8 Card Games To Bring The Family Closer Together

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Bringing the family together and having a great time is usually easier than you think. Sure, you need to manage the logistics, but once you have everyone in the room, keeping them entertained with a cheap pack of cards is easier than you think. 

So, which games should you be playing? And more importantly, why?

Uno Card Game

Uno is a classic family card game that exploded in popularity during the 2000s. The idea is to match numbers and colors while also making use of various wild cards. 

What’s nice about this game is that the layers of complexity only appear later on. Uno starts as something that feels simple but soon develops into a more complex game that requires a mix of luck and strategy.

This game is suitable for kids, meaning you can whip out your Uno cards any time things feel like they’re slowing down. 

Crazy Eights

Crazy Eights is like Uno, but you play it with a standard deck of cards (which is helpful if you don’t have the regular brightly-colored Uno pack). This game basically involves matching suits and numbers with eights and various wild cards. 

Again, the game is fast-paced and high-pressure, which is something kids love. But it is also fun enough to keep adults engaged, which hopefully means you can avoid boredom if you play it. 

Spoons

Failing that, you could also try playing spoons. This game involves getting players to pass cards and grab spoons before they’re gone. 

This game is, again, easy because you start with a standard deck, and then all you have to do is watch out for specific cards. Once you have the right hand, the idea is to grab a spoon before anyone else notices. Then, if there is one spoon missing, everyone else can grab a spoon. The leftover players with no spoons because they didn’t react fast enough are the losers. 

Old Maid

Old Maid is another game that involves using a standard deck. The idea is to pair cards and avoid being left with one of the queens as the “old maid.”

Again, this game is a bit like blackjack because it is so easy to learn and play. Most children over the age of six or seven can get the hang of it and enjoy playing with each other. 

Slapjack

Slapjack is another golden oldie and, rather helpfully, you can play it with a standard deck of cards. The idea is to slap the pile of cards whenever the jack appears. Again, it’s a bit like “snap” in that you have to have fast reaction times. 

If you want to play a regular game of snap, that’s also okay. It’s just that playing it with a standard deck isn’t as fun. Ideally, you want a dedicated pack with cards that look similar to each other but not the same.

This enhances the pattern recognition side of things and makes it more challenging to react. 

You can also increase the speed of dealing in either of these games to make them more fun. 

Rummy

Rummy is a timeless classic that goes back a long time. The rules are a bit more complicated than the games mentioned so far, but the general idea is to form sets using a standard deck. This makes it useful for groups of players of all ages. Kids over ten can usually get to grips with the rules, but it can take them some time to get their minds around it. However, once they do, it can be a lot of fun. 

War

War is another card game you might want to play with the family, especially if you are starting to get your kids interested in playing cards. It’s one of the simplest games out there. All you need to do is split a standard deck and compare cards, and then the highest wins. 

Yes, it’s luck-based, but it can also be fun, especially for young kids. It introduces them to the basic idea of probability and what it means, offering dramatic battles to keep everyone feeling entertained. 

Exploding Kittens

Finally, you might want to try your family on a round of exploding kittens. The idea here is to avoid drawing the exploding kitten card. 

The game is full of fun and humor and brings families together because of its inherent silliness. The rounds are also quick, so it is far less intense than most formal card games that most adults usually play. 

So there you have it, some of the games you need to bring the family closer together. 

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