A couple of amazing things happened when we cut the cord on our monthly cable subscription a few years ago: We saved upwards of $150 per month (yes, you read that right – we were paying a whopping $150 per month for a TV subscription that we never watched!) and we scored an abundance of family time.  Canceling our cable subscription was, by far, the best thing we did for our family, and surprisingly the easiest!

 

Since we didn’t have a TV to occupy our time any more, we quickly found ourselves becoming addicted to family game nights. You know, once a week we’d gather around the kitchen table or on the living room floor and play a board game. Well, those weekly game nights soon turned into several times per week, then every week day, and then into the weekends, and well, we freely admit we have a huge family gaming addiction.  Admitting the problem is the first step though, eh?  😉

 

While we enjoy many different types of family games, lately it seems our “drug” of choice is cards!  Any kind of card game! There are literally hundreds and hundreds of packaged card games on the market and some classic games that are played with old-fashioned 52-card decks.

 

Here are just a few of the card games we are currently loving…..

 

 

 

Uno – This is such a retro game, but surprisingly enough, I did not grow up playing it!  We never had a deck of Uno cards (insert tears), and while I remember the neighbor kids having this game, we never played it.  I purchased Uno right before our trip home to Hungary this year to occupy our layover time in the airports. This game was very easy to learn (my Hungarian husband taught us!) and is very similar to Crazy 8’s but with a bit more, um, ‘payback’ (?) to the game play.

 

• Object: Be the first player to be rid of all their cards.
• Winner earns points from the cards other players still have on hand
• Ages: 7+
• Number of Players: 2-10
• Watch a play demonstration video here

 

 

 

This is a new favorite at our house! The SKIP BO Card Game is a bit like solitaire.

 

• Object: Players use skill and strategy to create sequential stacks of cards
• Winner: First player to use all the cards in their stockpile
• Ages: 7+
• Number of Players: 2-6
• Watch a play demonstration video here

 

 

Dutch Blitz is a very fast-paced sequencing game and can be challenging to get the hang of at first. A little like solitaire, this game is played by all players, all at the same time!

• Object: Simultaneous fast-paced play.  Players try to build sequential “community” piles while trying to eliminate the cards in their “Blitz” pile.
• Winner: A round of play is ended whenever a player has an empty “Blitz” pile.  Points are earned by all players; player first to reach 75 points wins.
• Ages: 8+
• Number of Players: 2-6
• Watch a play demonstration video here

 

 

 

 

Oh goodness do we heart this little game. Blink – The World’s Fastest Card Game is an absolute riot to play! I love this game for kids because it develops focus, visual perception skills, speech-language skills, and fine motor skills. And it’s just a ton of fun!

 

• Object: Players try to match cards in the discard pile either by shape, color, or by number. Mega-fast-paced play – you will be addicted to this game lightning quick!
• Winner: The first player to be rid of all their cards.
• Ages: 8+
• Number of Players: 2-6 (but I think better with just 2, as the game can get crazy as the cards fly on the piles!)
• Watch a play demonstration video here

 

 

 

Spot It! is a lot like Blink in that players have to match images on the playing cards, but between any two cards there is only one matching image!  There are several variations of this game available from preschool to holiday!

 

• Object: 
• Winner: Be the first player to be rid of all their cards.
• Ages: 8+
• Number of Players: 2-8
• Watch a play demonstration video here

 

 

Phase 10 is similar to rummy as players work to complete phases of play ranging from two sets of three, one run of seven, seven cards of one color, etc.  Each phase to be completed is specific for each hand dealt and those players who complete the phase advance to the next, but those that don’t must try again!

 

 

• Object: Be the first player to complete all 10 phase sequences.
• Ages: 7+
• Number of Players: 2-6
• Watch a play demonstration video here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monopoly Deal is a fast-paced card game that can be played through in about 20 minutes. The goal is to collect 3 property sets for the win, but there are several action cards like the dreaded Debt Collectors and Deal Breakers, which can flip your fortunes quickly!

 

• Object: Be the first player to collect 3 full property sets of different colors.
• Ages: 8+
• Number of Players: 2-6
• Watch a play demonstration video here

 

 

 

Yahtzee Hands Down is a fun twist on the classic dice game. You collect dice cards to make classic combinations: 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind, small straight, large straight or full house; Re-roll by discarding cards you don’t need and taking a chance on new ones; Score high and win the Combo card points!

 

• Object: Player with the most points wins.
• Ages: 8+
• Number of Players: 2-6
• Watch a play demonstration video here

 

 

 

 

Here are a few other card games that look like a lot of fun that we haven’t tried yet….and that I may or may not have currently waiting in my Amazon cart… 😉

 

• Farkle Flip
• Hit The Deck
• Rack-O
• Smack it!
• Ratuki

 

 

 

And we can’t forget the “Bicycle” classics! These are the card games I grew up playing.  We spent summers with my grandparents and I can remember my grandmother teaching us a new game every visit. Solitaire was always a favorite…..yes, long before it was on the computer!  😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Crazy 8’s
• Slap Jack
• Go Fish!
• Old Maid
• Concentration, Memory, or Matching
• War (I absolutely love this game for teaching kids number value and comparison)
• Solitaire

 

 

(It totally hit me while writing this post that we don’t even own a simple set of playing cards! *facepalm* I know these decks are a dime a dozen at most places, but I have never seen a really great price on the official Bicycle playing cards.  So, I popped over to Amazon and holy cow there are a ton of choices for playing cards!  I think these Bicycle Poker Size Jumbo Index Playing Cards will work for us!)

 

 

 

Here are a couple of tips to get started playing cards as a family:

 

• Don’t worry about the age restrictions on the game – those are just a guideline and many kiddos catch on faster than adults!  Ha!
• When you find a game you want to play, search online for a “How to play” video. Chances are the manufacturer or a game reviewer has a tutorial posted somewhere!  I have found that when it comes to cards, I am a very visual learner.  I need to sit and watch the tutorial several times (vs. reading a 20-page instruction booklet) to be able to understand the object and play actions of the game.
• Do you know how to shuffle a deck of playing cards? We were in Europe last fall and I was playing Uno with several different family members and friends. As I began to shuffle the huge pile of cards (something I thought everybody knew how to do!) I looked up and could see people staring at me like I was an alien cooking a Thanksgiving turkey on the beach!  Apparently, this method of shuffling is not at all common in Europe! Ha! Or there is always this option!
• If you’ve got littles that have a hard time managing a full hand of cards, a playing card holder is a must-have!

 

• And we have also found that a Playing Card Deck Tray/Holder thingy comes in handy for keeping “draw” and “discard” piles organized at home or while playing on the road.