Real World Maths Adventures
The wizard shop money question prompts
Adult prompts and extension questions for use pretend coins, prices, discounts and budgeting.
Quick answer
You can use pretend coins and prices to create fun money maths adventures that help children learn about counting, adding, subtracting, and budgeting – just like in a wizard shop!Learning outcome
By the end of this page, you will be able to use pretend coins and prices to solve money problems, make shopping decisions, and plan a budget – just like a wizard in a magical shop. Success signs:- You can count pretend money and know what each coin is worth
- You can add up prices to find the total cost
- You can subtract to find how much change you get
- You can plan a shopping list with a budget
Why this matters
Money maths helps you understand how to spend and save your pocket money, plan for a party, or buy things in a shop. Whether you're pretending to be a wizard buying magical ingredients or a real-life shopper, you'll use the same maths skills. It’s like having a magic wand for numbers!How it works
Think of a wizard shop where everything costs different amounts. You can use pretend coins to buy things, just like real money. Start with simple coin values, add up prices, and work out how much change you get. You can even plan a budget to buy the most magical things!Examples you can see
Let’s imagine a wizard shop with these prices:- Sparkle dust: 5p
- Dragon scale: 10p
- Wand: 50p
- Spell book: £1
- Golden potion: £2
- 1 spell book = £1
- 2 spell books = £1 + £1 = £2
- 1 wand = 50p
- Total = £2 + 50p = £2.50
- £5.00 - £2.50 = £2.50
- Wand = 50p
- Dragon scale = 10p
- Total = 50p + 10p = 60p
- You have £3, so yes, you can buy them!
Try it as a mini adventure
The Wizard Shop Challenge You are a young wizard who needs to buy magical items for your spell book. You have £4 to spend. You can buy:- Sparkle dust (5p) – 10 pieces
- Dragon scale (10p) – 5 pieces
- Wand (50p) – 2 pieces
- Spell book (£1) – 1 piece
- Golden potion (£2) – 1 piece
- Choose 3 items you want to buy
- Add up the prices
- Check if you have enough money
- Calculate how much change you get
- Wand = 50p
- Spell book = £1
- 2 sparkles = 5p + 5p = 10p
- Total = 50p + £1 + 10p = £1.60
- £2.00 - £1.60 = 40p
Common mistakes
- Mistake: Thinking 10p + 5p = 15p
Why it happens: Confusing the coin values or not counting carefully.
Fix: Use real coins or draw the coins to help you count. - Mistake: Not checking if you have enough money before buying.
Why it happens: Rushing through the shopping or not thinking ahead.
Fix: Add up prices first, then check your budget. - Mistake: Mixing up pounds and pence.
Why it happens: Not understanding that 100p = £1.
Fix: Use a coin chart or practice counting in 10s and 100s.
Parent and carer guide
To help your child with wizard shop money maths:- Use real coins or make pretend coins with paper and crayons
- Set up a pretend shop with items priced in pence and pounds
- Ask your child to plan a budget for a small shopping trip
- Encourage them to check their total and change
- Ask questions like: “Do you have enough money?” or “How much change will you get?”
- Play a game: “Buy one item” and see if they can pay the exact amount
- Use a calculator to check answers (but let them do the thinking)
- Let them be the shopkeeper and charge you
- Ask them to find the cheapest and most expensive items
Practice questions
- You have 50p. You buy a dragon scale (10p) and a sparkle dust (5p). How much change do you get?
- You want to buy 2 spell books (£1 each) and a wand (50p). How much do you spend?
- You have £3. You buy a golden potion (£2) and a wand (50p). How much change do you get?
- You have £1. You buy 3 sparkles (5p each). How much do you spend?
- You want to buy 2 wands (50p each) and 1 spell book (£1). Do you have enough with £2?
- 50p - 10p - 5p = 35p
- £1 + £1 + 50p = £2.50
- £3 - £2 - 50p = 50p
- 5p + 5p + 5p = 15p
- 50p + 50p + £1 = £2, so yes, you have enough
FAQ
What is the wizard shop money question prompt?
It’s a fun way to practice counting money, adding, and budgeting using pretend coins and prices, like in a magical shop.
Can I use this with my 4-year-old?
Yes! Start with simple coins like 1p, 2p, 5p and small prices to match their level.
How can I make it more challenging?
Use more items, bigger prices, and introduce discounts or sales to make it harder.
Is this the same as real money?
It’s a pretend version to help you learn the same skills as real money, but with less pressure.
How often should we practice?
Once or twice a week is great for building confidence and fun!