Ice cream and children are a natural match. An ice cream shop game takes that universal appeal and wraps real maths around it — scooping, pricing, adding up orders, and making change.
In myplayshop’s ice cream parlour, your child runs the counter. Customers want scoops, cones, and sundaes. Your child serves them, adds up the order, takes payment, and gives the right change.
Why the Ice Cream Shop Is Special
The ice cream parlour has a unique appeal among myplayshop’s shops:
Orders are customisable. Unlike the supermarket where items are fixed, ice cream orders feel creative — a customer might want two scoops with sprinkles, which is more engaging than scanning a carton of milk.
The maths varies naturally. One scoop costs less than three. Toppings add small amounts. This creates naturally varied totals without artificial difficulty.
It’s universally loved. Every child has been to an ice cream shop. The setting is instantly familiar and appealing.
Running the Ice Cream Parlour
Here’s what a typical session looks like:
A customer arrives and orders a double scoop with a topping. Your child rings up each element:
- Single scoop: $2.00
- Extra scoop: $1.50
- Sprinkles: $0.50
- Total: $4.00
The customer pays with a $5 note. Your child gives back $1.00 in change. Simple for this order — but the next customer might order three sundaes, and suddenly the maths gets interesting.
Building Skills One Scoop at a Time
Addition with small numbers: Ice cream prices tend to be in the $1–$5 range, making mental addition very approachable. Your child adds a few small numbers rather than grappling with large totals.
Understanding “extras”: Toppings introduce the concept of add-on pricing. “The cone is $2.00, but sprinkles are $0.50 extra” teaches children that the final price depends on choices.
Quick transactions: Ice cream orders are typically 2–4 items. This means more transactions per session, which means more practice with money handling.
Great for Summer and Seasonal Play
The ice cream shop is a natural choice for:
- Summer holiday play — When ice cream is on everyone’s mind
- A quick session — Short transactions mean 5–10 minutes of play feels complete
- Beginning players — The small prices and short orders make it one of the easiest shops to start with
Pairing With Other Shops
Once your child masters the ice cream parlour, they might enjoy:
- The bakery — Similar price range, different products
- The supermarket — Higher totals, more items per customer
- A custom shop — Let them invent their own ice cream brand with creative flavours and prices