13 Easy Card Games for Kids That'll Keep Them Interested

Family time is precious, and one way to engage the whole family is by playing easy card games for kids. These children's card games use a standard 52-card deck, and they're easy enough for your littles but still engaging for adults. What better way to spend your precious family time than playing, laughing, and talking as a family? These are some of our favorites. 

Old Maid is a classic kids' game for two or more players ages four and older. The more players, the better. Younger kids may have trouble holding too many cards, so we recommend a cardholder for small hands.

1. Remove three queens from the deck for the entire game and set them aside so you are left with one "Old Maid." Deal out all the cards.
2. Remove any matching pairs (same number or letter) from your hand.
3. On a turn, hold your fanned hand out to the player on your left with the backs of the cards facing them. Your opponent picks one card.
4. If it makes a pair, they can remove it from their hand.
5. Continue playing until one player remains holding the "Old Maid."

Children as young as toddlers who can recognize matching symbols, numbers, and letters can play this simple card game for kids with two or more players.

1. Deal each player cards (7 cards for two or three players, 5 cards for more). The remaining cards are left face down in the middle of the playing area.
2. Players take turns asking other players for cards saying, "Do you have..." a specific card.
   • If the opponent has the requested, they must give them all to the person asking. The asking person gets to take another turn until they are told to "go fish" (the player they asked for doesn't have any of that card). 
   • If the opponent does not have any of the card, they say, "Go fish," and the player picks a card from the pile.
3. When a player has four-of-a-kind, they set them down. When all foursomes have been played, the game is over. The player with the most sets of four wins.

War is an easy two-player card game for kids of any age. It helps if the kids can recognize which card values are higher than each other.

1. Deal out all cards, 26 each, in one face-down stack for each player.
2. Each player draws his top card and lays it in the middle.
3. The player with the highest value card gets to keep all cards.
4. If there is a tie, the tied players go to "war."
   • Each player places four cards, face-down, in a line. One more card is then turned face-up.
   • That card is left face-up and determines the winner. Whoever has the highest card wins all the played cards.
5. When a player runs out of cards, they're out of the game, and the other player wins.

Kids as young as age four can play this simple multi-player, winner-takes-all family card game that's about paying attention.

1. Deal out all cards into a face-down pile for each player. It's okay if piles aren't equal.
2. Each player takes a turn flipping over their top card to start a face-up pile next to their face-down pile.
   • The first person to notice that a flipped card matches a face-up card on any player's pile yells "Snap!" and wins both face-up piles containing the matching cards.
   • If there's a "Snap!" tie, both piles go into a "Snap Pot" in the middle of the table.
   • If a player notices a flipped card matches the top card on the "Snap Pot" they yell "Snap Pot!" and win that pile.
3. If your face-down pile ever runs out, you flip your face-up pile over and use it.
4. The player with all the cards at the end of the game wins.

Slapjack is great for larger groups of active kids. You can have up to 10 players.

1. Divide the cards equally between the players. Everyone stacks their cards facedown.
2. On a turn, one player at a time, going clockwise, takes the top card from their own stack and places it, face up, in the middle in a new stack.
   • When a Jack is played, put your hand on it. The first player to "slap the Jack" gets to keep the entire stack.
3. If a player runs out of cards, they may still slap jacks and win back cards, so this can be a long game.
4. The winner is the player with all the cards. Alternatively, set a timer, and the winner is the one with the most cards when the time is up.

Kids of any age as young as about three can play this fun take on Bingo that uses two standard decks of playing cards. You need at least three players.

1. One player will be the "Caller" and can't win the round.
2. From deck one, deal five cards face-up to each player. You don't need the rest of this deck.
3. The "Caller" pulls one card from deck two and calls out the number and suit.
   • If a player has this exact card, they flip it over so it's face-down.
4. The first person to turn over all their cards and yell "Bingo!" wins.

Related: 25 Camping Games for Kids That'll Keep Boredom Away

This game for two players or more features collecting runs of three or more (such as 3, 4, 5 or Q, K, A) and matched sets (three or four of a kind), which can be difficult concepts for kids under age seven to grasp. Aces can be high cards (after Kings) or ones. 

1. Deal cards to each player (10 cards for two players, 7 cards for three or four, 6 cards for five or more.)
2. Place the rest of the deck face-down in the center of the playing area and flip the top card over next to this pile.
3. On a turn, start by drawing either the top card on the pile or the top card in the face-up pile next to it.
4. If you have a set (three or four of a kind) or a run (three or more numbers in sequential order), lay them down in front of you.
5. Discard one card onto the face-up pile at the end of your turn.
6. Players can always draw from either the discard pile or the face-down pile. 
7. The first player to get rid of all their cards from their hand wins.

Older kids ages six and up who are able to add up to 31 can play this game for two or more players. Aces are worth 11 points, face cards worth 10, and all other cards are worth their face value.

1. Deal three cards face-down to each player.
2. Deal three cards in the middle of the playing area face-up to create the "window."
3. On a turn players can exchange one card from their hand with one card from the "window," but this new card must lay face-up in their hand now.
4. When a player has 31 points or believes they have more points than any opponent in their hand, they knock on the table.
5. Everyone gets one more turn after the knock. The player with the highest total card value in their hand wins the round.  

Spoons is a really fun, fast-paced popular card game for older kids ages eight and up that can last a long time. You need at least three players, but more is better. In addition to the deck of cards, you'll also need spoons (one fewer than your number of players — so if you have five players, you'll need four spoons).

1. Arrange the spoons in a straight line or circle in the center of your playing area. Deal four cards to each player; then the dealer keeps the rest of the pile.
2. The dealer pulls the top card from the pile and then removes any one card from their hand and passes it to their left.
3. Each successive player picks up the card passed to them and passes one. There are no turns, so gameplay is continuous.
4. When a player gets four-of-a-kind, they grab a spoon. Everyone else must then grab a spoon, too.
5. The last player who doesn't get a spoon gets one letter from the word "spoon". If a player spells the whole word after several rounds, they're out of the game. The last player in the game wins.

This group game for five or more players is perfect for family game night with kids as young as four. Since this is best played at a rapid pace, it's best for kids ages seven and up.

1. Deal four cards to each player.
2. Each player starts by passing a card from their hand to the left and picking up the card passed from their right.
3. When a player has four-of-a-kind in their hand, they stop passing and put their finger on their nose.
4. All others then put their fingers on their noses. The last person to put their finger on their nose is the Pig.

Also called Cuckoo or Chase the Ace, this simple card game involves bluffing, so it's best for kids ages seven and older who understand that concept. You can have any number of players, with two being the minimum, and you'll need candies, poker chips, or other counters.

1. Before you begin, decide whether Aces are high or low, and give each player three candies.
2. Deal each player one card face-down.
3. The first player decides if they want to keep their card (because they think it's higher than at least one other player's) or trade with the person on their left.
   • If their opponent has the highest ranking card (either Ace or King), the opponent can flip their card over and refuse to trade.
4. Everyone flips their card over, and the player with the lowest-valued card must put one of their candies in the center pot.
5. When all your candies are gone, you're out of the game. The last player remaining wins all the candies.

Similar to War, Beggar My Neighbor is a two-person game of chance for kids of any age.

1. Deal out 26 cards in one face-down pile for each player.
2. Player One flips his top card into a central pile. Player Two flips his top card onto Player One's card in the central pile.
   • If any card put in the central pile is an Ace or court card (Jack, Queen, King), the opponent pays a penalty of cards.
   • Ace pays four cards to the center, King pays three cards, Queen pays two cards, and Jack pays one card.
   • The player who flipped the Ace or court card then takes the entire central pile and puts it on the bottom of their pile.
   • If the last card paid by the penalized player is an Ace or court card, his opponent does not take the pile and has to pay.
3. The winner of the central pile always lays down the next card. The player who ends up with all the cards from the deck is the winner.

Older kids who can understand the basic concept of betting can play this three- to eight-player game. You'll also need candies or poker chips to play.

1. Give each player a bunch of chips and deal out all the cards from the deck. Each person puts one chip in the central pot before each round.
2. Player one puts any one card from their hand in the center of the playing area. There will only be four piles in this area, one for each suit.
3. All other players, in turn, must build up this pile started by Player One using only the same suit in sequential order. For example, if they lay a four of hearts, the next card that can be played is a five of hearts.
4. If a player can't play, they put one chip in the pot. When this first pile gets back to the original number laid, a new pile in a different suit can be started.
5. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.

A standard deck of playing cards might not seem like an ideal toy or game for kids, but there are many game options to transform them from standard to stupendous.