A simple deck of cards is easy to put in a handbag or a suitcase. A simple deck of cards is a treasure trove of play time with grandchildren. In this age of electronics, it is an old fashioned “hands on” connection with those precious grandchildren.
We have used part of a deck of cards when the grandchildren are very young to play memory games, to find the queen among the kings, and a way to teach colors and numbers, as well as the suits. We have taught our grandchildren casino, played “war,” and are working on gin rummy.
Oversized cards are best to start and you can purchase a deck alone, although an inexpensive book set is a great alternative. Sometimes, also, even we cannot remember all the games and all the rules and this box set has all the rules. This Grandma has purchased it as a visit gift, “The Book of Cards for Kids.”
As described on Amazon:
The thrill of double war. The excitement of shouting “Gin!” Every kid knows at least a handful of card classics, and every grown up kid remembers the fun of playing them. Now promising an abundance of entertainment for children and their families comes the first book to focus exclusively on card games for kids-and to be paired with an over-sized, custom-designed set of playing cards.From such favorites as Baby Snap, Go Fish, Concentration, and Blackjack to the less well-known Chase the Ace, Racing Demon, Smudge, and Frogs in the Pond, here are over 35 games for two to six players, plus Solitaire for a rainy day. Specially created for the book, the Kids’ Card Deck is a brightly colored, big and bold pack of 54 cards based on the standard 52-card playing deck plus two jokers. Each suit is a different color to make it immediately distinguishable; numerals and letters are large and easy to read. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. Suitable for ages 4-9. Over 1.1 million copies in print.
For an oversized deck of cards alone.
When we travel, we buy all kinds of decks of cards from different destinations or with different designs, such as animals or objects of nature. It is great when you want to bring home something other than a t-shirt. And, do not forget “Old Maid” decks of cards.
Or “Go Fish” decks of cards. What is wonderful is that we can play “Go Fish” and other card games with grandchildren as young as age three!
Our grandchildren love “Uno,” a special card game by Mattel. They are better at it than we are. We do not even have to pretend to lose often.
There is even an oversized deck of “Thomas the Train” Uno cards that teaches numbers and colors: Playing cards with children is fast and easy and always there as an option even without the fancy new versions. If you do not remember the names of games and rules, just go to this website that has them all.
We have a few “card holders” ready in our toy closet for the younger children to use to hold their cards.
We even purchased an automatic card shuffler for our older grandchildren when they were younger and could not shuffle a deck. It is not great, but inexpensive and good enough for the grandchildren. We just visited our older grandchildren and the eight year old still had the shuffler sitting out.
We taught our children to play “Hearts,” and we spent many happy hours in family games around the world as we traveled together on trains and planes and a memorable game in front of the town hall in Cannes, France. Our older daughter recently asked that we teach the grandchildren to play “Hearts” so her whole family can play the game together on their next vacation. We were concerned that it was too advanced for them, but then our electronics came to mind! We each play “Hearts” on our electronics when we are on the airplane or watching television. We taught the grandchildren to play backgammon by their watching us play together. Over Thanksgiving, we are going to have them watch us play electronic “Hearts.” I know it won’t be long before we grandparents are fighting with the parents as to who gets to play “Hearts” with their children.
Joy,
Mema
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