Toy cash registers have come a long way since my children were little. Ours had buttons with numbers and a big button that opened the drawer. That was all. Inside, there was space for the pretend money. Funnily enough, I actually remember that the money that came with the register didn’t quite fit in the drawer.

Now they make cash registers that have small computers in them so that when buttons are pushed, the numbers come up on the screen. Children can add up their shopping items and then total them. Many of these new-fangled machines also have scanners that actually work.

The cash register is another great way to enhance the money experience for children. They are usually a highly coveted item in the classroom, so it might be nice to have more than one around.