Card games are great way to spend time with your kids. One of the great things about playing cards is how versatile they are. You can easily play them at home, camping, backpacking, at a hotel, traveling, or at grandma and grandpa’s house. As a kid I even played cards with my friend while kayaking down the salmon river (Although I wouldn’t recommend that). I’ve compiled a list of 20 card games that you can play with your kids no matter where your at.
1. Slap Jack
Number of Players: 2-6
Age: 3+
How to play: Slap Jack is played using a standard deck of 52 cards. It is a simple fun game to play that is perfect for young children. To play you deal out all the cards to everyone playing face down. The players can’t look at their cards. The player to the left of the deal lays their card down face up in the middle of everyone playing. The next player lays their card down face up. This keeps going until a Jack is layed down.
When a Jack is layed down everyone attempts to slap the Jack. If someone attempts to slap the pile and the card isn’t a Jack, they are not allowed to slap the next Jack that’s dropped. The first player to slap a Jack wins the pile. They can then take the pile and add it to the bottom of their hand. One important rule of Slap Jack is the person laying the card down has to flip it over quickly without first looking at it. After the person slaps a Jack the game play continues to the left of the person that laid down the Jack.
When someone runs of cards they have one last chance to get in the game. They can slap the next Jack that is dropped and win the pile, if they miss it then they are out. The game continues until everyone is out of cards except the winner.
2. War
Number of Players: 2
Age: 5+
How to Play: War is a great game to play with one of your kids. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. To play you deal out all of the cards and keep them face down. Just like Slap Jack, neither player may look at their cards. The play starts by both players laying down one card face up. Whoever has the higher card wins the round.
This keeps going until both players lay down cards of the same value. When this occurs you go to “war”. To do this each player lays down two cards face down real quick and then the third card face up. Whoever has the highest value card wins the war. On the rare occasion that the war cards are of the same value, you go to war again. The game continues until the winner has all of the cards.
3. Memory
Age: 3+
Number of Players: 2+
How to Play: The great thing about memory is that young children and older children can play it together and both still have a great time. It is also a great way to strengthen your child’s memory. You play it using a standard deck of 52 cards. All of the cards are dealt face down forming a rectangle. To play each player takes a turn flipping over two cards. If the cards match value and color, (i.e. 7 of diamonds and 7 of hearts) then they are removed and count as a point for that person. You have to really pay attention during this game to remember where all the cards are at so you can make matches. The player at the end of the game with most matches is the winner.
4. Go Fish
Age: 4+
Number of Players: 2+
How to Play: Go Fish is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. If there are two or three players then each player is dealt seven cards. If there are more than three players, then each player is dealt five cards. The remaining cards are set in the middle of everyone and are used as the draw pile. The point of Go Fish is to get sets of cards. A set consists of all four cards of the same value, (i.e. four Kings, four 5’s, ect.)
The player to the left of the dealer begins the game by asking another player for a card. For example, if the first player had two Kings they could ask one of the other players if they had any kings. If that player had any kings they would have to give them that player. If they didn’t have any Kings then they would say, “Go Fish!”. At which point the first player would draw a card from the middle of the table. Once a player has collected all four cards of set they lay them face down in front of them. The game continues until someone runs out of cards. If two players run out cards on the same turn then the player with the most sets is the winner.
5. Old Maid
Age: 4+
Number of Players: 3+
How to Play: Old Maid is an exciting game that will have your kids rolling with laughter. You can play Old Maid with a standard 52 deck of cards by removing one of the Queens from the deck. This leaves two Queens of one suite and one Queen of the other suite. The lone Queen is used as the Old Maid. I’ve always used the Queen of Spades as the Old Maid. To play all the cards are dealt out to the players. Some of the players may get more cards than others but thats alright for this game.
Everyone organizes the cards in their hands by pairs and colors. For example, the five of diamonds and the five of hearts would be a pair. The five of clubs and the five of spades would be another pair. Everyone looks at their cards and lays down any matches they have face up in front of them.
The player to the left of the dealer begins the gameplay by offering their cards face down to the player to their left. The player to the left then picks one of the cards. If the card they chose makes a pair then they can lay it down in front of them. They then offer their cards face down to the player to the left of them. This continues until all of the cards are gone except for the poor sole with the Old Maid!
6. Garbage
Age: 6+
Number of Players: 2-3
How to Play: Garbage is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Each player is dealt 10 cards. The 10 cards are placed face down in front of each player in two rows of five. Cards are not looked by players. The object of the game is to get the cards in sequence from ace low to 10. Below is a really descriptive YouTube video on how to play Garbage.
7. Pig
Age: 5+
Number of Players: 4-13
How to Play: Pig is an awesome game for large groups of kids. Perfect for birthday parties or family get togethers. It’s played with a standard deck of 52 cards. To play, you organize all of the cards into four of a kind. You keep a four of a kind for every person that’s playing. For instance, if you have 8 people playing then you would keep eight sets of four of a kind, (i.e. four 5’s, four Queen’s, ect.).
The remaining four sets of four would put to the side. If you are playing with younger children then it is a good idea to keep the cards as different as possible.
Take the sets of cards and shuffle them really well together. Then you deal four cards face down to each player. The object of the game is to get four of the same cards. The game begins by each player taking a card from their deck face down and sliding it to the player on their left. It’s important to get into a fast paced rhythm while playing.
When someone matches all four of their cards they discreetly place their finger on their nose. The first player to notice then places their finger on their nose and everyone follows suit. The last person to put their finger to their nose gets a letter “P”. The game continues until someone spells out “PIG”.
8. Crazy Eights
Age: 4+
Number of Players: 2-8
How to Play: Crazy Eights is an intense fast paced game that will keep the whole family involved. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The object of the game is to get rid of all your cards. The first player to do this is the winner. To play you deal out five cards face down to everyone playing. The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table. The top card on the deck is then flipped over and placed face up next to the pile. If the card is an 8 then it is taken and placed somewhere in the middle of the draw pile and the top card is flipped over face up next to the draw pile.
To play you lay down a card that matches the value or suite of the card that’s face up. For example, if the card was a 10 of hearts then another 10 or a heart could be played. The player to the left of the dealer starts the gameplay. If a player doesn’t have anything to lay down they draw from the pile. They continue to pick cards from the draw pile until they get a card they can play. If there are no more cards in the draw pile then the discard pile, except for the top card, can be shuffled and used for the draw pile.
Eights are wild and can be laid down at anytime in turn. When a player lays down an eight they get to pick the suite. The first player to get rid of all their cards is the winner.
9. Rummy
Age: 8+
Number of Players: 2-5
How to Play: I learned to play Rummy from a friend of mine that played it in the Navy. I don’t know if it is the standard way to play Rummy, but it is a ton of fun. Now I play it at my home all the time. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The object of the game is to be the first person to get 100 points by making sets and runs. A set is three or more cards of the same value, (i.e. 3 of clubs, 3 of diamonds, and 3 of hearts). A run is three or more consecutive cards of the same suite, (i.e. 4,5,6 of diamonds or 10, Jack, Queen of spades).
Nine cards are dealt out face down if there are two or three players. If there are more than three players, then seven cards are dealt out face down. The remaining cards are placed down face down in the middle of the table and the top card is flipped over as a discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer begins the game play by drawing either the tip card of the draw pile or the top card from the discard pile. If they have any sets or runs they can lay them down in front of them. They then place a card on the discard pile.
Tip: A strategy that can work out to your advantage, or totally burn you, is to hold all of your cards in your hand until you can lay down all your sets and runs at once.
They then take a card from their hand and place it on the discard pile. When a card is placed on the discard pile it shouldn’t cover the cards below it. Once the card is discarded then the gameplay is continued to the next player to the left. That player can either draw a card from the discard pile or the draw pile. If there are multiple cards in the discard pile they can also draw one of those cards.
To do this they must pick up all the cards that are on top of the card they want, and they have to be able to lay down either a set or a run with the bottom card they drew. Once they’ve laid down then they discard and the game continues to the player to the left. Once a player has laid down in front of them, they can add to their sets or runs as well as other players sets or runs. If they play on another players sets or runs they lay the card in front of them and tell the table what they are playing it on.
The round continues until someone has run out of cards. At anytime during the round, if someone notices a set or a run in the discard pile, they can call out “Rummy”. They can then remove just those cards from the discard pile and lay them down in front of them. Note: If a player discards the a card that creates a Rummy in the discard pile they are not allowed to call Rummy until another card is added to the discard pile.
When the round is over it’s time to do the scoring. Cards that are laid down in front of you add points to your score and any cards left in your hand subtract points. The numbered cards up to nine are 5 points, 10’s and face cards are worth 10 points, and aces are worth 15 points. Aces can be used in a run as an ace, 2, 3 of the same suite, if they are used this way then they are worth 5 points. Tally up all the points on the table that you laid down and subtract all the points you have left in your hand. The cards are then shuffled and dealt out for the next round. The first player to get to 100 points is the winner.
10. Spoons
Age: 5+
Number of Players: 3+
How to Play: Spoons is a fun, sneaky, fast paced game similar to Pig. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and one less spoon than the number of players playing. Below is a great YouTube video that does a great job explaining how to play.
11. BS
Age: 5+
Players: 3+
How to Play: BS is a fun game of deception. The object of the game is to get rid of all your cards. The first one to do this is the winner. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. If more than six people are playing then I would use two standard decks of cards. To play all of the cards are dealt out equally to the players. If there are remaining cards then you can remove them but keep them face down so everyone is unaware of what the cards are.
The game play begins by the player to the left of the dealer laying 2’s face down in the middle of the table. If one deck is used they can lay down a total of four cards. If two decks are used they can lay down a total of eight cards face down. This is where the deception comes in. If they don’t have any 2’s, they just lay any card face down in the middle and say its a 2. Or if they have a 2, but they want to try and get away with laying down more cards then they could say two 2’s but really have a 2 and a 9 that they lay down.
If another player thinks they are lying they holler out, “BS!”. The player then has to flip over there cards if they were lying they have to pick up all the cards in the middle. If they weren’t lying then the person that called BS has to pick up all the cards from the middle. The game play continues to the left and each player plays the next numeric card, (i.e. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, Ace, 2, 3, ect.). The game ends when one of the players runs out of cards.
12. Twenty One
Age: 7+
Number of Players: 2-10
How to Play: Twenty One is essentially just a simple version of Blackjack. It is a simple fun game that kids love to play. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The object of the game is to get to as close to 21 points without going over. The cards are worth the following amounts:
- Numbered cards are worth the value on the card
- Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 10 points
- Aces are worth 1 or 11 points (player decides how they want to use the ace)
The gameplay begins by the dealer dealing out two cards to each player face down. Each player looks at their cards and decide if they want additional cards from the dealer. Each player can ask for additional cards, if at anytime they break 21 they are immediately out. When everyone is satisfied with the cards in there hand, everyone flips over there cards at the same time. The player that is closest to 21 is the winner of the round.
13. Speed
Age: 8+
Number of Players: 2
How to Play: Speed is a fast paced game that is all about getting rid of your cards faster than your opponent. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. To play, 12 cards are laid down on the middle of the table. Two of the cards are laid face down next to each other and then two piles of five are laid down on each end. Each player is then dealt 20 cards and keeps them face down in a pile next to them. They can draw the top five cards from their pile. During the game they can always have five cards in their hand.
The gameplay begins by each player flipping over the two single cards face down in the middle. This is when the action happens. Each player attempts to get rid of their cards as quickly as possible by playing cards in the middle. Suit doesn’t matter, they just have to go one up or one down from the card in the middle. For example, if there is a Jack of diamonds and a 2 of clubs in the middle. Either player could lay down a 10 or Queen of any suit on the Jack. On the 2 they could lay down an ace or three of any suit.
Once they lay down a card in the middle they pick up a card from the pile next to them. If both players get stuck and can’t play, then they both say they are stuck. Then they each flip over one of the cards from the piles of 5 and place them on the middle piles. As soon as the lay the cards down the gameplay continues. The first person to get rid of all their cards is a winner.
14. Scum
Age: 6+
Number of Players: 4-12
How to Play: Scum is a fun game that can quickly help pass the time away. It ecompasses overcoming power and climbing to the top. Just as quickly as you make it to the top you can get kicked down to the Scum again. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. There are different positions in the game depending on where you sit. There is a king, queen, all of the other players, and the last player is the scum.
On the first round I would have the youngest players be the king and queen and have the more seasoned players be the Scum and person next to the Scum. To play you deal out all of the cards to the players starting with the king. Some players may get more cards than others but that’s alright in this game. If more than six players are playing then two standard decks of cards should be used.
Once all of the cards are dealt out, the person in the Scum position has to give there two highest cards to the king. The person that sits to the right of the Scum has to give their highest card to the queen. The king then picks out whatever two cards they want and give them to the scum. The queen picks whatever card they want and gives them back to the person to the right of the scum.
The gameplay begins when the king lays down their cards. They can lay down whatever card they want. They can also lay down multiple cards as long as they are the same value, (i.e. three 6’s). Then the next player, which would be the queen, has to lay down the same number of cards, but they have to be higher. For example, the king layed down three 6’s the queen must lay down three 6’s or higher. If they don’t have three of a kind then they pass and the game play continues around the table to the left.
If no one at the table has a set of three higher than a 6 then the king gets to go again. If someone at the table did have something higher they would lay it down in the middle of the table. The next player would have to lay down a set of three higher than what is down on the table. Once no one has anymore sets of threes that are higher than the set on the table, the gameplay goes back to the last person that laid down. They then get to pick what to lay down.
Whoever gets rid of all their cards first gets to be the king the next round. The play keeps playing until everyone is out of cards but the last player. The player that finishes last is the scum. Everyone changes seats based on what point they got rid of all there cards. The next round begins. The game continues until everyone is tired of playing.
15. Spuds
Age: 7+
Number of Players: 4
How to Play: Spuds is a game that I have grown up playing. It’s a lot of fun and can get pretty competitive. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The object of the game is to get points by winning tricks, or not getting any tricks. On the first round each player is dealt 13 cards face down. The player to the left of the dealer will lead the trick. The player that leads the trick sets the suit for that round.
For example, if the first player plays a 2 of diamonds then the rest of the table has to play diamonds. If someone doesn’t have diamonds then they can lay down out of suit. If someone plays out of suit then they will not win that trick regardless of how high the card is, unless the card is a heart. Hearts are called the trump suit and they will beat all other suits. If more than one player lays down hearts then the highest heart wins that trick.
Whoever wins the trick will set the suit for the next trick. Now that you know how to play, before anyone lays down, everyone bets at the table on how many tricks they are going to win. If you bet 0 then you can’t win any tricks. If you get zero then you get 10 points for every card that was in your hand. If you bet that you will win 4 and win 4 tricks then you get 20 points for every trick you won.
You have to win the number of tricks that you bet. If you don’t get the number of tricks that you bet then you subtract 10 points for the number of tricks you were off. For example, if you bet that you would win 4 tricks and you actually win 6 tricks you would subtract 20 points for that round. On the second round 12 cards are dealt out. Each round one less card is dealt out until you get down to one card.
The final round is the most exciting round. On the final round none of the players can look at their card. What everyone does is, without looking at their card, they place their card face out on their forehead. Everyone looks at each others card and places their bet based on what everyone else has. Everyone always laughs a lot of this round. There is a lot of strategy involved in this game. The best strategy I have found is to try and get zero on most of the rounds. It may take some practice to get this game down but its worth it.
16. Phase 10
Age: 6+
Number of Players: 2-6
How to Play: Phase 10 is a great game that is similar to Rummy. It is played with a Phase 10 deck of cards that includes 108 cards. You can purchase Phase 10 on Amazon by clicking here. Phase 10 cards consist of four different colors red, blue, yellow, and green numbered 1 – 12. There are also four blue Skip cards, eight wild cards, and reference cards listing each phase. There are two versions of Phase 10. I’m going to explain the simpler version which is my favorite one to play.
To play each player is dealt 10 cards face down. The object of the first phase is to get 2 sets of 3, (i.e. three 4’s and three 10’s). Once all of the cards are dealt out the remaining cards are set face down in the middle of the table and the top card is flipped over as the discard pile. The gameplay begins by the player to the left of the dealer starting out. They begin by drawing either from the draw pile, or the discard pile. After they have drawn, if they have 2 sets of 3, then they can lay down and then discard one card. If they don’t have 2 sets of 3 then they discard and its the next player’s turn.
If a skip is used then the next player is skipped. The wilds can be used for any card. Once a player lays down they can add to the cards they’ve laid down, or add to other players cards. The first person to get rid of all their cards wins that phase. The players that still have cards in their hands get points by scoring out the following:
- 5 points for each card numbered 1-9
- 10 points for each card numbered 10-12
- 15 points for each Skip card
- 25 points for each Wild card
After the everyone is scored out, the cards are shuffled and 10 cards are dealt back out to every player. The player to the left of the original dealer becomes the dealer. The player to the left of the dealer always leads out the phase. The person at the end of the game with the least amount of points is the winner. The phases of the game consist of the following:
- 2 sets of 3
- 1 set of 3 + run of 4
- 1 set of 4 + 1 run of 4
- 1 run of 7
- 1 run of 8
- 1 run of 9
- 2 sets of 4
- 7 cards of one color
- 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2
- 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3
To lay down a run you need three consecutive cards and color doesn’t matter, (i.e. yellow 4, red 5, and 6 green). On phase 8 a player needs 7 cards of one color in order to lay down. The numbers on the cards don’t matter, all that matters is that they are the same color. This is a fun game that will become a family tradition.
17. Uno Attack
Age: 4+
Number of Players: 2+
How to Play: Uno Attack is one of my kids favorite card games. It is the classic game of Uno with a suspenseful twist. There are new cards and an electronic card shooter that may or may not bury them in cards. This is a game that your kids will always be begging you to play. You can find on Amazon here. Below is a great video that explains all of the cards and how to play. If you are interested in reading the directions you can find them from mattel here.
18. Skull King
Age: 7+
Number of Players: 2-6
Skull King will be a little harder for real young kids to play, but I have a 7 year old that dominates Skull King. If you’ve ever played hearts, spades, or rook then Skull King will feel really familiar to you.
In Skull King each player predicts how many tricks they are going to win in the round. If you win the number of tricks that you predicted then you get points. If you don’t get the number of tricks you predicted, or you go over then you subtract points.
There are also fun wild cards in the game such as pirates, jolly rogers, and the skull king. In the expansion pack there are even more cards such as mermaids and the dreaded Kraken. Each wild card can do different things that makes the game just a lot of fun. The best part of the whole game is whoever loses has to do the dishes. I highly recommend Skull King. My family has spent hours laughing playing it. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here. If you want to read through the rules you can find them from grandpa beck here.
19. Cover Your Assets
Age: 6+
Number of Players: 2-8
How to Play: Cover Your Assets is an fun game that can get competitive even with young kids. My favorite part about the game is there is so much luck involved that the youngest kids at the table win all the time. The adults at the table can try their hardest and still get schooled by a kindergartner.
This is another game by grandpa beck and can be found on Amazon by clicking here. The object of the game is to become a millionaire by acquiring assets. You can do this by laying down assets in front of you from cards you aquire. The best part of the game is you can also do this by stealing cards from other players. This game is easy, fast paced, and a ton of fun. You can find the rules from grandpa beck by clicking here.
20. Sleeping Queens
Age: 7+
Number of Players: 2-5
How to Play: Sleeping Queens is another game that kids and adults love to play. The game is played with set of Sleeping Queens cards that you can find on Amazon here. The object of the game is to wake up four of the queens and place them in front of them. The first player to get four queens, or forty points is the winner. The deck consists of queens, kings, knights, dragons, jesters, wands, and even sleeping potion. Your kids will love this game and it will become a family favorite. The instruction manual can be found from gamewright by clicking here.