5 Best Card Games to Play with Your Kids

If you told me I could only have one "toy" in my entire houseful with 6 kids, I would pick a deck of cards for sure! We go camping quite a bit so we definitely play a lot of cards. Even at home, we will have a card night where we all gather around the dining room table to play cards.  Here are my 5 best card game suggestions for kids ages 4 years old and up:

1.  Feudal Lords (our version of this card game) - we go through phases where we get hooked on different games.  This is the current game.  It is super easy and fun.  Deal out all the cards.  Players sort their cards from highest to lowest.  Suit does not matter.  The player with the 3 of clubs goes first, all 2's are wild and Ace is high card.  The object of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards.  You go clockwise taking turns.  You have to follow in numerical order by either matching the number on the card or going higher.   

Here is an example of how a round would go - 
Player one plays the 3 of clubs.  
Player 2 must play a 3 of any other suit or any card(s) higher than a 3.  So let's say player 2 plays a single 4.  
Player 3 plays 2 fives.  Player four must now play two of any numerical card.  
Player four plays 2 tens.  
Player five plays 2 Aces.  
Back to player 1 - must play 2 aces or a wild 2 to clear the board.  If you can not you pass.
Player 2-4 do not have 2 aces and/or do not want to play a 2.
Play returns to player 5 who gets to clear the board and start over with whatever card he/she chooses.

Continue playing until everyone runs out of cards.  The first person out of cards is the KING.  Next person out is the QUEEN.  Last person out is the SERVANT #1.  Second to last person out is the SERVANT #2.  Everyone in between are smoothies.  If you are playing with only three people just have a king, smoothie and servant.  When you play the next round, Servant #1 has to give the King his/her two best cards and the King gives the Servant back 2 cards.  Servant #2 gives the Queen his/her best card and the Queen give Servant #2 back one card of his/her choice.  

We usually play for a set amount of time.  Sometimes we play with candy.  Everyone starts with a pile of treats.  If you are the King you get to pick a piece of candy from the Servant's pile.  When you get to the last round, everyone keeps the candy that they have left.  No eating any candy during the game.  
  

2.  Old Maid - My kids still love to play this game.  Although it always lands up that someone cheats.  You can read the rules at Bicycle Playing Cards.

3.  I Doubt It - I used to love playing this game as a child and my children enjoy it as well.  This is another one that can go on forever though so set a time limit.  Read the rules here


4.  Go Fish - This is probably one of the best games to start with for younger children (around 4 years old).  Super simple game of making matches.  Read the directions here.


5.  Solitaire or Double Solitaire - This is an absolute classic that you must teach your children.  First of all they can play it by themselves....need I say more.  Read the directions here.   Another version we love to play with more than one player is double, triple or even quadruple solitaire.  Everyone plays solitaire at the same time but you all put your cards up in one shared location.  Therefore, if one player puts up the Ace of diamonds, I can play my 2 of diamonds on the Ace even if I have not put my Ace of diamonds up.  By playing with more than one person, in turns Solitaire into a face paced game of racing who can get their cards in order first.  One rule is that you can only touch one card at a time.  This is a favorite game of mine for sure.  You do need a lot of table space.

What is your favorite card game to play with kids?

If you are looking for some great fun activities to play with the kids check out Set the Record.  Only $1.99 and ready to print and play.  Kids of all ages LOVE this game!  

Check out all the other Family Game Night Ideas!

Car Rides and Kids - 7 Games to Play (No Equipment Needed)

Here are some simple games to play in the car with kids on a long ride that need no equipment.

1.  Yellow Car:  Everyone looks for yellow cars.  The game scores as follows: regular yellow car - 1 point, yellow pick up truck - 5 points, yellow mustang - 5 points and yellow Hummer - automatic win!  We keep score until someone finds a yellow Hummer but you could just do it for a certain amount of time.

2.  Rainbow Car:  Work together to find cars in the color of the rainbow.  You must do it in order.  Therefore, first you look for a red car, then orange, yellow, green, blue and finally purple.


3.  Quiz Questions:  My children love this game.  Give them quiz questions based on their lives.  Some example questions are "What is Grandma's middle name?", "How old was Mom and Dad when they got married?", "What day of the week were you born on?", etc.


4.  Alphabet Game:  Collectively work together or individually and race to find words that start with all letters of the alphabet.  You really need to be driving on a highway or busy area for this game to remain exciting.  Start by finding a word with the letter 'A', once found move onto the letter 'B'...  We have a few extra rules - you can not use license plates, you only have to find the letter Q or an X and if it is getting boring just look for the letters instead of words.


5.  10 Facts Each:  Go around the car and each person states 10 facts about him/herself.  For example: I ate oatmeal for breakfast.  I wore a red dress yesterday., etc.  Once everyone has stated their 10 facts try to remember all the facts and who said them.  Obviously you can not state your own facts about yourself.  See how many you can remember.


6.  First Person to Find:  This is a hit with us for short rides that get boring.  One person starts and declares an object "first person to find an American flag".  Then the first person who finds an American flag announces the next object to find.  I always make sure everyone gets a turn.


7.  Would You Rather?:  We love to make up crazy would you rather questions to answer.  For example, would you rather be super rich but you would have to be naked for the rest of your life or poor but you had a great wardrobe?

What games do you play in the car to pass the time?  Waiting Games is a 22 page download of twenty games to play while on a road trip, waiting for an appointment or sitting around a campfire. This collection of activities encourages children to develop self-regulation, creativity and communication skills while they wait. 

This packet includes games such as 60 Seconds, Reverse 20 Questions, Let's Debate, Outside the Box and more! 

This is an electronic document so immediately following payment you will receive an email with the link to download the book.  You can print it and toss it in the car so you have something to rely on during those times when the kids start to get antsy.  If you don't want to print it, just save the PDF to your smartphone or tablet and take it with you to reference wherever you are.

Download a free sample page - I Spy Memory Lane

To order Waiting Games for $3.99 click on the ADD TO CART button. You will receive an email with a link immediately following payment to download the book.  

                

3 More Games to Play Around the Campfire

Here are three more games to play around the campfire:

1.  Word Categories: pick a theme and then a word. For example:

The theme is camping

The word is tent

Taking turns, think of a word related to the theme of camping that starts with each letter of your word

T - tent

E - earthworm

N - night time

T - trees

Now pick a new theme and a new word. 

2.  First and Last

Again think of a theme. The challenge is to say a word and the next person has to say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. For example:

Theme - Summer

First Word - hot

Next word must start with a T - towel

Next word must start with a L - lake

Keep going until someone can not think of a word. 

3.   First and Last Name Game

Pick a group of people and see how many first and last names you can remember. We like to play First and Last Names of the school staff. You could do people from a certain state, movie stars, musicians, elementary school friends, etc. 

Happy Camping!!!!!