Family

Card games for families

Starting with young children

Snap

Players turn cards over in turn, and the first to spot two matching ranks calls "snap" and takes the pile. It needs no reading and teaches matching.

Go Fish

Players ask each other for ranks to make sets of four. It practises asking questions, taking turns and remembering who holds what.

Old Maid

Played with one queen removed from the deck, or a special deck, so one card has no partner. Whoever is left holding the unmatched card loses.

The next step

Crazy Eights

Players match the previous card by suit or rank, and eights are wild. It is a good bridge to many other shedding games.

Whist and other trick-taking games

Following suit and trumps are the basis of a large family of games, including Bridge and Spades.

Durak for older children

Once children can follow suits and trumps, Durak makes a good family game, because it is quick to deal and each round lasts only a few minutes. The rules are short enough to read together before the first game.

Editor's notes

• Play with open hands for the first few games of anything new, so everyone can see the reasoning.
• A card holder or a book standing on the table helps small hands manage more than five cards.

Entry last checked: October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Use the contact page.