Need some new family games to play this weekend? We’ve got a couple of great card games for family gatherings. It’s a perfect opportunity to kick the kids off screens for a few hours and teach them strategy, turn taking, and basic fairness. The best family games offer a good dose of those values.
All of which can be applied to Fortnite, of course. After we play a few rounds of card games for family gathering to socialize with the rest of the family. In any event, here are a few new card games your kids haven’t seen before…
Beggar-My-Neighbour (2 players, ages 5+)
This British card game for two players is easy for young children to play.
Divide the deck between two players. Players hold their pile of cards face down and take it in turn to play cards face up into a central pile. This continues until a face card is played, at which point the other player has to ‘pay’ a number of cards: 4 cards are paid for an Ace, 3 for a King, 2 for a Queen and 1 for a Jack. The player who played the face card then picks up the central pile and places it at the bottom of their pile. If one of the cards being paid is a face card, play switches so that the person who last played a face card gets paid for their face card. The objective of the game is to win all of the cards.
A slightly more complex version of this game allows you to win cards by being the first person to slap the pile when two cards of the same rank are played. This variant is suitable for slightly older children as it increases the amount of skill needed to win the game.
Cheat! (3-5 players, ages 6+)
A game that is suitable for slightly older children, Cheat can have children in fits of laughter as they try to determine who is telling the truth and who is bluffing.
Divide the deck between the players. Players take it in turns to play cards of the same rank from their hand face down into a central pile, while announcing the cards they are playing. The following player must play cards that are of the same rank, one rank above or one below the previous play, with Aces high or low. However, players may ‘cheat’ by lying about the cards they are playing. If any player suspects that someone is lying, they may accuse that player of doing so by calling, “Cheat!” If a player is accused, they must show the cards they played to the group. If they are found to have cheated, the cheater must take all of the cards from the pile into their hand. If the accusation was false, the person who made the accusation must take the cards from the pile into their hand. The winner is the first person with no cards in their hand.
Rummy (2-4 players, ages 8+)
A more complex game enjoyed by many teens and adults, Rummy has several enjoyable variants.
Each player receives a hand of 7 cards. One card is placed face up in the centre, with the remaining cards placed face down in a pile next to it. The objective of the game is to collect a set of 3 cards and a set of 4 cards, which can either be in runs (sequential cards of the same suit) or melds (cards of the same rank). Players take it in turns to draw and discard one card per turn, collecting cards to make sets. Cards may be drawn from either the face-up pile or the face-down pile and must be discarded into the face-up pile. The first person to collect a set of 3 cards and a set of 4 cards says, “Rummy!” and displays their cards to win the game.
Try These Card Games for Family Gatherings
Seriously. Give them a go at your next family evening! I’m personally a big fan of beggar thy neighbor, but there are plenty of other good ones here as well!