As we know, moms wear many hats. I’m going to take it a step further and say diaper bags do too. For me, it serves as my purse, portable trash can, charging station, vending machine, bathtub (thanks sanitizer gel), closet and more. My diaper bag is jammed packed with all the “essentials” and there’s hardly room for more. But, if I may, can I convince you to add one more thing? It’s only 2.5×3.5 inches but packs a big punch in terms of versatility and entertainment. It requires no batteries or charger, doesn’t have a screen and weighs less than a pound: a deck of cards!
I have three small children (4, 2 & 4 months) and we always find ourselves waiting. Waiting at preschool pickup, waiting for food to arrive at our table, waiting for an oil change and the list goes on. Having a deck of cards in my diaper bag has come in incredibly handy to keep my kids (relatively) calm, busy and engaged in the never-ending abyss of waiting. A deck of cards offers a variety of simple games for children. Below you’ll find 7 quick and easy games that require nothing but a single deck of cards and can be played from almost anywhere.
7 Easy Card Games for Kids
Memory Match
Pair the cards by symbol or number. Take each pair (3 or 4 pairs for younger children more for older), mix them up and place them face down in rows. Flip one card then another to attempt to find its match. Once a match is found the player collects it. Take turns and the player with the most matches wins.
Go Fish
Deal each player five cards. Place remaining cards in a pile in the center of the play area. Moving clockwise, each player asks a specific player for a certain card to match one in their hand. If they have the requested card, it is given to the inquiring player. If they do not, the inquiring player must “go fish” by selecting a card from the center pile. If you get the card you requested, you get another turn. As pairs are collected, they are placed face down in front of each player. When the “fish” pile runs out, the player with the most pairs wins.
Old Maid
Add one joker to the standard deck of cards then deal them all equally between players. Each player sorts their cards, making as many pairs as possible, and placing them face up in front of them. Starting with the dealer, each player then takes a turn fanning out their hands so that the player to their left can draw one card. The player is not permitted to see the player’s hand from which they are drawing. Play continues in this way and as pairs are made their immediately laid down face up. Once all the pairs are discarded, the player left holding the unmatched card, the Old Maid (joker), loses.
Slap Jack
Divide cards equally among players. Place in a single stack face down in front of each player. Flip one card over from the top of the stack simultaneously. Continue until a jack is thrown. Then, the first person to slap it wins the stack of cards below. The person with all the cards at the end (or has the most when play stops) wins.
War
Divide cards equally among players. Place in a single stack face down in front of each player. Flip one card over off the top of the stack simultaneously. The player with the highest value card wins both cards. Repeat until two of the same cards are played. Then a war takes place. Each player takes three cards off the top of their stack and places them facedown in the play area then flips the fourth one face up. The player with the highest card wins the war and collects all of the cards from the war. Play resumes as normal until another war takes place. The player who collects all of the cards wins the game.
*If your children can add, you can put an educational spin on this classic game. Each player takes two cards and adds the numbers together. The player with the largest sum is the winner of that round.
Crazy Eights
Deal five cards to each player. Place remaining cards in a face-down stack at the center of the table. Turn up the top card to begin play. Players discard by matching rank or suit with the top card of the discard pile, starting with the player left of the dealer. The player who discards all of their cards first wins.
Sorting
Place the cards face up. Take a card one at a time off the stack and make separate piles to sort them by color or symbol. For older kids sort by number or suit.
