For kids
Card games children love, from first games for four-year-olds to ones that quietly teach counting, memory and a bit of strategy.
- #1 Go Fish "Got any sevens?" – ask the others for cards, collect all four of a rank, and when they say "Go fish!", try your luck in the pond. From 5: asking "Got any sevens?" is fun at once, and collecting sets teaches memory and patience.
- #2 Concentration (Memory) All cards face down, two turned up at a time – remember where everything is and collect the most pairs. From 4: turn up two cards and remember where everything lies – children often beat adults.
- #3 Snap Turn your cards one by one – and when two match, shout "Snap!" faster than anyone else. From 4: turn up cards in turn and be first to shout "Snap!" when two match – no reading or counting needed.
- #4 Mau-Mau Match suit or rank, dodge the sevens and be the first to shout "Mau-Mau!" From 6: match suit or rank, dodge the sevens and shout "Mau-Mau!" – the gateway to every shedding game.
- #5 Old Maid Pair up your cards, draw blind from your neighbour – and pray you're not the one left holding the odd Queen. From 4: pair up, draw blind from your neighbour and hope you're not left with the odd Queen.
- #6 Slapjack Cards go down one by one – when a Jack appears, slap it first and the whole pile is yours. From 4: when a Jack appears, slap it first – quick hands beat grown-ups here.
- #7 Crazy Eights Match suit or rank, play an 8 to change the suit – and make the others pay for every card they're stuck with. From 6: match suit or rank, play an 8 to change the suit – and adding up the others' leftover cards is counting practice on the side.
- #8 Spoons Pass cards round the table until someone grabs a spoon – then everyone dives for the rest, and one hand comes up empty. From 5: pass cards, spot four of a kind, grab a spoon – giggles guaranteed.
- #9 Kings in the Corner Solitaire for the whole table – build down in alternating colours, put Kings in the corners and empty your hand first. From 6: patience for the whole family that practises counting down and alternating colours.
- #10 Speed No turns, no waiting – slap your cards onto the centre one higher or one lower, faster than your opponent. From 7: one higher or one lower, as fast as you can – great for number sense.
- #11 Beggar-My-Neighbour Turn up an Ace or a face card and your neighbour has to pay – with luck, you'll beggar them of every card. From 5: turn up an Ace or a face card and the other player has to pay – pure luck, so the youngest win as often as anyone.
- #12 War Flip your top card – the higher one takes both, and when two cards match, it's war! From 4: flip, compare, take both – the first game where the youngest can play without help.