Skip to content
the grown-up commonsPlay togetherBack to room

← Every door

Card games

For the grown-up beside a child who loves card games.

The child's own door is Card games on Spark & Anvil.

Use it now

At the event

The sideline card

Three numbers to notice

  1. How many cards each player holds, and how many are left in the pile. Together they always make the whole deck.
  2. A card that has already been played. Once it is gone, the chance of the others goes up a little.
  3. How long a shuffle takes. About seven riffle shuffles mix a deck well; a few quick ones leave clumps.

On the way home, ask: “Which game could everyone at our table play, even the youngest?”

Ask because you are curious, and let any answer stand. Print this page for a half-page card.

Understand it

A short course for you

Where it came from

A little history, and what nobody knows

The suits

The spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs on most English-speaking decks are the French suits, which appeared in France around 1480.

Who first drew them is not known.

Source: French-suited playing cards (Wikipedia)

Your child's ladder · on Spark & Anvil

The same idea at every age

  1. Ages 3–5Higher Card
  2. Ages 6–8Follow Suit and 1 more
  3. Ages 9–14Counter's Call and 3 more
  4. Ages 15–18Seven Shuffles

Your child will meet this idea again at every age. The tools and courses here are the part for you.