My Little ShopThe grown-ups corner
The boring page, done properly
Kids never see this page. It exists because you are about to hand a child a cash register, and you deserve straight answers about what it teaches, what it collects (nothing), and what it costs.
What they practise while they play
The till is a worksheet that doesn't look like one. In an ordinary game your child will:
- recognise real notes and coins by sight, in your own currency
- add up a basket of shopping, and keep a running total in their head
- judge whether the money handed over is enough - and say so
- count change back coin by coin, the way a shopkeeper does
- write menus, name products, set prices and describe things for sale
- speak to customers: greeting, asking, thanking, apologising for the sold-out cake
The app never blurts the answer. When the change is short, it shows what is still owed and waits. Getting there themselves is the point.
Privacy, in plain words
The App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected", and it means exactly that. No accounts, no sign-up, no analytics, no ads, and no network calls - the app never touches the internet. The whole game lives on your device.
- The camera is used only to scan stickers the app itself printed. Frames are read on the device; no photo is taken, stored or sent.
- Decline the camera permission and everything else still works.
- The grown-ups corner in the app saves the whole game as a single backup file you control.
The full policy is on the privacy page, and the terms of service sit next to it.
What's free, what's paid
Free to play: your first shop, unlimited things to sell, the whole till - taking money, giving change, receipts and celebrations - all fifteen currencies, sticker scanning, and printable play money and barcode stickers.
One optional unlock - The Whole Shop: a single purchase, never a subscription. As many shops as you like, every printable (menus, price tags, table signs, sale posters, receipts), restaurant tables and bookings, and the full sales history. It sits behind a grown-ups-only gate, and once bought it is yours forever.
Teachers & homeschoolers
A classroom shop corner is one of the oldest and best numeracy stations there is - this just removes the prep. One device runs the till; the app prints the barcode stickers, price tags and class money; the children run the shop.
- Money recognition, addition, and giving change - in your country's actual currency
- Literacy on the side: writing menus, product names and price signs
- Turn-taking and customer talk for the drama corner
- No accounts and no internet needed, so it works on locked-down school devices
The free printables work with no app at all, if you want to trial the idea on paper first.
Questions grown-ups actually ask
What ages is My Little Shop for?
Roughly 4 to 9, with a grown-up nearby for the first game. Four year olds mostly tap things and hear the cha-ching; six year olds start counting change properly; eight year olds run sales, book tables and read the report.
Does it really collect nothing?
Nothing at all. No accounts, no analytics, no ads, no network calls. The App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected" because there is nothing to collect - the whole game lives on your device.
What does it cost?
The download is free and the first shop is fully playable: the whole till, all fifteen currencies, sticker scanning, and printable play money and barcode stickers. One optional purchase, The Whole Shop, unlocks as many shops as you like, every printable, restaurant tables and the full sales history. Bought once, yours forever - never a subscription.
Why does it ask to use the camera?
Only to scan the barcode and QR stickers the app itself printed. Frames are read on the device and no photo is ever taken, stored or sent anywhere. Say no to the camera and everything else still works.
What money does it use?
Fifteen currencies, each with its genuine notes and coins - dollars, pounds, euros, yen, rupees and more. Change is always made from money that actually exists, so your child practises with the same coins that live in your pocket.
Do I need a printer?
No - the shop, the till and the money counting all work without one. A printer just makes it better: stickers on real tins, price tags on the bookshelf, play money in a real purse. Any ordinary printer and plain A4 paper will do.
Is it on Android?
The Android version is finished and is with Google for review now. If you want a note when it lands on Google Play, say hello through the contact page.
Can we move the game to a new device?
Yes. The grown-ups corner on the home screen saves the whole game as a single backup file, which you can send to the new device however you like and load back in.
Still wondering about something?
Ask the person who made it - say hello and you'll get an answer from the actual dad, not a support desk.