Playing card games is a great way for children to learn a variety of basic skills, including counting, taking turns, basic strategy, and being a good sport. Here are my picks for the best traditional card games for children. All of these games can be played with a standard 52-card deck.
Go Fish
For 2 to 6 players. Go Fish is a set collection game in which players try to gather sets of four cards of the same rank by asking other players for cards they might have.
Spoons
For 3 to 13 players. Spoons is a clever card game that can be played by children and adults together. This card game also goes by the names Pig and Tongue, and spoons are not necessary to play those versions of the game.
Old Maid
For 3 to 8 players. Old Maid is part of a family of card games known as "scapegoat" games. In scapegoat games, the goal is to avoid having a particular card or cards.
Concentration / Memory
For 1 to 6 players. Concentration, also known as Memory, is a great family card game. It's easy to make the game easier or more difficult, and younger players tend to be able to compete with older players because they generally excel at memory-based games.
Snap
For 2 to 12 players. Snap is a matching game, often played with custom decks specifically designed for the game. These rules are for playing Snap with a standard deck of cards.