What Card Games Can Three Year Olds Play?

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By Eric Wilson

As a parent or caregiver, finding games that three-year-olds can play can be quite a task. Card games are a great way to keep your little ones engaged and entertained while also teaching them valuable skills such as turn-taking and problem-solving. Here are some card games that three-year-olds can play:

Go Fish

Go Fish is a classic card game that is easy for young children to understand. To play, each player is dealt five cards from a standard deck of 52 cards (excluding jokers).

The goal of the game is to collect sets of four cards of the same rank by “fishing” for them from other players. For example, if you have two 5s in your hand and ask another player if they have any 5s, they must give you all their 5s if they have any.

Memory Match

Memory Match is another simple game that helps improve short-term memory. To play, shuffle a deck of cards and lay them face down in rows on a table or the floor.

Each player takes turns flipping over two cards at a time trying to find matching pairs. If they find a pair, they keep it and get another turn. The player with the most pairs at the end wins.

Old Maid

Old Maid is an entertaining game for young children that involves removing pairs of matching cards until one player is left with the “old maid” card. To play, remove one queen from a standard deck of 52 cards (leaving three queens) and shuffle the remaining cards. Deal all the cards among the players and have them remove all pairs from their hand without looking at them first.

The remaining card is placed in the center face-down; this becomes the “old maid” card. Players take turns drawing one card from another player without looking at it until all matching pairs are removed. The player with the “old maid” card at the end loses.

Conclusion

Card games are a great way to spend quality time with your little ones while also helping them develop important skills. Go Fish, Memory Match, and Old Maid are just a few examples of card games that three-year-olds can play. Try them out and see which ones your child enjoys the most!