Practical Money & Life Skills for Young Australians
The Tiny Foxes is an Australian financial education business passionate about helping young people step into adulthood feeling confident, capable and prepared for the real world.
We believe some of the most important lessons young people need aren’t always found in traditional textbooks.
Understanding a payslip, creating a budget, applying for a Tax File Number, choosing superannuation, buying a first car, moving out of home, avoiding unnecessary debt and knowing how to manage everyday financial responsibilities can have an enormous impact on a young person’s future.
So what should teenagers know about money before becoming adults?
Quite a lot.
That’s why we created Life Skills Academy.
Designed for teenagers and young adults, Life Skills Academy is a practical, self-paced online program that helps bridge the gap between school and independent adult life. With 100+ bite-sized lessons and more than six hours of video content, students can work through the program at their own pace, making it particularly well suited to homeschool families.
For families looking for financial literacy for teenagers in Australia, Life Skills Academy provides practical education that connects financial concepts with the real-life decisions young people will soon be making for themselves.
The program covers a broad range of real-life topics, including:
- earning an income and understanding payslips
- Tax File Numbers, tax and myGov
- budgeting and managing everyday expenses
- saving and building an emergency fund
- superannuation and the importance of starting early
- understanding compound interest and investing basics
- debt, loans and making informed borrowing decisions
- buying and running a first car
- renting and moving out of home
- Youth Allowance and navigating government services
- job applications and interview preparation
- financial goals and making intentional money choices
- gambling harms and other financial traps
- generosity and developing healthy attitudes towards money
Building practical financial skills for life
One of the questions parents often ask is, what financial skills should teenagers learn?
At The Tiny Foxes, we believe young people need more than simply knowing how to save money. They need to understand how everyday financial decisions work and what those decisions can mean for their future.
Importantly, Life Skills Academy isn’t about telling young people what to do with their money. It’s about helping them understand their options, recognise the consequences of financial decisions and develop the confidence to make informed choices for themselves.
We want young people to understand that the financial decisions they make in their teens and early twenties can have a powerful impact on the decades ahead. Learning to manage money well from their very first pay can help them avoid costly mistakes and begin building strong financial foundations early.
Financial education that fits into your homeschool
The course is delivered completely online, allowing homeschool students to complete lessons when and where it suits their learning schedule.
Short modules make the content approachable and easy to incorporate into a broader homeschool program, while practical examples connect learning directly to everyday life.
For homeschool families, this makes financial literacy for teenagers in Australia something that can be explored alongside other areas of learning, with students developing practical knowledge they can take with them into adulthood.
Students also receive a certificate upon completion, recognising the time and effort they have invested in developing these important skills.
Preparing young people for the real world
The Tiny Foxes was founded with a simple belief: financial education can change the trajectory of a young person’s life.
Our goal is to help families raise financially capable young adults who are ready not just to earn money, but to manage it with confidence, make thoughtful decisions and build a strong foundation for their future.
Because preparing a young person for adulthood isn’t only about academic knowledge. It’s also about giving them the practical skills and confidence they need to navigate everyday life independently.
Location
📍 Australia
Frequently Asked Questions
Our program is designed for teenagers and young adults, approximately 13-21 years of age.
Younger students can certainly benefit from the program, while older teens may find the content particularly relevant as they begin working, driving, managing their own money or preparing to move out of home.
Yes! Life Skills Academy has been created specifically for young Australians. Topics include Australian superannuation, Tax File Numbers, payslips, tax, myGov, Youth Allowance and other practical information relevant to navigating adult life in Australia.
No. Life Skills Academy has been designed so students can work through the program independently. Parents don’t need specialist financial knowledge or lesson preparation to use the resource. Of course, many of the topics can also create some great conversations between parents and teenagers!
The program is 100% online and self-paced. Students receive their own login and can work through the lessons at a pace that suits them, making it easy to incorporate into a homeschool timetable.
The course covers practical money and life skills, including budgeting, saving, superannuation, tax, payslips, debt, buying a first car, renting, moving out of home, investing and compound interest, Youth Allowance, myGov, job interviews, financial goals, emergency funds, gambling harms and more.
There are more than six hours of video content across more than 100 short lessons, but there is no need to complete the program all at once. Homeschool families can incorporate it into their schedule in whatever way works best – whether that means completing several lessons each week, dedicating a regular session to life skills, or working through the
program more intensively.
Yes. Students receive a certificate of completion after successfully completing the program. This is not a nationally recognised certification – it’s more to congratulate them on taking a tiny step toward their financial freedom and recognising the practical financial and life skills they have developed.
Not at all. In fact, learning these skills before receiving their first regular income can be incredibly valuable. The program helps young people understand concepts such as payslips, tax, superannuation, budgeting and saving before they need to make these decisions for themselves.
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