Numbers & math
Little shop
- Builds: Counting and simple money
- 15 min
- Ages 3–6
- Calm
- No mess
From the house
- Cans and boxes from the cupboard
- A bag
- Paper money: scraps with a 1 on each
- A block as the scanner
How to play
- Line up the shop items on the sofa or a shelf.
- They shop and put things in their bag.
- You scan them: “Beep! That’s three things. Pay me three, please.”
- Swap: now they run the shop and you buy.
Fit it to your child
- Easier: Skip the money and just count the things in the bag together.
- Harder: Write prices from 1 to 5 on scraps of paper, and when they buy two things, they add the prices.
Words to use
- buy
- beep
- how many
- pay
- thank you
Why it helps
Every beep is one more thing to count, and paying “one for each” is their first lesson in how money works.
Grown-up eyes: Use paper money, not coins.