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Card Games for Kids of All Ages
from: Maxx Family LifeIf you are looking for a great way to spend quality time with your kids, card games are often the way to go. Even though many kids are caught up in the modern day technology frenzy of video games and other electronic handheld devices, they still love sitting down to a game of fun with their parents. In addition, card games provide valuable lessons to kids, including how to properly socialize, how to take turns, how to be a good winner and loser, and how to cooperate. The key is finding card games that be enjoyed by both you and your kids. The trick to finding these games is to think outside the box when looking for great card games.
Uno
Uno is a classic card game that will never go out of style. All a child needs to be able to do is to identify colors and numbers in order to play this game. Sure, there can be some strategy involved with a cutthroat game of Uno, but this does not have to be the case when playing with the family.
If you are playing Uno with very young children, you might want to take out cards such as "Reverse," "Draw Two," "Skip," and the "Wild" cards. These cards might confuse a young child at first or make him feel defeated before he even begins. Instead, practice playing for a while with only the numbered cards. After your child is comfortable with this routine, add the "Skip" card. Once he seems to understand this concept, add the "Draw 2" card, and then add the "Wild" cards. The "Reverse" card should be added last because this change in the direction of game play can be confusing for young children (and even for some adults!).
Apples to Apples Junior
Parents may be a little less familiar with the game Apples to Apples Junior. This game was created with children as young as seven years old in mind, though younger kids might be able to play it as well. The concept of the card game is really quite simply. Each player except one receives 5 cards with red apples on them. Each of these cards has a word and its definition on it. The player who did not receive five cards is the "judge." As the judge, this player chooses one card with a green apple on it. The green apple words have descriptive words on them.
The job of the children with red apple cards is to choose what one card in their hand goes best with the descriptive word. For example, the five red apple cards may read "elephant," "house," "car," "sandwich," and "milk." The green apple card, on the other hand, may say "spooky." The child with the red apple cards then chooses the best word to go with "spooky," which would probably be "house."
After each player chooses his or her word from his hand, he lays them in front and the judge mixes them up. The judge then chooses the one he or she likes the best. Kids really enjoy this game and it helps them build up their vocabulary. Of course, this game is the most fun with several players, making it the perfect card game for parents to play with their children.
Pet Hunt
Pet Hunt is a card-match game that will encourage your child to really use his head. To play this game, each player draws cards that contain pictures of four animals. They then draw smaller cards that have only two animals on them. By looking through their original cards, they have to decide if they have a match. This actually is not as simple as it may sound because both of the animals on the smaller card have to be on the larger card. In addition, the smaller card may have an "X" through one animal, meaning the larger card must have one animal on it but not the other. In other cases, both animals may actually be crossed off on the smaller card. This game is best suited for early elementary aged children. Younger children can play, as well, though they may have difficulty with the level of thinking involved.
Card games can add a great deal of fun to family together time. By carefully looking through the many different games commercially available, you will be sure to find one that is perfect for you and your family.
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