It’s time to go back to basics and teach your kids some of the best family-friendly card games out there! Go back to a childhood classic or learn a brand-new game with this list of our top favorite games. All you need for these is just a standard deck of 52 cards.
Go Fish
This game is perfect for kids over age seven. For up to three players, deal each player seven cards. For four or more players, each player should get five cards to start. The rest of the cards go face down in a pile called the “fish pond.”
The point of the game is to collect as many sets of four cards as possible (all four queens or all four fives). To achieve this, start with the person left of whoever dealt the initial cards. This requester then has a chance to ask one of the other players if they have a card they might be missing (“do you have a king”). If they have the card, they must hand it over until the requester asks for a card they don’t have. Then they say, “Go fish,” and the requester takes a card from the pond. The player who said “Go fish” has the next turn, and so on, until a player is left with only sets. The player with the most sets wins.
War
This classic game is for two players from age six and up. Deal the whole deck between the two players equally, with both piles face down. At the same time, both players flip their topmost cards. Whoever has the highest-value card takes both. If two cards of the same value appear, a “war” begins. Then, each player takes two new cards and places one face down, then another face-up. The one with the highest ranking face-up card wins both new piles. The player with all the cards at the end, wins.
Memory
This game is perfect for kids as its difficulty level can adjust as they grow and improve. For younger kids, use just a few cards and slowly expand to using the entire deck. Shuffle your cards, then spread them face down on a clear surface in whatever pattern you wish. Then play like the classic Memory game — each player, in their turn, flips two cards, letting everyone see them. If they’re a matching pair of the same number, the player can take them and flip two more cards. For added difficulty, you can choose only pairs that are the same number and color (the two red kings). The object of the game is to remember where the different cards are, so you can find as many matching pairs in your turn. Once all pairs have been collected from the table, the player with the most matching pairs wins.
Pig
This game is perfect for large families who like quick and funny games. It requires concentration, multi-tasking, and quick thinking. Make sure to have at least three players. Shuffle your deck and deal four cards to each player and place the left-over cards in a deck faced-down by the “dealer.” The point is to be the first to have a set of four cards of the same number. The “dealer” begins by taking a card from the deck and either keeping or discarding it. The next player takes from the “dealer’s” discarded pile. The first, with a set of four, touches their nose. If a player sees this, they must touch their nose too. The last one to notice loses the round and gets a letter from “P-I-G.” The first player to reach PIG loses the game.