Shop Mat for Autistic Children — Printable
Printable pretend-shop mat for autistic children — practise paying for groceries with real coins and notes at home.
The gap between counting rupees and actually paying a shopkeeper is huge for many autistic children. This printable shop mat lets you practise the whole transaction safely at home — pick, count, pay, receive change — with real coins on a familiar surface.
Shows exactly which notes and coins to place for each item's price.
- 1The child places real money on the outlines.
- 2Then play pretend-shop at home.
- 3Then one real small purchase with the child's own hands — the mat is rehearsal, the shop is the stage.
Questions parents ask
How do I set up a pretend shop for my autistic child?
Print the mat and place 3 real household items on it — a biscuit packet, a soap, a small bottle. Put a price sticker on each. Use real coins. You are the shopkeeper for the first few days; then swap roles so your child practises being the customer AND the shopkeeper.
Why practise shopping at home instead of just going to the shop?
The real shop has strangers, noise, waiting and time pressure. Home has none of those, so your child can focus on ONE new thing at a time — first counting coins, then handing them over, then receiving change. All in a familiar, calm space.
When is my child ready for a real shop?
When they can complete one full pretend transaction (pick, pay, take change) at home without a prompt from you. Then go to a familiar kirana shop where the shopkeeper knows you, at a quiet time of day.