EASY AND FUN CARD GAMES FOR KIDS

This post may contain affiliate sales links.

Are the kids spending too much time on electronics? Or are you just looking for a fun yet educational way to entertain the little ones at home or on the road. I wasn’t interested in card games growing up and it wasn’t until I had kids of my own that I realized how much playing cards can help children learn strategy, arithmetic, shape recognitions and yes even social skills too. These easy and fun card games keeps us busy for hours at a time and everyone looks forward to game night in our home.

These can all be done with a pack of Basic Bicycle cards that you can find at pretty much any dollar store.

Here are 5 Easy and Fun Card Games for Kids.

CRAZY EIGHTS

How to Play:

1. Deal 5 cards to each player.
2. Place the remaining cards in a stack in the centre and flip over the top card to create a face-up card pile.
3. Each player takes a turn to play either the same suit or same number on top of the face up card or an 8.
4. An 8 can be played on any card, and the player playing it chooses what suit the next player has to play.
5. The first player to get rid of all their cards is the winner.

 

WAR

War is another classic. It is a simple game for just two kids to play against each other. The giggles I hear when Nate and his cousins are playing are endless.

How to Play:

1. Each player turns up a card at the same time and the player with the higher card takes both cards and puts them face down, on the bottom of his stack. If the cards are the same rank, it is WAR.
2. Each player turns up one card face down and one card face up. The player with the higher cards takes both piles (six cards in total)
3. The player that wins their opponent’s pack of cards is crowned the winner.

 

RUMMY

How to Play:

1. Each player is dealt 7 cards.
2. Players immediately put down all cards of the same value ( For example, two 6’s or three Queens) face up.
3. If another person has a card of that value, they can put it down on the pile and take the pile to their part of the table.
4. All players do this at the same time. Once all play has stopped, the dealer hands out new cards, and the pile building and taking is repeated until all cards have been dealt.
5. The player with the most cards in piles at the end is the winner.

GO FISH

Go Fish is a fun game that is sure to amuse and entertain even the youngest card players.

How to Play:

1. Shuffle the cards and deal them out to the players.
2. For 2 players, deal each player 7 cards; for 3 players, deal 6 cards; and for 4 players, deal 5 cards. Place the remaining cards randomly in the middle of the table.
3. Each player looks at their cards secretly. (Make sure you don’t show your neighbor)
4. The first player to take a turn chooses another player and asks them if they have any cards of a certain value. They must have a card of the number they ask about in their hand. 
5. If the player who is asked has any cards of the value, they must hand them over. The player who asked for the cards can then take another turn and ask for another card.
6. If the player who is asked has no cards of the requested value, they must tell the player to ‘Go fish.’ The player must then take a card from the centre.
7. At any point, if a player collects a set of 4 of the same kind, they win the cards and put them aside in their winner’s pile.
8. Play continues until all sets of 4 cards have been collected. The winner is the player with the most sets of 4 cards at the end.

 

MEMORY

This is a great game to get your kids to concentrate. Both my 7 and 2 year old have fun playing this game.

How to Play:

1. Deal out all the cards facedown.
2. Each players take turns to flip over 2 cards. If they flip over a pair that matches, they win the pair and get to have another go. If not, the next player takes a turn.
3. At the end, the player with the most cards wins.

 

I hope you enjoy playing these easy and fun card games with your kids.