Toy Shop Till

What you need

• a few toys to sell, each with a sticky note price
• small squares of paper as money
• a shoe box as the till
• a bag for the shopping
• a crayon for receipts

How to do it

1. Put a few toys out as the shop and draw dots on each sticky note as its price, from one dot to five.
2. Give your child the till with a pile of paper money and let them be the shopkeeper.
3. Come in to buy something. They count the dots and you count out that many squares to pay.
4. Ask them to write you a receipt with the crayon, then swap so you're the shopkeeper.

Why it matters

Counting dots and paying the same number of squares matches a number to things, inside a game they're running.

What they're learning

Counting to match

Three dots means three squares of money.

Being the shopkeeper

Serving, taking money and saying thank you.

Marks that mean things

A squiggly receipt that says what you bought.

What to look for

Notice them touching each dot as they count it.

A tip

Keep prices low, up to five, so the counting stays quick and the shop stays fun.

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