Home Shop
Price the pantry, hand over the coins, and let them do the math for real.
- Ages
- 5–11 yrs
- Play
- 25–50 min
- Prep
- 10 min
- Mess
- barely any
- Energy
- calm
- Where
- at the table
You’ll need
Things you probably have at home.
- play money or real coinsGet it on Amazon
- paper for price labelsGet it on Amazon
Optional
- pensGet it on Amazon
- play food and a tillGet it on Amazon
- a basketGet it on Amazon
- scales for weighingGet it on Amazon
How to play
Before you start: Set out ten items from the cabinet on a table and write a price label for each, all in round numbers.
Give them a fixed amount of money and a basket.
They shop. The only rule is they cannot spend more than they have.
You are the shopkeeper: total it up together, item by item.
Work out the change and count it back into their hand.
Swap roles and let them be the shopkeeper, which is much harder and much better.
Keep it safe
- Real coins are a choking hazard around younger siblings.
Make it different next time
- Introduce a half-price sale on one item.
- Give them a list to find as well as a budget.
Cleanup: Everything goes back in the cabinet.
Three more like this
- Good for siblings
