Whether it’s during family night, with friends during a late night of music and drinks, or in a casino, it’s safe to say that card games are a staple of what it means to have fun. Not to mention that there’s so many unique games you can play with just a simple deck of cards.
The games can be complex and fun for adults, like Poker, or they can be simple and easy for kids to enjoy with friends and classmates. There are even games you can play by yourself, if you so choose.
What I’m getting at is that we love card games, and there’s very little chance that they will ever die out soon. Even if you’re not that much of a card game player, there’s actually a benefit in teaching your children a few games here and there, including special needs children.
How so? Well, allow me to give you the rundown on why you should be teaching your kids how to play a few card games, as well as what kind of games are great for both special needs children and children in general.
Benefits of Playing Card Games with Children
You wouldn’t believe how much learning a few simple card games can really help your child. Here are some ways they can benefit from playing:
Problem Solving. When your child is playing card games, there’s always an opportunity to strategize. When they have to stop and think about their next move, this is them learning how to make careful decisions so they can win the game.
Memory. You don’t have to play a matching game in order to improve your child’s memory. The very fact that they’re recalling the rules of the game is enough to help them improve how they retain information. This is especially true if you’re helping your kid learn several card games. If your kid can teach another child how to play the game, you know you’ve done well.
Emotional Intelligence. It’s extremely important that a child celebrate their problem solving skills during a victory, but also to learn how to accept defeat graciously.
There’s nothing wrong with letting your child win a few games even if they were going to lose, but if they don’t know how to lose, it can affect how they react to rejection or defeat when they grow up. You should also emphasize how their hard work led them to a genuine win.
Social and Communication Skills. This one is a given. When your child plays with friends, they learn how to communicate and experience social interaction, which is good for later in life.
Fine Motor Skills. When a child plays cards, they’re learning how to hold them in their hands, how to maneuver their fingers, and how to deal and sort the cards. This develops their fine motor skills in the same way that drawing with crayons, playing with dolls, and building with blocks does.
Card Games and Special Needs
These benefits can especially apply to children with special needs. The only issue is having to accommodate them, and even then, it usually isn’t much of a hassle.
It’s important that if you want your child to receive the same benefits and have just as much fun, you need to be willing to accommodate, no matter what that means, because if it’s a struggle to even play the game, then it can become a whole lot less fun.
This can mean playing on a lower table for someone who is wheelchair bound, helping a child with autism to do some research on the game, and giving your child extra time to make a play when it’s their turn instead of rushing them to get it done.
When a game is easily available to everyone, it becomes fun for everyone. You should always be trying to include, not exclude, and never let a disability keep your child from having fun.
Card Games to Play
Here are a variety of card games that are suitable for children, both special needs or not. I’ll give you a rundown on what skills they involve, the ages best to play them at, aand how many people are required.
These games are separated into five categories: computation, number sense plus sequencing, number recognition, categorizing plus number sets, and visual scanning plus spatial skill and logic.
Each of these games have a rule set that can be found online with ease. It’s also recommended you let your child keep score (if necessary) to help with their number sense and motor skills.
Games with Computation
Finders Keepers (5 years old +) >>
Perfect for children 5 years old and up. It helps with addition and spatial skills. It requires 2-4 players, so it’s great for playing with parents or siblings.
Add and Subtract (7 years old +) >>
For ages 7 and up, this helps develop a child’s ability to add and subtract. You only need a deck of cards, but can also use a pencil and paper to help them with the math. It required just 2 players.
All Fours (8 years old +) >>
Best for children 8 years old and up, this game helps develop a child’s ability to add, plan, strategize, and develop their motor skills. It takes 2-4 players and needs a pencil and paper for scoring.
Games with Number Sense and Sequencing
Pay or Play (kids aged 4 to 7) >>
Suitable for ages 4-7, this helps develop your kid’s ability to sequence numbers and order them. It’s good for 2-4 players and requires a bowl and pennies (or counters).
Crazy 8’s (4 years old +) >>
Best for ages 4 years old and up, this helps number recognition, matching, visual attention, and shifting. Great for 2-4 players.
Seven-Up (kids aged 5 to 10) >>
Good for children aged 5-10 years, this game helps your child with number ordering. It only requires the deck of cars and is great for 2-4 players.
Games with Number Recognition
Go Fish (3 years old +) >>
A game pretty much every person has played at least once in their childhood, Go Fish is great for children aged 3 and up and helps with number recognition. It’s for 2 people with no limit on how many can join in, so if you’re playing with an entire family and quite a few kids, you can add another deck of cards to the pile.
Old Maid (3 years old +) >>
Best for children 3 years old and up, Old Maid card game is great for number recognition as well as matching. This game requires at least two players with no upper limit, so add another deck of cards if you have to.
War (4 years old +) >>
A great game for children 4 years old and up, War card game assists in developing number recognition, basic computations, and the concept of higher and lower numbers. This game needs just two players, so it’s a great game for best friends, two siblings, or a parent and child.
Games with Categorizing and Number Sets
Basic Rummy (6 years old +) >>
Rummy comes in all sorts of variations, but Basic Rummy is great for children aged 6 years old and up. This helps a child develop their motor skills, number sequencing, ordering, and strategizing. This game is usually for 2 players, but if you want to add more players, you’re going to have to go for a different set-up. You need to have a pencil and paper for scoring.
Switch (kids aged 5 to 12) >>
Switch card game is perfect for kids who are 5-12 years old and helps develop their motor skills, basic addition, and their ability to categorize. It needs a pencil and paper for scoring, but otherwise just requires the deck of cards. It required 2-6 players, so it’s great for a small family.
Black Maria (7 years old +) >>
Best for children 7 years old and up, Black Maria card game is great for developing a child’s motor skills and reasoning, as well as their ability to add, strategize, and rank numbers. It requires a pencil and paper for scoring and can be played with 2 players with no upper limit, so you can add another deck of cards if you have to.
Spatial Skills, Logic, and Visual Scanning
Spoof (5 years old +) >>
Great for kids 5 years old and up, Spoof card game will help develop your child’s ability to reason, sort cards, and sequence numbers. It requires 2 people with no upward limit, so if you need to add another deck of cards to accommodate an entire family or friends, the game will still work as intended.
Four in a Row (5 years old +) >>
Great for children aged 5 years old and up, Four in a row card game will allow a child to develop their spatial planning, as well as their ability to strategize. This requires just 2 players.
Hop-Along (6 years old +) >>
Hop along card game is meant for children 6 years old and up and helps develop a child’s ability to order cards, discriminate cards visually, scan left to right, and improves their spatial skills.
It requires a simple deck of cards and a counter/coin/button. It only needs 1-2 players, meaning that if your child wanted to, they could play this game by themselves. However, in order to improve their ability to communicate and socialize, it’s recommended that someone else play with the child whenever the cards come out.