Checkout Dash: Grown-Ups Guide
How to play it, what it teaches, and how to talk about money together
Checkout Dash is a friendly pretend-store game where children practice using real-feeling money. Depending on the level, they either count out the exact price as the shopper or make change for a customer as the cashier.
The main skill it builds is money fluency: knowing what each coin and bill is worth and being able to count, combine, and give back amounts quickly. Mistakes are completely safe. A child can never truly lose; a wrong answer simply explains whether the tray has too much or too little money, then lets the child try again as many times as needed.
- What it teaches
- Counting money and making change – recognizing coins and bills, building exact amounts, and giving back the right change.
- How to play
- Tap coins and bills from the drawer into the tray, then press the pay or give-change button.
- Time to play
- About 5–10 minutes for one round of 8 customers. Children can play as much or as little as they like.
- Players
- One player; also great for an adult and child to play together.
- Internet needed
- No. After the game is loaded, it can be played offline.
- Accounts or personal info
- None. No sign-up, no names, and no personal information collected.
- Works on
- Phone, tablet, or computer.
- Accessibility
- Keyboard and screen-reader friendly; timers are off by default.
How the Game Is Played
The screen looks like a small storefront. A striped awning sign reads “Checkout Dash,” and below it is a cash-register counter. A customer or shopkeeper appears with a speech bubble showing the item or task, a blue register shows the price, and a money drawer of tappable coins and bills waits below. That counter-and-drawer setup is the heart of the game.
Each round has 8 customers, which the game counts as “Sales.” For every customer, the child does one of two jobs. In the youngest level, the child is the shopper and counts out the exact price to pay. In the two older levels, the child is the cashier and gives back change when a customer pays more than the price.
- Read the price and, for change-making tasks, how much the customer paid.
- Tap coins and bills from the drawer; each one lands in the tray. Tap a coin or bill already in the tray to take it back, or use “Clear tray” to start over.
- When the tray matches the target amount, press “Pay the shopkeeper” or “Give to customer.”
Tapping is the main way to play. Dragging money onto the tray is an optional extra, and there is no time pressure unless an older child chooses to turn it on. Feedback is always kind and specific: a miss might say, “That’s 15 cents too much – take a little off and try again!” or “Not quite – you need 30 cents more. You’ve got this!” A correct answer earns a star, or two stars on the first try, along with a thank-you from the customer and a small celebration. Children can also earn four badges: First Sale, Perfect Round, Quarter Master, and Rush Hour Hero.
What It Teaches
At its core, Checkout Dash teaches kids to recognize money and do quick money math – first by building exact amounts, then by making change like a real cashier. The cashier strategy it models is counting up: start at the price, then add coins and bills until you reach the amount the customer paid. The coins and bills you added are the change.
The game also quietly teaches that a coin’s value is not based on its size, since a small dime is worth more than a larger nickel. Children also learn that coins can be traded up, such as 4 quarters making a dollar, and – in the oldest level – that using the fewest coins and bills is often the smartest choice. Every amount is handled in exact cents, so the math is always precise.
The Three Levels
Pick the level that fits the child today. Each level keeps the same friendly counter but raises the challenge.
| Level | Ages | What changes at this level |
|---|---|---|
| Learner | 7–8 | Coins only: penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. Prices range from 5¢ to $1.00 in 5-cent steps, with up to 2 items. The child is the shopper and counts out the exact price. The running total is always shown, drawer labels are large, and a coin gently pulses to help after 2 misses. There is no change-making and no timer. |
| Builder | 9–10 | Adds $1 and $5 bills. Prices range from 25¢ to $5.00 in 5-cent steps, with up to 3 items. The child becomes the cashier and makes change when customers pay with more than the exact price. The running total is still shown, and a “Show me how” counting-up demo appears after 2 misses. There is no timer. |
| Entrepreneur | 11–12 | Uses all eight money types: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, $1, $5, $10, and $20. Prices range from 50¢ to $20.00 in 1-cent steps, so odd amounts can appear, with up to 3 items. The child makes change with the running total hidden; a “Peek” button shows it for 1.5 seconds. This level adds a bonus star for using the fewest coins and bills, a few exact-payment customers with “No change needed!” moments, an always-available “Show me how” option, and an optional Rush Hour timer of 25 seconds per customer. The timer is off by default. |
How to Talk About It With Kids
A few questions while you watch can turn play into real learning. Match your prompts to the child’s level.
Learner Ages 7–8
At this age, the game is about recognizing coins and counting small prices out loud. Name the coins together as the child taps them.
Questions to ask
- Which coin is worth more, the big one or the small one? Surprise: the small dime is worth more than the bigger nickel.
- How many pennies make a nickel? How many nickels make a dime?
- The shopkeeper wants 30 cents. Can you make it with a quarter and a nickel? What is another way?
- Let’s count out loud as you add each coin. What is the total so far?
Try it together: Empty a real coin jar and have the child pay you an exact price, such as 45 cents, using real coins. Then find a second way to make the same amount.
Builder Ages 9–10
Now the child is the cashier giving change. Emphasize the habit of counting up from the price and double-checking the change before handing it over.
Questions to ask
- The toy costs $3.00 and the customer paid with a $5.00 bill. How much change should you give back?
- Can you count up out loud the way a real cashier does? Start at the price and add until you reach what the customer paid.
- If you only had dollar bills and quarters, how would you make $1.75 in change?
- Did you use more coins than you needed? Could fewer coins make the same amount?
Try it together: Run a pretend store at home. Buy an item with a bill that is more than the price, and have the child make change by counting up. Then recount the change together before the sale is done.
Entrepreneur Ages 11–12
This level builds mental math, efficiency, and optional speed. With the running total hidden, the child has to track money mentally, and the fewest-coins bonus rewards smart combinations.
Questions to ask
- The total was $13.42 and the customer paid with a $20 bill. What is the change, in your head?
- What is the fewest number of coins and bills you can use to make that change? Why is that better for the cash drawer?
- Sometimes a customer pays the exact amount. How do you know when “No change needed” is the right answer?
- Did Rush Hour change how you thought? Did you make more mistakes when timed? Why?
Try it together: Give the child a real or pretend $20 bill and an odd-priced item. Have them compute the change in their head first, then count it out and check it. Talk about why using the fewest coins and bills helps keep a real register stocked for the next customer.
Take It Off the Screen
The same skill grows quickly with real coins, bills, and everyday moments.
- Let the child make change at a real or pretend store using actual coins and bills, counting up from the price.
- Use a coin jar to make the same amount several different ways, trading up small coins for larger ones.
- During a cash purchase, ask the child to predict the change before the register shows it, then check together.
- Play “fewest coins” challenges: pick an amount and try to build it with the smallest number of coins.
- Have an older child run a lemonade or bake-sale stand and make change for customers.
Words to Know
- Make change
- Give back the difference when someone pays more than the price. A $3.00 item paid with a $5.00 bill means $2.00 back.
- Counting up
- The cashier method the game teaches: start at the price and add coins and bills one at a time until you reach what the customer paid. The pieces you added are the change.
- Customer paid / tendered
- The amount of money the customer handed over, shown on the register during change-making tasks. Change owed is what the customer paid minus the price.
- Exact amount
- Paying the precise price with no money left over and nothing to give back – what the child does in the Learner level.
- Denomination
- A specific coin or bill value, such as penny 1¢, nickel 5¢, dime 10¢, quarter 25¢, and the $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills.
- Fewest coins
- The smallest number of coins and bills that adds up to an amount. For example, 30¢ can be a quarter and a nickel instead of three dimes. It earns a bonus star in the Entrepreneur level.
- Trading up
- Swapping many small coins for fewer larger ones of equal value: 5 pennies make a nickel, 2 nickels make a dime, and 4 quarters make a dollar.
- Streak
- How many customers in a row the child gets right on the first try. It shows as a flame once the streak reaches 2.
- Tray
- The counter space where money goes before it is handed over. Tap a coin or bill in the tray to take it back.