10 Best Kids’ Cash Registers Reviewed in 2024
BornCute
It’s that time to teach your little ones about money! The earlier that children learn about money, the easier they’ll adjust to handling it in their future. A fun way to teach them the basic concepts of money is with a toy cash register. These registers are available from various companies and help kids to learn about the American monetary system, bolster their math skills and engage in pretend play. To help guide you, we have selected the top-rated products that parents are raving about to help make your selection easier. Most of the registers on our list are age-appropriate for 3 year olds or older as some accessories, like plastic coins, could be a choking hazard. Each product makes sounds, and all have functional parts such as scanners, microphones, and conveyor belts which all help make learning more fun.
This is the best product on our list that is currently in stock:
Includes 9 coins total of varying colors
It doesn't require any batteries and is super basic to use
The meaning behind the cash register is the best feature of this product and the fact that it's a simple version of 'checking out' makes it easy to teach the most important factors of it to a kid
Resembles and original 1975's cash register
10 Best Kids’ Cash Registers Reviewed
1. Little Tikes Shop 'N Learn Smart Checkout
Interactive cash register with shopping center design
Includes five modes of play; free, shopping list, checkout center, scanning mode, and music mode
Features scan able food included with the system
Cool working devices; conveyor belt, scanning system, cash register, and aisle light
Compact storage with foldable design
Scanning system sounds are not very loud
Check out light does not have a slot for a tight fit
Bring the store right to your living room or playroom with this cash register playset. It has five modes of play for the kids to explore. They can do a free play where the cash register is used to learn and play. The other features on the playset are fun to use during this mood of the play. Then there is shopping list mode where the interactive part comes into play. This is where a tablet can be used with the register and a shopping list is displayed for the kids to pick and select. The next mode of play is the checkout counter. This is one of the most interactive modes. The children are able to select items from the set and scan them. The machine will scan and list the items presenting a full cash register experience. Once that mode is used the next mode is when the kids want to have some fun with their friends. The speed scanner and music mode offer again interactive experiences that are simple to use and can be used during imagination play.
Read moreDesign
Cash registers are one of those toys that are timeless. Every parent can remember playing with one when they were a kid and love watching their children enjoy the experience as well. Included with this set is 35 pieces of scannable food and accessories. Each of the items is designed to be scanned by the cash register system and recognized to be displayed on the checkout screen. This gives the kids a truly unique experience.
Educational Value
The interactive experience does not stop with the scannable items. The cash register system also includes working items in the set that make it look just a real store set up. The conveyor belt is electronic and brings the items from down from the customer right to the cash register. The working and interactive cash register system are used fun and simple. It even comes with an app that helps the kids learn. The scanner and light for the aisle is also a working piece. They both light up and make sounds when used.
Value
Playtime is so much fun, but clean up time has to come. This cash register is easy to store and folds up into a compact center. The idea is to allow the kids to be able to have all the space that they need to play and have a fully interactive experience, but what the playtime is done. The cash register play center can be folded and easily stored somewhere out of the way.
2. Fisher-Price Retro
Includes 9 coins total of varying colors
It doesn't require any batteries and is super basic to use
The meaning behind the cash register is the best feature of this product and the fact that it's a simple version of 'checking out' makes it easy to teach the most important factors of it to a kid
Resembles and original 1975's cash register
The sticker on the front may peel off fairly easily
Fisher-Price really outworked the odds with this setup. Balloons, ice cream, or apple? A 1975 original inspired design. The choice is yours but you must hand me the right amount of money to buy it. What else can you find in your mini play store? To reach checkout, have your funds ready to pay for what you take home.
Read moreDesign
This adorable kids cash register is made with the best kind of plastics that are extra durable and can withstand all of the play your kids put it through. Set it aside in the playroom or out in the living room. Introduce the concept of how money to your young kids and how to purchase items in real life at the grocery store. Better yet, take it to the grocery store and have your kid entertain herself by adding up just how much it costs to buy your cart full. Kids love the bright colors and the slot to insert the miniature plastic coins. Blue, greens, and orange make this yellow cash register very attractive to kids. Easy to use and chunky coins that are fun to hold and keep track of.
Educational Value
Resembles a 1975 styled cash register. Give your kids the gift of quality of the toys that you played with as a kid. Extra textured keys and coins make a major difference in how your child will remember being introduced to the concept of money.
Value
The coins have depth in the center on both sides making it incredibly pleasing for a child to hold and use. As you drop the coin into its meant slot by which is organized by the size and value of the coin: 5,10, or 25 cents have a slot to check into. Then store the remaining coins in the pullout drawer that is opened by the crank on the side of the cash register.
3. VTech Ring and Learn
Encourages healthy eating
Stimulates the imagination
Improves fine motor skills
Increases knowledge of color, numbers, and foods
Does not include play money
The drawer does not make a playful noise when opened
Take your little one grocery shopping from the comfort of your own living room with the VTech Ring and Learn Cash Register. On your pretend shopping trip, your child can fill their basket with any of the ten plastic healthy food items included in this set.
Read moreDesign
The cash register is equipped with a scale for any food items that need to be weighed. After all of their items have been rung up, they can slide the pretend credit card in the slot on the side of the cash register. Sliding the credit card activates different sayings. Spinning the rollers on top of the register also release fun melodies and phrases.
Educational Value
The color number buttons on the register will increase your child’s knowledge of numbers, colors, and food with the informative phrases released after a button is pushed. As your child presses the buttons, grasps the food, and swipes the credit card they will be increasing their fine motor skills. As your child pretends to grocery shop they will be stimulating their development by using their imagination.
Value
With over eighty songs, phrases, melodies, and sounds your child will be learning while also having fun. The pretend food, credit card, and basket included in the set will further stimulate your child’s imagination and take their fun to the next level.
4. Play Calculator
Solar powered register and calculator with LCD screen
Promotes basic money skills and math abilities; encourages counting, sorting, and organizing skills
Includes play dollar bills, plastic coins and credit cards, and an activity booklet
When opened the register makes a “cha-ching” sound
Winner of 23 excellence awards for product
Is only powered by solar – no option for batteries
Dubbed as one of the bestselling toy cash register playsets, the Pretend and Play Calculator has been around for almost three decades, helping moms and their respective kids learn the basics of mathematics, fundamental measurements, and very simple concepts in money management. The money machine may look like a toy but it actually operates like a real one.
Read moreDesign
What is marvelous about this toy till is that it is actually solar powered so you will never have to hassle yourself about purchasing numerous batteries ever again. There’s even a plastic toy credit card which is perfect for pretending to swipe on the till’s credit card reader. There are also 40 plastic coins and 30 playbills so your child will be introduced to the most common denominations of our monetary system. The buttons are smooth and very responsive and will never require much effort on the part of young children to press. The drawer opens easily to reveal a neat money organizer while also eliciting a “cha-ching” sound every time it slides open. The Pretend and Play Register also comes with an activity guide to help young tots and preschoolers make the most of their activities to learn fundamental concepts in numbers. It simply is the best toy cash register around.
Educational Value
The buttons on this toy register are large and easy to press. This is important for toddlers who have yet to perfect their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. With practice, they will be using the register with confidence.
Value
It’s great for helping young children learn basic numerical skills while encouraging them to use their full imagination in using the till as a tool for their pretend play.
5. Count 'n Play
Has an automatic change dispenser
Pulling the handle opens the drawer
Coins drop in the drawer when the credit card is in the slot
Has vibrant, bright colors
For kids two years old and older
Small coins could be a choking concern
Designed with older babies and younger toddlers in mind, the colorful Count ‘n Play Cash Register Playset from Little Tikes provides a different set of learning objectives for youngsters. This is specifically intended to build upon the developmental skills that are already established in the first two years of life.
Read moreDesign
The Little Tikes Count ‘n Play comes with 3 colored coin slots which are ideal for enhancing young kids’ color recognition skills while also enabling them to test their problem-solving skills by sorting the differently colored plastic coins and slotting them into their respective colored coin slots. Once the columns have been filled, your kid can now swipe the accompanying toy credit card to open a hidden door that allows the coins to be dropped into the drawer. The swiping of the card facilitates the continuous development of the child’s fine motor skills as well as spatial reasoning and visual-motor coordination. Pulling the handle on the side of the Count ‘n Play allows young kids to open the drawer and see their stash of coins. The Count ‘n Play may not really be a sophisticated toy but it sure can deliver on its promise of building on the earlier developmental milestones of young kids.
Educational Value
Sparking the imagination and stimulating the creativity of toddlers are the goals of this coin register. This is accomplished by matching colors, sizes, and numbers of the coins in the register slots.
Value
Kids as young as two years old can use this small cash register that has just coins and credit cards! It is a wonderful way to get them active with simple, colorful objects.
6. Count Along
Well built so it can stand up to a little rough play
Toddlers can learn about money, counting, and even singing
Register face covered with plastic for easy cleaning
Lots of opportunity for open ended, imaginative play
Go shopping or be the sales clerk, make up stories to go along with your characters
Some parents would like to be able to scan items without pushing a button
Some parents complain that the toy is too loud.
Many of today’s merchants now use fully computerized POS terminals that allow them to efficiently manage purchases and payments made by customers. Kids who happen to go with mom in one of these shopping trips already know that some tills actually do talk. And they would expect this when they go home. If that’s the case, don’t fret since LeapFrog’s Count Along Cash Register is here.
Read moreDesign
The Count Along toy cash machine is a great tool for helping children to have all the fun running their very own retail shop or store. The Count Along comes to life as it teaches kids a variety of learning concepts such as counting numbers, colors, and even number names through the use of counting and shopping songs. It also comes with a pretend scanning sound as well as a friendly light up face on the LCD display. The LCD screen comes with a variety of buttons to simulate a real store complete with credit cards, loyalty cards, coins, and even 20 checkout items at the store. These items can be scanned and the total button will tell your child how many coins he or she needs to insert into the coin slot. Not only are you teaching young kids about the basics of math, you are also grooming your child to become the next entrepreneur.
Educational Value
The LeapFrog Register sings, counts, and talks to kids with over fifty exciting phrases and enlightening songs. Children will gain many abilities by simply interacting with this charming toy.
Value
The use of music and interactive sounds and light effects make learning math and money management concepts absolutely fun.
7. Learning Resources Pretend & Play
Large buttons for little kids who don’t have yet have fine motor skills
Cash register drawer dings when opened
Calculator runs on solar energy
Provides learning opportunities for children such as counting money, giving change, and improving fine motor skills
Stands up to rough and tumble play
Drawer sometimes opens very fast, scattering coins
The note pad runs out of paper, but can be replaced with post-it notes
Most toy registers for kids are powered by batteries, but this one gets it energy to operate from the sun. It is one of the few on the market that does so. That feature alone teaches kids the importance of using the sun for energy.
Read moreDesign
With this register, children will develop their skills in money recognition and counting, while sorting and organizing the bills and coins in their proper slots. An LCD screen on the toy lets kids add up items so they can see the total. With a bit of training, they can be taught how to collect money and make change with the play money. If using the credit cards, then kids will learn how to pay with plastic instead. When your kids start making purchases on their own in real stores, they will be professionals because of the practice with this simple register. Get your child started with early math and money abilities now that will last a lifetime.
Educational Value
Even though most of our purchases now are completed with credit and debit cards, children still should learn how to count and recognize currency. Toys like this pretty cash register make this task fun, easy, and simple.
Value
The gorgeous shades of pink make this register a real eye-catcher! Any child would love to play with it because it looks so inviting to touch and explore.
8. Melissa & Doug Freestanding Wooden Fresh Mart Grocery Store
Full interactive cash register experience in kid size
Constructed from wood
Includes; conveyor belt, bagging area, card machine, and cash register
Designed with kids in mind; lots of storage, large display, smooth corners
Best suited for children three years old or older
Does not include any items but the cash register and displays
Display shelves do not hold a lot of weight
Using a cash register is so fun with this set. It gives kids the true experience with shopping and purchasing interactive display. The system is constructed from wood and offers a sturdy and realistic design. It includes a sign that displays, “Fresh Mart Grocery Store!” It is a standalone system that with corners that have been super smoothed out and display edges that allow the pint-sized customers to browse the shelves. Once they have made their selections can be taken to the cash register area and can be rung up just like at the store.
Read moreDesign
Offering realistic features that make this cash register set the full experience. The scanner that beeps when items pass by is usually one thing that the kids really love. Then the hand crank conveyor belt and the bagging area are fun to explore with the food and accessory items. The cash register has a card swiping area, a keypad with a built-in calculator, and even a cash drawer. From picking out the items to using the cash register all kids will find something that they will love playing with on this set.
Educational Value
Shelves, shelves, and more shelves. This ash register set includes lots of display area. It is a two-sided display that gives kids an ample area for storage and display. This makes it easy for them to display the items that they have available at the ‘store’ and easy for others to find them. It gives the whole shopping experience from start to end something that they will come back to time and time again.
Value
This company has been designing and making toys for more than 30 years. Each of the designs has been carefully thought out and has been created to spark the imagination, boost creativity, and give an interactive experience that tunes in developmental skill sets. And they did exactly that with this cash register set. The full experience from the wooden construction, to the beautiful colored display sign, to the interactive store features inspires to bring out the best in kids.
9. Funerica with Scanner & Microphone
Over 40 items included in the set
Foods can be sliced apart and put back together
Will encourage endless fun and imaginative play
Quality tested and 100% safe for kids
Materials are high-quality and long-lasting
Complaints about the overall product quality
Some stated the register was too small
The cash register is just the beginning of this fabulous restaurant/grocery set of merchandise and equipment. Over forty items are included to keep children constantly entertained and intrigued in the merry world of doing business. Contained with the cash register are some play money, a shopping basket, cookware, dinnerware, a mini stove, an assortment of play veggies and foods to slice, a cutting board, a knife, and a chef hat. The individual food pieces can be sliced apart with the knife and then put back together again.
Read moreDesign
They have durable Velcro on the inner sides, so kids can cut them open again and again on the cutting board for continued fun. The register makes authentic sounds, and the microphone is operational for store announcements. Surprisingly, the cash drawer opens and locks with a key to keep the play money safe. More products are available from this manufacturer to increase the food supply, equipment, and accessories of this set. All items are bright and cheery with wonderful colors so that kids will be fascinated with this toy for hours.
Educational Value
This toy exercises fine motor skills, hand flexibility, and hand-eye coordination during the play of selling, shopping, slicing foods, and cooking. With so much to do, kids will never be bored or run out of play situations to practice restaurant or store.
Value
What a bargain this package is! Kids get so many things with this toy cash register that it is hard to list them all. There is certainly plenty to keep little hands busy with all of these accessories and food items.
10. Hape Kid's Wooden Pretend Play Set
Features play time cash register with bar code and car scanner
Includes with the set; play money, coins, and credit cards
Constructed from high quality and kid safe materials
Designed for children ages 3 years old to 5 years old
Promotes social interaction developmental skills
Cash register draw sticks, hard to open
Play money easily falls behind the cash register drawer, no guide
Playtime is a fun time with this pretend cash register. Kids will have a great opening their own business and collecting funds with this wooden cash register. As they practice playing and interacting with their friends they also learn to develop their counting and monetary skills. Collecting funds, counting, and giving charge is a fully interactive experience they will learn from and enjoy.
Read moreDesign
Constructed from high-quality wooden materials this cash register is designed to have a classic look with working features that the kids will love. The materials that are used when making the cash register are all child safe and the paint is non-toxic. It has been designed for children ranging in age from 3 years old to 5 years old. All the working parts including the scanner and cash register draw will be enjoyed by all.
Educational Value
Included with the cash register is play money that has been constructed from thick paper, play coins that have been constructed from kid-safe plastic materials and credit cards that have also been made from the same plastic. Along with the money, accessories are the attached scanner and card reader. Each of them is attached to the cash register with a short red string. This makes it easy to find and safe from loss. Both the attached items are designed from the same wood and kid safe materials as the cash register.
Value
Interactive experiences offered when playing with cash registers develops the social skills that children need during their early childhood development. When playing with others and developing the skills needed to interact with cash register and them it gives children a time to practice the skill set and develop their own interactions with others.
Criteria Used for Evaluation
Design
Any child that wants to learn about American money would enjoy these cash registers and money sets because they are highly functional and well-designed. However, the intended age for use starts at 3 years old because kids this young can perform the skills necessary to enjoy the toys.
After the age of 7 or 8 years old, kids will probably have their own money from chores or allowances, so they will have real money to count, sort, and organize. The earlier parents introduce toy cash and registers to a child, the quicker they will progress with the abilities to spend and save their money wisely.
Educational Value
Of the many skills that are exercised and developed with play money and cash registers, these are the most important: counting, subtracting, adding, sorting, pattern recognition, and organizing, just from the coins and bills alone. With the cash register and equipment, they will build their gross- and fine-motor skills by operating the various parts, role-playing talents, and imaginative abilities.
These toys seem simple and child-like, but they have so much to offer kids because of the thought and ingenuity that the manufacturers built into them. Not only are they beneficial, but they are also fun and interactive. Learning should be very enjoyable, especially at the toddler stage of life.
Value
While we thought of including super-realistic cash registers in our selection, we remembered that pretend play sets should leave something to the imagination. By creating a gap between what is a toy and what the real object is, we are able to encourage children to use their minds in filling the gap through their sense of imagination. As such, we chose products that provide some form motivation for kids to use their cognitive abilities in conjuring images of a real money management machine.
Additionally, since our goal is to provide the correct tools for children to enjoy their pretend-play activities, we had to make sure that the recommended age of these toys are appropriate. Simply put, the toy cash register must be developmentally appropriate to the kid’s age. This is crucial as getting a toy that is simpler than the child’s developmental age can create boredom while something that is more advanced than the developmental level of the child can bring about frustrations. Striking a balance was thus, very important.
The overall construction of the toy was also evaluated. This included the safety and quality of the materials used. Harmful chemicals had to be ascertained to be absent from the manufacturing process as the presence of these substances can significantly undermine any developmental gains achieved by children so far. The integrity of the different components was also ascertained especially if the toy is geared for younger users.
Design Educational Value Value 
Pretend play with cash registrars and money is a great way to introduce the concept of money to a toddler. When playing with the money talk to them about the value and make it into a game. You will be surprised about how much they will understand.
Fine motor skill development can be fun with money. Playing with pretend coins and dollars creates the muscle memory that they need to create a good controlled grasp.
Other Factors to Consider
Effectiveness
There is no preference for toy cash registers for boys or girls because all kids need to learn the necessary financial skills to be a functional part of our society. Children who cannot handle coins and bills will soon get lost in the way our monetary system functions. All children must gain some hands-on knowledge of the bill denominations, their names, and how they are interchanged to purchase items.
Being left-handed or right-handed should not pose a problem either way in operating or enjoying the cash registers and money set drawers. The placement of the scanner, microphone, or conveyor belt may be on a side that would be a bit uncomfortable for some children, but overall it should not be a big concern.
Logic
You don’t need to wait until your kids reach high school before you even start considering teaching kids about money. As early as one year of age, you can already start integrating simpler concepts in money management in their playtime activities. There are plenty of money lessons to teach kids even before they reach the age of 10. Here are some tips to help your child understand the basics of money management.
Make saving money a very fun activity. Use colorful character jars to place a part of our kid’s weekly allowance. Be as creative as you can be in the choice of a piggy bank to help entice your kid to save.
Help your kid to set a goal that he or she wants to achieve. Then help him or her devise a budget plan on how much he or she needs to save every day to achieve the goal within the set time frame. Make sure the goal is workable and is something that your kid really wants.
Contribute to your kid’s savings. Children will be more enticed to save if they know that you’ll match everything they save. For instance, if they were able to save $10 in a week, then you also need to add $10 to their piggy bank. You can look at it as a form of incentive for kids to really save.
Be a good role model. If you’re teaching your kid to save or to have a goal, then you yourself must also be able to exhibit such attributes. Children learn best when they see a congruence between what we are saying and what we are doing.
Frequently Asked Questions
q: Do any of the cash register make sounds when they are being used? What are the sounds and what activates them, if so?
All of the cash registers make some sound. Usually, it is the cha-ching of the drawer opening or the beeping of the buttons when pushed. The scanners make sounds as well as light up when operating. Pressing buttons on the cash register triggers the sounds and lights. Conveyor belts are operated by the cash register functions or by hand with a handle to move the belt.
q: Are these toys more for girls or boys? Are any in particular for one gender or the other?
Boys and girls alike love these cash registers and money sets. There is no gender preference when it comes to money-–everybody loves it! All of the products highlighted on this page are for either sex. The only ones that may be viewed as primarily for girls are the pink electronic cash register and the pink Learning Resources Pretend & Play Register. Just because they are pink does not mean they are exclusively for girls. The manufacturer makes no such statement regarding gender preference, so the pink cash registers, like all of the others, are for any child that would like to have one.
q: How old does a child have to be to play with these cash registers? Are there some for very young kids, such as 3 years old?
Most of the products are for ages 3 and older, but the Little Tikes Count n’ Play Cash Register can be used as early as 2 years old. This determination is strictly up to the parents because every child develops differently than all others. Two year olds may be ready for the other cash registers as well, but this is left for the parent to decide. It certainly would not hurt to introduce the concepts and toys early just to get the child used to seeing money and feeling it. Most of the registers have enticing sounds, tunes, and lights that would engage a child in playing with it.
q: Are there any options or choices with these toys, such as color selection or size? Are the dollar bills and coins the same size for all of the products? Would the extra money items fit in these cash registers?
The Learning Resources Pretend & Play Register is available in red or pink, but that is the only one that has a color choice. There is no option for size for any of the registers. The coins and bills will vary with each toy because of the manufacturers. They even vary in materials used, as some are plastic replicas of coins and others are more realistic. The two money sets in the list can be used with the registers, but the dimensions of the money and the register compartments were not given in the product information. It would be hard to say into which registers the bills and coins would fit the best.
q: Do all of the cash registers come with money that fits in the drawers? Do any of them come with extras, such as toy items to ring up for a sale? Is the money in dollars, euros, or pounds?
Yes, all of the registers come with either just coins, as the Little Tikes Count ‘n Play does, or they have both bills and coins in their drawers. Almost all of them come with food or grocery items to ring up on the cash register. A few come with a shopping basket for the grocery items, and one has pots and pans for a restaurant. All of the money included with the registers is in American dollars and coins. The Little Tikes coins are just numbered and not replicas of real money.
q: Do any of the cash register talk or speak to tell the child what buttons they are pressing on the registers, or what they should be pressing to do it correctly?
The LeapFrog Count Along Register talks and sings to kids when the buttons are pressed. The other toys make sounds and light up when the buttons are pushed, but they do not speak.
q: What do these toys run on for power – batteries, electricity, or other?
All of the cash registers run on battery power, except the few that are specified as solar-powered. Only two types were solar-powered in this list. Most of the toys have batteries included, but sometimes they are only to show the operation of the toy. Fresh batteries are required for full functionality during play. None of the toys plug into electricity for safety, storage, and travel reasons.
q: A few of these items have microphones. Do they really work or are they just a toy for show?
If a register has a microphone, they are fully functional. Kids can speak loudly with the microphone to announce store specials in pretend play.
Sources
- , Best Toy Cash Registers for Kids to Learn Basic Money Management, Product Information
- , 4 Benefits of Imaginative Play for Young Children, Informative Article
- , 5 Benefits of Imaginative Play, Informative Article
- , How to Teach Kids to Budget Their Money, Informative Article
