About the app
Do I need an internet connection?
No. KidRoles: Shop works fully offline — just install it once. An offline game is handy in the car, while traveling, and anywhere you’d rather not hand your child the internet.
Are there ads?
There are no ads and no in-app purchases. Nothing pops up mid-play and there’s nothing to tap by accident — at home the game is simply free.
What age is it for?
Best from age 6. Younger children (4–5) can join in the scanning fun together with a parent; older ones count out change on the keypad. You set the difficulty yourself, through the prices in your own shop.
Does it teach kids to count money?
That’s the whole game. Your child adds up prices, takes payment and makes change, and correct change earns coins and new cashier levels. It’s addition and subtraction practice in a situation that makes sense to a child.
Which currency does it use?
Dollars, euros, pounds or złoty — pick one in Settings → General → Currency. It starts from the app’s language and your region. The sample products, until you edit them, get prices in that currency, and the coin tray and the customer’s banknotes in Customer mode use its coins and notes.
Do we need a toy cash register?
No. Playing store runs on what you already have: a tablet or laptop is the register, and a phone becomes a wireless scanner. Add products by hand or scan the barcodes off real packaging.
What does it run on?
Web, iOS, Android and desktop. The same shop on a tablet, a phone (landscape too) or a computer — on a computer you install it from Chrome, Edge or Safari like a regular app.
What about my child’s data?
Zero personal data. We don’t create accounts or track anything — everything, including a cashier photo if you add one, stays on the device.
Can my child change the settings or delete products by accident?
In a new install, no. Settings, catalog edit mode and clearing the history sit behind a Parent PIN (Settings → General) or — without a PIN — a grown-ups-only multiplication question, which is on by default in a new install. The game itself — selling, scanning, giving change — works without them. Forgot the PIN? Solve a multiplication to turn it off: there are no accounts or password resets, and your products and history stay put.
Does my child need to remember a PIN?
No. A fresh install opens the till with a single tap on a cashier, so younger children can manage on their own too. For older kids you can turn on a cashier PIN “like a real store” in Settings → Cashiers → PIN sign-in.
How much does it cost?
Free for home use. Institutions: get in touch and we’ll tailor the setup to you.
How do I start?
Tap “Try it free”, open the shop and add your first products. You’re ready in a minute.
How do we scan products while playing?
Tap “Scanner” in the Shop or in Customer mode and the camera reads barcodes. Products from the ready-made sets have their own codes: in edit mode you can print them as stickers or play cards (icon, name, price and code). A code that is not in the catalog never stops Customer mode — it goes onto a “New codes” list, and a parent adds the product (the code is already filled in).
How it works — short videos
How do I pair a phone with the till?
On the till, tap “Pair phone” — a QR code appears. Scan it with the phone’s camera and allow the connection on the till. From then on the phone is a wireless scanner: a code from a package goes straight into the cart. Pairing needs internet; the till itself works offline.
How do I add my own product?
In the Shop, scan the barcode on a package you have at home. After a scan with the phone, the till opens the new-product form (you can turn this off in Settings → Scanner); after a scan with the till’s camera it shows “Add to catalog”. Type a name and a price — the icon picks itself. A product without a barcode can be added in catalog edit mode.
How does the coin tray work?
The ⇄ button next to “Next customer” switches paying from the keypad to a tray of coins and bills. Your child counts out what the customer pays on the tray, and the till shows how much is missing or how much change to give. An exact payment, or one with change in whole dollars or pounds, earns coins in the game.
What if my child enters the wrong parent PIN?
Nothing changes — Settings and edit mode stay locked. You set the parent PIN in Settings → General. If you forget it, solve a grown-up math question: the PIN is turned off, and your products and history stay.
On a computer and in your setting
How do I install KidRoles on a computer?
In Chrome or Edge (Windows, macOS, Linux), open the app and click the install icon in the address bar or “Install the app” in the sidebar. On a Mac in Safari (macOS 14 or later), choose File → Add to Dock. Installing is free, needs no account, and after the first launch the app works without internet.
Where is the data after installing on a computer?
Only in the browser on that computer, in the profile of the user who installed the app. We don’t send it to any server. Clearing the site’s data in the browser, or uninstalling and deleting the data, removes cashiers, products and history, so it’s worth saving the product catalog to a file.
Can our IT team install KidRoles on every computer in the school?
Yes. KidRoles is a web app (PWA), so IT installs it with browser policies: WebAppInstallForceList in Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, via Intune, Group Policy (GPO), the Google Admin console or a configuration profile on Mac. There is no .exe or .msi installer, and users don’t need admin rights.
About playing store and learning to count
What age can kids start playing store?
Around three, but without money — the child trades one item for another and practices the ritual itself. Coins only make sense once a child can count to five, usually around age five.
What do you need to play store at home?
A few empty packages from the kitchen, handwritten price tags, a basket and a box for the money. Real packaging beats a plastic play set, because your child already recognizes it from the shelf.
How do I know when to move up a level?
When your child gets through a whole sale without glancing at you for approval. It’s not about being correct — it’s about being independent. As long as they’re still checking your face, stay at the current level.
Does playing store teach anything besides counting?
Yes, and that’s the stronger half of it. Your child practices talking to someone they don’t know, waiting their turn, swapping roles and speaking in full sentences. Counting is one of several things at once.
At what age can a child make change?
Usually between seven and eight, but only after two earlier stages are solid: recognizing coins by value and paying an exact amount. Jumping straight to change is where things most often stall.
Should I teach subtraction or counting up?
Counting up. It’s how cashiers actually work: from the total up to the amount handed over. It needs only addition, which your child already has, while subtracting across a dollar boundary is far harder.
How can I check for ads before installing a game?
On Google Play and the App Store, the label by the install button says “Contains ads” and “In-app purchases”. The description is written by the publisher; the label is a declaration made to the platform.
How do I check whether a game works offline?
Turn on airplane mode, close the game completely, open it again and play for three minutes. Closing it is the part that matters — a game opened earlier runs from memory and looks offline when it isn’t.
Can KidRoles be used in a preschool or classroom?
Yes. Each child gets their own cashier profile (an emoji or a photo, PIN optional), so a group shares one device without overwriting each other’s work. It runs offline and collects no data about children. Write to us — we’ll sort out the setup and invoicing.