http://www.fridayschildmontessori.com/blog/card-games-for-the-very-young/ There are a lot of benefits for children if they are included in traditional family games, meaning board games and card games. You might wonder if your preschool child is too young to start playing card games, but you might be surprised. Sure, a three-year-old isn’t going to be ready to join in a game of 500 yet, but there are some card games that very young children can join in with.

2. You might wonder if your
preschool child is too young to
start playing card games, but you
might be surprised.

4. You may wonder what the benefits
of introducing card games to the
very young are. Obviously, your
child will learn some good social
skills – and that’s something that
we consider very important as part
of Montessori education.

6. Card games are good icebreakers and
knowing a few of the most popular
and easy ones.

7. Card games also introduce some good
mathematical and scientific skills.

8. The same applies to identifying court
cards. You’ve also got maths skills –
recognising numbers, as well as ranking
and ordering.

9. Classification – identifying whether a
card is a heart, diamond, spade or club –
is a basic scientific skill and is one of
the things that we do in a Montessori
classroom.

10. When you begin playing card games
with your preschool child,
remember to insist on proper card-
playing etiquette right from the
start.

11. Holding a hand of cards in a traditional
fan is very difficult for small hands. It’s
best to let him or her lay the cards in
the hand down face up behind a screen
such as a large book at first.

12. What card games can preschool
children play?

13. • Snap. The most basic card game of
them all. The very simplest version
involves calling “snap” on matching suits;
the more “advanced” version requires
matching numbers.

15. • Fish. Another simple matching game,
where you collect sets of four (e.g. four
jacks, four queens, four aces, etc.).

16. This can be played when your child is
able to recognise numbers (and the
letters J, Q, K and A) and knows that a
full set of four has a heart, a diamond, a
spade and a club.

17. Spoons. A more lively game where the
aim is to collect a set of four. Here,
the parent takes out enough cards so
that there is one set of four per person
(this one is best played with more than
two players).

19. Donkey. Again, this requires children to
be able to recognise letters and
numbers.

20. Beggar My Neighbour. This one also
goes by the rather naughty name of
Strip Jack Naked. It’s a two-player
game so divide the pack in half.

22. • I Declare War. Like Beggar My
Neighbour, the aim is to win all the
cards. Any number of players, and divide
the pack evenly among them.

23. Later on, encourage
the use of the fan,
starting with a small
number of cards.

24. There are many other card games that
are good for young children to play, but
these should be good to get you started.

25. For more interesting games about
children learning check out
www.fridayschildmontessori.com