Card games are a fantastic way to encourage family bonding, enhance cognitive skills, and introduce essential lessons like strategy, critical thinking, and good sportsmanship. Some card games for kids are easier to learn than others. They offer minimal setup while fostering face-to-face interactions in an era dominated by screens.
Whether you’re on a long car trip, hosting a family game night, or simply looking to entertain kids on a rainy afternoon, having a handful of enjoyable card games ready can make all the difference.
From classics like Go Fish and Crazy Eights to modern hits like Uno, these games provide kids with opportunities to practice math skills, enhance memory, and engagingly build social interactions.
With four children ranging in age from three to thirteen, I chose card games with easy-to-follow rules. These games allow my youngest kids to participate alongside their older siblings, sometimes with some help from mom and dad.
Go Fish Teaches Number Recognition
- Suggested Starting Age: 3 years and up
- Type of Cards Needed: Standard 52-card deck or special kid-friendly deck
“Go Fish” is a timeless and easy-to-understand card game that introduces young kids to basic concepts like numbers, matching, and memory skills. Players begin by holding a hand of five cards (seven if there are fewer players), with the remaining deck placed face-down. The goal is simple: Collect pairs or sets of four cards with the same number or rank.
Players take turns asking others for specific ranks (“Do you have any sevens?”). If a player has the requested card, they must give it up. If not, they instruct the asker to “Go Fish,” prompting them to draw from the deck. The game continues until all pairs or sets have been matched, and the player with the most matches wins.
If you want to create a visual aspect to the game, there is an adorable “Go Fish” set of cards (pictured above) available on Amazon for just $8.99.
Crazy Eights Teaches Forward Thinking
- Suggested Starting Age: 4 years and up
- Type of Cards Needed: Standard 52-card deck
Crazy Eights is a classic, introductory game perfect for children who are beginning to grasp strategy and pattern recognition. Each player receives five cards, and the objective is to discard all the cards in hand. The deck is placed face-down, with one card flipped face-up to start the discard pile. Players must match either the suit or rank of the top card to play a card from their hand.
Eights are wild cards, able to change the suit to whatever the player wants. This simple twist adds excitement and strategy, helping children practice forward thinking and adaptability. The first player to discard all their cards wins, making it a fast-paced and enjoyable family favorite.
This is another game you can play with a deck of cards you already have at home. For younger children, there’s a “Crazy 8” card deck with oversized cards (pictured above), available on Amazon for around $6.
Uno Is A Great Way To Teach Your Children Strategy Skills
- Suggested Starting Age: 6 years and up
- Type of Cards Needed: Special Uno card deck
Uno is a beloved card game specifically designed to help kids learn colors, numbers, and strategy while also reinforcing good sportsmanship. Each player begins with seven cards, and the objective is to discard all cards by matching colors or numbers with the top card of the discard pile. Special action cards like “Skip,” “Reverse,” and “Draw Two” keep the game unpredictable and exciting.
When players have only one card left, they must shout “Uno!” to alert others. Failure to do so results in drawing additional cards. Uno teaches kids attention to detail, quick decision-making, and graceful handling of unexpected setbacks, making it a staple in households everywhere.
Uno is available at almost any big-box retailer that sells board games and on Amazon for just $6. Uno also offers kids many other versions of Uno card games for kids that can match their interests. For example, we own a Harry Potter version that all four of my children love!
War Is Great For Number Recognition
- Suggested Starting Age: 4 years and up
- Type of Cards Needed: Standard 52-card deck
War is a simple yet thrilling game that introduces young kids to basic number comparison and counting. To start, players split the deck evenly, keeping their cards face-down. On each turn, players simultaneously flip the top card from their deck. Whoever reveals the higher-ranking card wins both cards, placing them at the bottom of their deck.
If the cards are of equal rank, players engage in a “war,” placing three additional cards face-down and then a fourth card face-up. The highest of these face-up cards wins all the cards on the table. This process repeats until one player collects all the cards. War helps reinforce number recognition and offers an exciting, suspenseful element kids love.
You can play war with a standard set of cards or try the Regal Games pack shown above for under $6 from Amazon.
Memory (Concentration) Teaches Observational Skills
- Suggested Starting Age: 3 years and up
- Type of Cards Needed: Standard deck or specialized picture-based cards for younger children
Memory, also known as Concentration, is an ideal first card game to enhance short-term memory and concentration in young children. Begin by laying out all the cards face-down in a grid pattern. Players take turns flipping two cards face-up, attempting to find matching pairs. If a pair is found, the player keeps the pair and takes another turn; if not, the cards are flipped face-down again.
The game continues until all pairs are found, and the player with the most pairs wins. Memory offers a gentle introduction to turn-taking, patience, and observational skills, making it an educational yet fun choice for toddlers and preschoolers.
What’s great about this game is that there are many packs that can match your child’s current interests. For example, the concentration card game for kids shown above features farm animals, and it’s less than $4 on Amazon!
Slapjack Teaches Hand-Eye Coordination
- Suggested Starting Age: 5 years and up
- Type of Cards Needed: Standard 52-card deck
Slapjack is an energetic game ideal for developing fast reflexes and recognition skills. Players evenly divide the deck, then take turns quickly flipping their top cards onto a central pile. When a Jack appears, players race to “slap” the pile with their hand. The quickest player wins the stack of cards in the pile, adding them to their hand.
If a player runs out of cards, they’re out of the game. The last player holding all the cards is the winner. Slapjack promotes quick thinking, hand-eye coordination, and friendly competition, making it particularly appealing to energetic and lively children.
The pack shown above is another option from School Zone, and it’s once again under $4 on Amazon.
Old Maid Teaches Strategy And More
- Suggested Starting Age: 4 years and up
- Type of Cards Needed: Standard 52-card deck or special Old Maid deck
Rounding out our list of card games for kids is another classic, Old Maid. This option is an entertaining, suspenseful game that gently introduces younger kids to strategies such as bluffing and keeping a “poker face.” The objective is straightforward: avoid being left with the odd card (the “Old Maid”). To set up, remove one Queen from the standard deck. Cards are dealt evenly to players, who discard pairs face-down in front of them.
Players take turns drawing a card from their neighbor’s hand, hoping to create additional pairs to discard. The fun lies in not revealing whether they’ve picked the dreaded “Old Maid” card. Play continues until all pairs are matched, and the player left holding the Old Maid loses, often amid much laughter.
Once again, you can purchase this game with colorful cards your youngest children might engage with more for under $4 on Amazon.
If you’re unsure which game is best for your kid, I highly recommend the six-pack of games from Etysihe. It features Go Fish, Old Maid, Crazy 8s, Memory Match, Slapjack, and War and is available for just $12.99 on Amazon.
These card games provide engaging ways for children to learn essential skills while enjoying quality family time. Pick a favorite or two from this list, shuffle the deck, and let the fun begin!
If you want to teach your children other important life lessons, check out our list of the 18 best animated children’s movies that teach children about empathy and other life lessons.