Turn a few familiar objects into a pretend shop. Label them with small prices, take turns buying and selling, and talk through the change. The printable labels and calculator use pounds and pence; no real spending or real coins are needed.
Check pretend-shop change
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Start with one price
Choose three objects and give them prices such as 10p, 20p and 50p. Use large paper labels and drawn money if small coins would be unsuitable. Make clear that this is a game; the numbers are practice prices, not estimates of what things cost in shops.
Begin with paying exactly. Say the price aloud and choose paper amounts that make it. If the two units are confusing, stay with pence: 100 pence makes one pound. Write £1.00 and 100p beside each other when you are ready to connect them.
Add two items
Choose a 20p item and a 50p item. Count the amounts together to get 70p. Move on to a £1.20 item and a 50p item only when the child is comfortable working across one pound. That basket costs £1.70.
Invite your child to explain the method. They may count on, group amounts or write an addition. The point is to connect the symbols to quantities, rather than hurry towards mental arithmetic.
Count up to find change
If the total is £1.70 and the customer pays £2, count up 30p to reach £2. You can also subtract 170p from 200p. Both methods give 30p change. Use a number line on scrap paper if that makes the gap visible.
The calculator accepts a basket total and an amount paid, then shows change or how much more is needed. It works in whole pence. It cannot decide whether a shop should accept a payment or calculate a basket automatically.
Swap the roles
Let the child choose the prices or be the shopkeeper. Read a label incorrectly on purpose and invite a correction. Introduce a budget for a game round: "You have £3 in pretend money. What could you choose?"
Keep the choices free of judgement about real families' spending. A pretend shop is a way to practise arithmetic and making choices, not a test of whether someone deserves an item.
Finish with a receipt
Use the printable receipt to list items, total, payment and change. Compare it with the calculator after working it out together. If the answer differs, check the units and decimal point first.
Store the labels for another game. Increase the challenge by changing one price or adding one more item, rather than introducing many new ideas at once.
