Types of Card Games for Kids

Card games have been around in some form or another since the ninth century and while many are meant for adults, children's games constitute a significant percentage of them. Modern game companies have developed countless card game variations, ranging from simple exchange games to complicated games entailing thousands of different types of cards. Card games for kids are grouped into several basic categories to distinguish them.

Traditional Card Games

Traditional card games are played with a standard 52-card deck, and are usually much older than other card games. Their ranks include Hearts, Go Fish and Chicken in the Barnyard.

Non-Traditional Card Games

Non-traditional card games still use a deck of cards, but not the particular suits and numbers on them. Games like Hat Trick, where you toss cards onto a hat, or House of Cards, where you build structures out of the cards themselves qualify as non-traditional card games.

Non-Collectible Card Games

Non-collectible card games use a single deck unique to that particular game, rather than a 52-card deck. The most popular examples are Uno and Mille Bornes, but there are countless others.

Collectible Card Games

Collectible card games (or trading card games) use thousands of different cards which are sold in blister packs like baseball cards: players build decks using particular combinations of cards, rather than using all of them at once. They include games such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: the Gathering.

Mixed Card Games

Mixed card games are those where cards are used in conjunction with a board or similar apparatus. Their ranks include games like Talisman and Dungeon! (and they are often grouped as board games).