Card games can be an excellent way to pass the time on long bus or train rides, at airport delays or during a tedious hostel stay. Here are a few quick and simple card games kids can enjoy both alone or with others.
A dealer hands each player five cards, but they cannot look at or inspect their cards; instead they must put them into stacks according to rank order.
I Don’t Buy It
I Don’t Buy It is a card game played with standard deck of cards that requires players to build on sets (such as two matching Kings of Hearts) by placing discarded cards over them. If another player notices one of those discarded cards matching with what has just been laid down, a challenge can be raised and all matched pile cards added face down into their face-down pile.
Go Fish is an exciting physical card game with multiple deck options that is popular with families of all ages, especially younger kids. There are even themed decks of Go Fish available so your little ones can learn new things along with you!
Speed
Card games are an ideal activity to introduce children to, since they don’t take up much space and can be enjoyed almost anywhere. Plus, card games provide an effective distraction from screens when necessary!
Although some of these easy card games for kids involve strategy, most are trick-taking games that only require basic addition skills to play. Examples of such include Knock Out Whist and Hearts; others focus more on family fun like Go Fish.
Physical Card Games like Crazy 8s require players to quickly add cards of differing values into a common stock in order to be the first to dispose of all their cards – the fastest player who does this will win! For maximum speed and excitement, this high speed game requires 52 standard playing cards that must be dealt out face down and without looking. A dealer typically hands all cards out face-down and players cannot view their own hand before starting.
Spoons
Spoons is a fast-paced card game in which players compete to obtain four of a-kind and then acquire a spoon. When someone grabs a spoon without holding four-of-a-kind, that round ends and they earn a letter; until someone spells S-P-O-N-S and they are out!
This card game boasts an engaging theme, and can help teach children valuable lessons about sharing, being fair in winning and losing, as well as being enjoyable and accessible for all ages.
Each player begins the game with four cards that remain hidden from other players. When someone collects four of a kind, they take one of the spoons from the center and pass their remaining two on to their left player. If another player attempts to take one without making four of a kind they earn one letter in “spoons”, until someone spells S-P-O-N-S-N and are out!
Slap Jack
Slap Jack is an engaging card game for keeping kids occupied on road trips or at home – just slam the cards down quickly as quickly as you can! Plus, this simple yet challenging game provides a perfect introduction to playing cards for younger players!
Each player shuffles their deck before stacking it face down. They take turns taking out one card from each pile and placing it face up in the center. If the top card from any pile is a Jack, that player wins that pile and adds it to their own face-down stack; otherwise they must give one of their cards back as compensation to whomever played an incorrect card.
For an extra challenge, players can count as they place cards to the center pile (like in snap). The first player to say ‘Ace,’ then ‘Two,’ three and so forth will win that pile of cards.
