Children's Card Games
Children's Card Games
Teaching Card Games to Children
Familiarity with playing cards and card games can provide children with entertainment, social interaction, and educational benefits. Even at a very early age, children are naturally attracted to the bright colors, shapes and pretty designs found on most playing cards, and these can help stimulate a child's recognition of letters, symbols, and numbers.
Best of all, playing card games is a pastime that offers immediate pleasure, as well as many advantages that will last into adult life. The fact that grown-ups enjoy playing with cards is a gratifying discovery for a child, and most children will want to play cards too. This is a great opportunity for adults to teach timeless favorites such as Go Fish or Old Maid.
Often, card games are best taught by demonstration along with an explanation. A child can be helped to play the first few rounds or hands with cards exposed while the card play is explained as the game progresses. Alternatively, children can watch a few games being played before actually participating.
In the description for each game there is a suggested age range and the skills that might be developed or enhanced. However, these are just guidelines. Children are individuals, and readiness to learn a particular game will vary from child to child.
What is most important is to demonstrate how much fun it is to play cards. Also, when families play card games together, it can be one of the most rewarding of all indoor recreational activities.
SLAPJACK
Slapjack is a very simple game, and it is often a child's first introduction to playing cards. The memories of playing this often noisy, and always fun pastime are never forgotten!
Suggested Ages. 5 to 12.
Skills Developed. Visual alertness and quick responses.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used.
Number of Players. Two to eight people, playing individually.
The Deal. Any player may deal first. The dealer shuffles the cards and then deals them out, one at a time face down, to each player in rotation, until all the cards have been dealt. The hands do not have to come out even. Without looking at any of his cards, each player squares up his hand into a neat pile in front of him.
Object of the Game. The goal is to win all the cards, by being first to slap each jack as it is played to the center.
The Play. Beginning on the dealer's left, each player lifts one card from his pile and places it face up in the center of the table. In doing this, the player must turn up the card away from himself so that he does not see it sooner than anyone else. However, the player should turn his card up quickly enough so that the other players do not see the face of the card before he does.
When the card played to the center is a jack, the fun begins! The first player to slap his hand down on the jack takes it, as well as all the cards beneath it. The player winning these cards turns them face down, places them under his pile of cards, and shuffles them to form a new, larger pile. He then places the pile in front of him as before.
When more than one player slaps at a jack, the one whose hand is lowest (directly on top of the jack) wins the pile. If a player slaps at any card in the center that is not a jack, he must give one card, face down, to the player of that card.
When a player has no more cards left, he remains in the game until the next jack is turned. He may slap at the jack in an effort to get a new pile. If he fails to win that next pile, he is out of the game.
Play continues until one player has won all the cards. That player is the winner.
Irregularities. If a card is exposed in dealing, the recipient's cards must be shuffled before he places them face down in a pile and plays.
I DOUBT IT
I Doubt It is excellent for children - and even for adults or for mixed groups - because it is easy to learn and can be played either haphazardly or scientifically. It can also be hilarious, especially when eight or ten players are participating in the same game.
Suggested Ages. 6 and up.
Skills Developed. Counting and number sequencing.
The Pack. Four or fewer players should use one standard 52-card pack. Five players may use either a single or a double pack. Six or more players should use a double pack - two standard 52-card decks (104 cards) shuffled together.
The Shuffle and Cut. The players draw cards from a shuffled pack spread face down. The player with the highest card deals first. Anyone may shuffle, and it does not matter whether the cards are cut or not.
The Deal. The dealer gives two or three cards at a time to each player in rotation beginning on his left. On the last round of dealing, the cards are dealt out one at a time as far as they will go.
Rank of Cards. Cards have no actual value but are played in sequence with aces first, then twos, then threes, and so on.
Object of the Game. The goal is to be the first player to get rid of all his cards.
The Play. The player on the dealer's left places from one to four cards, face down on the table. As he puts them down, the player announces that he is putting down as many aces as the number of cards. For example, the player may put down three cards, saying, "Three aces." However, the cards need not be aces; the player does not have to tell the truth!
Any player at the table may then say "I doubt it," in which case the cards must be turned up. If the player's statement was true (if, as in this case, all three cards were actually aces), the doubter must take up those three cards and all other cards that have been played on the table previously, into his hand. If the announcement was false in any respect, the player who didn't tell the truth must take all the cards on the table, including those just put down, into his hand. If two or more players doubt the announcement, the one who spoke first is the official doubter. If two players doubt simultaneously, the one nearest to the player's left is the official doubter.
When an announcement is not doubted, the cards remain face down in front of the player until, by the rules of the game, some player is compelled to pick them up and add them to his hand.
After the first player's announcement either has been doubted or not, the player on his left must put down one to four cards and announce that he is putting down that many twos. Next, the player to his left must put down and announce so many threes, and so on around the table. When a player in turn has announced kings, the next player starts over with aces again.
When a double pack is being used, a player may lay down any number of cards from one to eight. The principle is that a player must be permitted to put down every card of a group if he holds it: four of a kind with a single pack or eight of a kind with a double pack.
It is quite ethical to make false statements. For example: When it is someone's turn to play sevens, saying "No sevens,"is a normal part of the game, even if that player has one or more sevens.
Game. When a player puts his last card on the table and either is not doubted or, upon being doubted, is shown to have announced correctly, he wins the game. If the game was played for points or chips, the other players pay the winner 1 point or 1 chip for each card remaining in their hands.
Irregularities. There is no penalty for a misdeal. Any irregularity in dealing should be corrected by adjusting the number of cards in the respective hands, even if the players have looked at them.
WAR
This game is a favorite with even the youngest age group. The rules are very simple, and the game, while pure luck, can be very exciting. It is all a matter of chance because only the denomination of the cards matters.
Suggested Ages. 5 to 12.
Skills Developed. Counting and the card values.
Number of Players. Two people can play.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used.
Rank of Cards. K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A. (In some games aces are high.)
The Deal. The deck is divided evenly, with each player receiving 26 cards, dealt one at a time, face down. Anyone may deal first. Each player places his stack of cards face down, in front of him.
Object of the Game. The goal is to be the first player to win all 52 cards.
The Play. 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. Each player turns up one card face down and one card face up. The player with the higher cards takes both piles (six cards). If the turned-up cards are again the same rank, each player places another card face down and turns another card face up. The player with the higher card takes all 10 cards, and so on. The game ends when one player has won all the cards.
Quadruple War
In this version, when there is a War, each player counts out four cards face down, instead of one, and the next card turned face up by each player determines the winner of all the cards. Quadruple War is even more exciting than regular War, and in many regions, it has become more popular than the standard game.
Stealing Bundles
(Steal the Old Lady's Bundle)
This is a children's version of Cassino (see page 264).
Suggested Ages. 6 and up.
Skills Developed: Identifying cards and pairing.
The game is best for two to four players and the rules are the same as Cassino except for the following:
1) Players may win cards from the middle of the table only by pairing, not by building or adding numbers in any way.
2) Cards won are stacked in a pile face up, and, for his turn, a player can capture an opponent's pile by matching its top card. If he does, the player takes the entire pile and places it face up on top of any cards he has already taken. However, his pile may be recaptured by any opponent as long as the card on top is matched.
The object of the game is to win more than half the cards. When a player has done this, the game ends, and he is the winner.
GO FISH
(Fish, Go Fishing)
Go Fish is a fun game that will amuse and entertain even the youngest card players.
Suggested Ages. 4 to 10.
Skills Developed. Matching and pairing.
Number of Players. The game is best for two to five players.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used. There are also special decks available for the game of Authors (see p. ••), which has very similar rules to Go Fish.
Rank of Cards. The cards rank from ace (high) to two (low). The suits are not important, only the card numbers are relevant, such as two 3s, two 10s, and so on.
The Draw. Any player deals one card face up to each player. The player with the lowest card is the dealer.
The Shuffle and Cut. The dealer shuffles the cards, and the player on his right cuts them.
The Deal. The dealer completes the cut and deals the cards clockwise one at a time, face down, beginning with the player to his left. If two or three people are playing, each player receives seven cards. If four or five people are playing, each receives five cards. The remainder of the pack is placed face down on the table to form the stock.
Object of the Game. The goal is to win the most "books" of cards. A book is any four of a kind, such as four kings, four aces, and so on.
The Play. The player to the left of the dealer looks directly at any opponent and says, for example, "Give me your kings," usually addressing the opponent by name and specifying the rank he wants, from ace down to two. The player who is "fishing"must have at least one card of the rank he asked for in his hand. The player who is addressed
must hand over all the cards requested. If he has none, he says, "Go fish!" and the player who made the request draws the top card of the stock and places it in his hand.
If a player gets one or more cards of the named rank he asked for, he is entitled to ask the same or another player for a card. He can ask for the same card or a different one. So long as he is succeeds in getting cards (makes a catch), his turn continues. When a player makes a catch, he must reveal the card so that the catch is verified.
If a player gets the fourth card of a book, he shows all four cards, places them on the table face up in front of him, and plays again.
If the player goes fishing without "making a catch" (does not receive a card he asked for), the turn passes to his left.
The game ends when all thirteen books have been won. The winner is the player with the most books.
During the game, if a player is left without cards, he may (when it's his turn to play), draw from the stock and then ask for cards of that rank. If there are no cards left in the stock, he is out of the game.
Authors
This game is similar to Go Fish, but there is more to learn and remember.
Suggested Ages. 8 and up.
Skills Developed. Counting, matching, and recognizing suits.
It is best for four or five players. The whole pack is dealt out, as nearly evenly as possible. Each player requests a desired card, not only by rank but also by suit. For example: he says to an opponent "Give me the queen of diamonds." If the opponent has the card, he must hand it over. The player's turn continues so long as the player receives the card requested. If not, the turn passes to the left
As soon as a player collects four cards of the same denomination such as four 3s or four queens, he lays them face down. The game continues until all cards have been laid down in books.
Irregularities. These apply to both Go Fish and Authors.
Misdeal. The dealer must deal again if he exposes a card while dealing, or if any player receives too few cards and calls attention to this mistake before looking at his hand.
Exposed card. When a player drops or otherwise exposes a card, there is no penalty. He simply restores the card to his hand.
Playing out of turn. If a player asks for cards when it is not his turn, he may not score a book in that rank for the rest of the game.
Failure to show a book. If a player fails to show a book he has formed before the end of his turn, he cannot count that book in his score.
Illegal call. If a player asks for a rank when holding no card of that rank (or, in Authors, asks for a card that he already holds), he misses his next turn.
Failure to give up card. If a player has a card in his hand that he fails to hand over when properly asked for, that player may not score a book in that rank and also misses his next turn.
Pig
This is a really easy game to play. Adults, as well as children, find it very humorous.
Suggested Ages. 6 and up.
Skills Developed. Counting, matching, and recognizing suits.
Number of Players. 3 to 13.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used. The number of cards in the pack varies: four cards represent any one rank for each player in the game. Thus, four players would use a 16-card pack consisting of four aces, four kings, four queens, and four jacks. Five players would use a 20-card pack, with 10s added. Six players would use a 24-card pack, with nines added, and so on.
The Shuffle and Deal. Any player shuffles the pack thoroughly and deals four cards, one at a time, to each player.
Object of the Game. The goal is to be the first player to make a group of four of a kind in his hand, or not to be the last player to notice when someone else has done so.
The Play. The players look at their hands; then each player passes one card to the left and picks up the card passed by the player on his right. This passing continues as rapidly as possible so that players have a difficult time keeping up the pace. As soon as a player assembles four cards of one denomination, such as four jacks, he stops passing or picking up cards and puts a finger to his nose. The other players must immediately stop passing, and they, too, must put their fingers to their noses. The last person to do this is the Pig!
OLD MAID
Old Maid is a constant favorite with children and lots of fun for families playing cards together. Colorful decks made specially for the game are popular, but regardless of the playing cards used, the rules are the same.
Suggested Ages. 4 to 10.
Skills Developed. Matching, pairing, and recognizing numbers.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used, however, one of the four queens is removed, leaving a total of 51 cards.
The Deal. Any player shuffles the pack and deals them around, one at a time to each player, as far as they will go. The cards need not come out even.
Object of the Game. The goal is to form and discard pairs of cards, and not to be left with the odd card (a queen) at the end.
The Play. Each player removes all pairs from his hand face down. If a player has three of a kind, he removes only two of those three cards. The dealer then offers his hand, spread out face down, to the player on his left, who draws one card from it. This player discards any pair that may have been formed by the drawn card. He then offers his own hand to the player on his left. Play proceeds in this way until all cards have been paired except one - the odd queen, which cannot be paired - and the player who has that card is the Old Maid!
Irregularities. If any player is found to have discarded two cards that are not a pair, (thus causing three unpaired cards instead of one to remain at the end), the player who made the mistake loses and becomes the Old Maid.
CONCENTRATION
(Memory)
This is an excellent game for virtually any number of players, and can be played competitively or just for fun.
Suggested Ages. 7 and up.
Skills Developed. Matching, pairing, and memorizing.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used.
The Deal. Any player shuffles the pack and spreads all the cards out, face down all over the table, one at a time, so that no two cards touch or overlap at the corners. The entire surface of the table is usually needed to make room for all the cards.
Object of the Game. The goal is to collect pairs of cards of the same rank, such as two sixes or two queens.
The Play. The first player may be decided in any way. He turns up any two cards on the table, leaving the first card face up until he has turned the second. If the two cards form a pair, the player takes them and puts them them face down in front of him in a pile, and then he turns up two more cards. Whenever the two cards turned up do not form a pair, the player, after a pause of at least five seconds, turns both cards face down again, leaving them in exactly the same position on the table. It is then the next player's turn (the player to the left). Play proceeds in the same manner. The player who takes in the greatest number of pairs is the winner.
Go Boom
This game is of the same family as Crazy Eights (see p. 281). Both games are favorites for children as well as grownups.
Suggested Ages. 8 and up.
Skills Developed. Matching, how to follow suit, and counting the values of cards.
Number of Players. Virtually any number of people can play, from
two up.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used. Up to six players use the 52-card pack. Seven or eight players may opt to use a double pack (two 52-card packs shuffled together). More than eight players should use a double pack.
Rank of Cards. A (high) K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
The Draw, Shuffle and Cut. From a shuffled pack spread out face down, each player draws a card. Lowest card deals. The dealer shuffles, and the player on his right cuts.
The Deal. The dealer completes the cut and then gives seven cards to each player, clockwise one at a time, starting with the player to the left. The remainder of the pack is placed face down in the center of the table to form the stock.
Object of the Game. The goal is to be the first player to get rid of all the cards in his hand.
The Play. The player to the left of the dealer leads and may play any card. Each player in turn must either follow suit or play a card of the same rank as the card led. Thus, if the jack of diamonds is led, each player must play a diamond or any jack. If a player cannot follow suit or play a card of the same rank, he must draw from the stock until he can. When the stock is exhausted and the player cannot play, he simply does not play to the trick. The highest card of the suit led wins each trick. If, in the two-deck game, cards of identical rank are played, the one played first outranks the other. The winner of each trick leads next.
Scoring. The first player to get rid of all his cards wins the game. The winner collects from each other player the pip value of the cards remaining in that player's hand. Aces count 1 point each, face cards 10 points each, and other cards their pip value.
Game. Each deal may constitute a game, or play may continue until one player has scored 200 points.
This is an amusing, and often very noisy game!
Suggested Ages. 8 and up.
Skills Developed. Matching, improving alertness, attention span, and speed of visual and verbal responses.
Number of Players. Two or more people can play.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used.
Rank of Cards. Because this is a matching type of card game, the rank of cards is not important.
The Deal. Any player can deal the cards. All of the cards are dealt clockwise, face down and one at a time, beginning with the player on the dealer's left. It does not matter if some players have more cards than others. Each player puts his cards in a pile, face down in front of him.
Object of the Game. The goal is to win all of the cards.
The Play. The player on the dealer's left turns over the top card of his pile and puts it face up and starts another face up pile of cards next to his face down cards. The next player to the left does the same and so on around the table.
Snap. When someone turns up a card that matches a card already face up on another player's pile, the first person to notice the two matched cards (two kings, two 10s, two 3s, and so on) calls out "Snap!" and he wins both piles. This player adds the cards to the bottom of his face-down pile. When two players shout "Snap!" at the same time, the two piles are combined and placed in the center of the table face down. These cards form a "Snap Pot." Play continues where it left off with the player to the left of the last player who turned over a card. If a player spots a card that matches the card on top of the Snap Pot, he shouts "Snap Pot!" and wins all of those cards. During the game, if a player runs out of cards in his face-down pile, he turns his face up cards down and continues to play. Play continues until one player has won all of the cards. The game ends and that player is the winner.
Irregularities. A player who calls out "Snap!" at the wrong time, must give up his top card to the player who just played.
ROLLING STONE
4-6 32 (40, 48) y Y y y y y Y y y y
This exciting game is similar to Crazy Eights and Go Boom.
Suggested Ages. 8 and up.
Skills Developed. Learning card values and how to follow suit.
Number of Players. Four, five or six people can play.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used as follows: for four players, the sixes down through twos are removed, leaving a 32-card pack. For five players, the fours, threes, and twos are removed, leaving 40 cards. For six players, only the twos are removed.
Rank of Cards. A (high) K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3.
The Draw, Shuffle and Cut. From a pack that is shuffled and spread out face down, each player draws a card. Lowest card deals. The dealer shuffles and the player on his right cuts.
The Deal. The dealer completes the cut and gives eight cards to each player, dealt one at a time clockwise, starting with the player to the left. Thus, regardless of whether there are four, five, or six players, all of the cards are dealt out.
Object of the Game. The goal is to be the first player to get rid of all his cards.
The Play, The player to the dealer's left leads first and may play any card. The next player must follow suit if possible. A player who cannot follow suit must pick up all the cards played so far and add them to his hand. That player then leads any card to start a new round.
If everyone follows suit, the player who played the highest card collects the trick, but places it in a waste pile. These cards do not count as part of the cards in his hand, so, the only advantage in winning a trick is that the player may lead the suit of his choice next. The player who succeeds in getting rid of all his cards first, wins the game.
SPIT
This wild and crazy game is all about speed and quickness!
Suggested Ages. 8 and up.
Skills Developed. Counting, sequencing and manual dexterity.
Number of Players. Any number can play. The more players there are, the wilder the game gets.
The Pack. One standard 52-card pack for each player. Each pack should have a different color cardback.
Rank of Cards. A (high) K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
The Shuffle. Each player shuffles his own deck thoroughly.
Layout. Each player has his own deck and begins by placing the top four cards from his deck face up in front of him in a row. There should be lots of empty space in the middle of the table between the two players. (In fact it is best to play on the floor, since cards often go flying once play starts.) Players hold the remainder of their deck in one of their hands during play.
Object of the Game. The winner is the first player to get rid of all his cards.
The Play. There are no turns taken in this game, everyone plays at the same time. When both players are ready, one of them says "spit" and immediately each player takes the top card from his deck and plays it to the center of the table. These first cards should be far away from each other, forming two play piles between the players (see diagram). Then, the players immediately begin playing their cards, as fast as they can, from their layout onto one of the piles in the center. A card can be played only if it is one higher or one lower than the card on the top of the pile. The card's suit does not matter, and an ace can be played high or low (so that the sequence can "wrap around" between kings, aces and deuces).
Example:
1) In the illustration below, one could play the ![[Diamond Symbol]](../media/gameroom/rules/pips/diamond-10.gif) 9 (from layout) on the ![[Clubs Symbol]](../media/gameroom/rules/pips/club-10.gif) 10 (pile) since it is one lower in sequence.
2) Then one could play the 10 (layout) on the 9 (pile) just played, and so on.
 A player may only use one hand to move a card and may only play one card at a time. Many times both players can play a card on the same pile. In that case the player who gets there first gets the play and the other player must take back his card. This race to play out the cards can get very exciting!
Cards played from the layout row may immediately be replaced by a new card from the top of the deck.
Players cannot exceed four cards in their layout rows.
The players continue to rapidly play cards to the center and replace cards in their rows until all players get "stuck" and cannot make a play. Often several dozen cards can be played before all players get stuck. When all players are stuck, they say "Ready, Spit," and again deal new starter cards to the top of each pile in the center. Play then continues as before.
Going Out. When a player has played all the cards in his deck, he must continue play using only the cards left in his layout (even though he will not have a card to "Spit" with if all players get stuck). When that player "goes out" by playing the last card from his layout row, he wins. If both players have run out their decks and get stuck before going out, the player with the fewest cards left wins.
Scoring. One can play a series of rounds, scoring 1 point for each card each player has remaining at the end of each round. When one player reaches 100 points, the game is over and the player who then has the smallest score is the overall winner.
TOSSING CARDS IN A HAT
This is a simple but popular pastime, and it is one of the few card games that requires physical skill! In addition to one or two packs of cards, a hat with a brim is required. If no hat is available, a bowl, or wastebasket can be substituted.
Suggested Ages. 4 and up.
Skills Developed: How to judge distances, and improve accuracy in tossing.
Number of Players. Virtually any number of people can play.
The Pack. The standard 52-card pack is used.
The Deal. Anyone can deal and the cards are distributed evenly among the players, either face up or face down - it does not matter. If there are any cards left over, they are set aside.
Object of the Game. The goal is to land the most cards inside the hat.
The Play. The hat should be placed with brim up so it can receive the tossed cards. It is placed at the far end of the room, either on the floor or on a low table. Players sit or stand at the other end of the room, away from the hat. If very young children are playing, they are allowed to position themselves closer. In the game, each player in turn flips one card toward the hat, and tries to land the card inside it.
Each player keeps track of the number of cards that land inside, with one point being scored for each, and half a point if a card lands on the brim. However, if another player succeeds in knocking in a card resting on the brim, it counts as a full point for that player.
Solitaire Play. If only one person plays, he keeps score by keeping track of how many cards out of 52 he tossed in the hat. Victory is awarded if the player scores 20 or more points in a round. Thirty points or more scores a double-victory, and 40 or more points scores a triple-victory.
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