked it.”
Guided Discussion
Why did Sammy crawl under the bed to count?
Why do you think he enjoyed counting?
How might counting make saving more exciting?
What would happen if he never checked his savings?
Bridge statement for teachers:
“When children track savings, they build awareness and a sense of ownership.”
Transfer
Connect carrots to money:
“When you save money in a bank, the bank tells you your balance. That’s like counting your carrots.”
Introduce the word:
Balance — the amount you have saved.
Highlight Phrase
“It was fun counting and watching my savings grow.”
Assessment
Students complete:
“I know my savings are growing because ______.”
Optional written/drawing response:
Draw your savings getting bigger and label the numbers.
Get All Lesson Plans in One PDF
If you’d like a FREE, printable PDF with all of the national and state standards aligned financial literacy lesson plans for It's a Habit, Sammy Rabbit! contact us.
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