What Card Games Can I Play with Children?

Card Games are a great way to pass the time and like board games have benefits for those who play them.  With more and more people spending time at home with their families due to COVID-19, I thought it was appropriate to share some card games that you can play with children.

I have many memories of playing card games as a child, especially when we had visitors.  However, we would also play them as a family.  A few times we played card games on New Year’s Eve and then had a mini celebration early before going to bed.

Here a number of card games that you can play as a family or with children.  All of these games just require a set of ordinary playing cards. For some of the games you can buy special packs of cards specifically for that game but these instructions show how you can play with an ordinary pack of playing cards. All of the card games listed I remember playing as a child.

Go Fish

Number of players: 2-6

Aim: To match all your cards into pairs, so that you have none left in your hand.

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How to Play:

1. Deal 7 cards to each player.  Place the remaining cards upside down in a pile in the middle of the table.
2. Each player looks for any pairs (2 of the same number or picture card, colour doesn’t matter).  Place pairs on the table near you.
3. Moving clockwise from the dealer players ask anyone else for a particular card to try and make a pair, with a card in their hand.  If the player asked has the card they must give it to the player who asked.  If the player asked does not have the card they say “go fish” and the person who asked picks up a card.
4. If they player doing the asking gets a card & a match, they can have another turn.  If not the play continues with the next person having a turn.
5. The game ends when one player makes pairs out of all their cards. 

Memory or Concentration

Number of players: 2-6

Aim: To collect the most pairs.

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How to Play:

1. Deal all the cards face down in rows on the table or playing surface.
2. Players take turns in turning over 2 cards to try and make a pair (same number or picture, colour doesn’t matter).  If the player turns over a pair, they place that pair in a pile beside them and have another turn.
3. When a player turns over 2 cards that aren’t a pair, the play moves to the next person turn.
4. When all the cards have been matched, players count up their pairs.  The person with the most pairs wins.

Sevens

Number of Players: 2-6

Aim: To play all your cards by making columns of the suits starting with the 7 of each suit and working up to King and down to Ace.

How to Play:

1. Deal each player seven cards. Remaining cards go in a pile face down on the table.
2. Players take turns playing a 7 to start off each suit column or adding in order up or down to the suit columns on the table. Playing one card each turn.
3. If they can’t play anything they pick up a card and play moves to the next person.
4. The game finishes when someone plays all their cards.

Old Maid

Number of Players: 2-6

Aim: To make pairs with your cards and not be left with the “old maid”.

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How to Play:

1. Take the Queen of Clubs out of the pack. The Queen of Spades is the “Old Maid”.
2. Deal all the cards evenly to the players. No cards leftover.
3. Each player looks for any pairs (2 of the same number or picture card, colour doesn’t matter, except for the Queens. The 2 red queens are a pair as the Queen of Spades is the “Old Maid”).  Place pairs on the table near you.
4. Players take turns in choosing a card from the person to the left of them, without seeing the other persons card. If they choose a card that makes a pair with one from their hand, place the pair on the table.
5. Play continues in a clockwise direction.
6. The game finishes when someone turns all their cards into pairs. The person left with the “old maid” (Queen of Spades) is the loser.

Switch

This game is similar to Uno but played with an ordinary set of playing cards.

Number of Players: 2-6

Aim: To play all your cards first.

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How to Play:

1. Deal each player 7 cards. Put the remaining cards in the centre of the table, turn the top card over and place beside the pile of cards.
2. The first player plays a card that is either the same suit or the same value as the turned over card on the table.
3. Play continues in a clockwise direction.
4. If a player plays an ace they can switch it to any suit they want.
5. The round stops when the first player play all of their cards.
6. You can score by tallying the cards in the remaining players hands. Each player gets whats left in their hand as a negative score and the player who was out gets the total score of the other players as a positive score.

Knock Out Whist

Number of Players: 2-7

Aim: To keep winning tricks to stay in the game.

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How to Play:

1. In the first round deal each player 7 cards. Place the remaining cards in the centre of the table, turn the top card over and place it on top of the pile. The suit of this card is trumps which means that cards of this suit beat other suits, no matter their value. Trumps can only be played if you can’t play the suit that has been led or trumps has been led.
2. The first player chooses a card to play to try and win a trick or flush out cards higher than they have in their hand. The highest card played of the suit that was led or the highest trump card played wins the trick.
3. The winner of the trick leads off with the card that they want to play.
4. Play continues in this manner until all cards have been played. All players count up their tricks. If a player has not taken any tricks they are out of the game. The player with the most tricks chooses trumps for the next round, after looking at their new hand. If 2 players both have the most amount of tricks, they cut the cards to determine who deals.
5. The person to the left of the original dealer, deals 6 cards for the 2nd round. The player with the most tricks taken from the previous round chooses trumps. The player to the left of the dealer starts play by leading with whatever card they choose.
6. Play continues as per the first round with the winner of each trick starting the next play. Once all cards have been played count up tricks taken and work out who is going to choose trumps in the next round.
7. For the next round the next dealer deals 5 cards. Play continues as in previous rounds.
8. One less card is dealt each time a new round starts. The game finishes when one person has won all the tricks and no one else has any.

Once children have the basic concept of whist their are other whist variations that can be played. We often played Diminishing Whist (also called Up And Down the River).

Strip Jack

Number of Players: 2-6

Aim: To end up with all the cards

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How to Play:

1. Deal the cards evenly to all the players.
2. Players place all their cards in a pile upside down and hold them in their hands.
3. The first player turns their top card over and places it in the centre of the table. If it is a number card the next player plays a card. Play continues like this until a picture card is turned over.
4. Depending on which picture card was turned over determines how many cards the next player has to play, until another picture card is turned over.
   • Jack – 1 card
   • Queen – 2 cards
   • King – 3 cards
   • Ace – 4 cards
5. If a picture card is not turned before the next person plays that number of cards, the player who played the picture card takes the pile of cards and adds it to the bottom of their cards.
6. If a picture card is played in time then the next player must play the number of cards depending on which picture card it is.
7. So, if a Jack is turned over, the next player plays their top card, if it’s not a picture card the player who played the Jack takes the pile of cards and adds it to the bottom of their cards. If it was a picture card play continues to the next person.
8. Or if it is an Ace the next person plays 4 cards until a picture card is played. If a picture card is played for any of those 4 cards, play immediately moves to the next person.
9. If a player runs out of cards they are out of the game. The winner is the person who ends up with all of the cards.

Patience and Patience Competitions

Our Grandmother taught us patience games. Patience or Solitaire games are card games that you play by yourself. There are many variations of patience games. Some that I’ve enjoyed playing since a child are Classic Solitaire, Aces, Clock Patience and Golf, to name a few.

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My brother and I would sometimes have patience competitions where we would both separately play the same patience game and then score depending on how close you were to getting it out or how many cards were left.

Patience card games are great to teach children, as they can then play them by themselves if no one else can play with them.

Card Towers

Another thing that you can do with cards is build houses or towers. I can remember doing this with my grandparents.

Simply place 2 cards on their end, leaning against each other to make a tent like structure. Add another 2 cards in a similar fashion near by and then place another card to join the 2 structures together. Keep adding to the structure by building wider and/or higher.

Other Games My Children have Enjoyed

Speed: I have memories of playing this with my friend but she was always better then me. This is a fast paced, 2 player game with 2 playing piles in the middle. My niece got a game called Dutch Blitz for Christmas which is similar to speed but can be played with more players and you can have any number of piles going at once.

Warlords & Scumbags: A game where all cards are dealt, the player with the 3 of spades leads as 2’s are high. The idea is to get rid of all your cards, first. At the end of each round you move depending on who was out first, second etc. The player out first becomes the Warlord and the player out last is the Scumbag. In following rounds the top player can choose 2 cards to swap with the bottom player and the 2nd top player can choose 1 card to swap with the 2nd bottom player. Play can continue as long as you like.

Phase 10: Phase 10 is a bought card game but has been adapted from a game played with ordinary playing cards. Another great game for all ages.

What card games have you played as a child or with children? What card games to play with children would you add to my suggestions?