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Fun Card Games for an 8 Year Old!



My 8 year old daughter LOVES to play games.  It started way back when she was younger with memory.  A great game for her, because she found something she can always beat Mommy at!  She was drawn to most games, naturally because her parents are also very competitive. Board games, card games, mental games (I spy...) and physical games (basketball) were all fair game for games.  Lately, she really enjoys playing card games though.  Maybe it's because she's realized that I will say yes more often than not to card games, because I love them as well.  Playing cards reminds me of when I used to sit and play double solitaire and cribbage with my Grandfather.  So when she asks, it's usually a YES of course!




Card games are great at this age because:
1.  The rules are usually pretty simple
2.  It teaches children how to take turns.
3.  It teaches them how to develop strategies
4. They don't cost a lot!

Our favorite games

1.  UNO - Besides gold fish and old maid, (preschool games), UNO was the first card game she really learned.  We played...and played...and played this game.  When family would come to visit, I'd tell them "I hope you're ready to play some UNO", because I knew she would ask.  Honestly, though, I didn't mind too much because she would come out to my spot in the living room where I was working, I could put the footrest up, she would grab her bean bag, and we would play right there for a few rounds.  One time my Mom came out to visit, we play a "round" of Uno with the 3 of us.  That game lasted over 2 days!  We had to keep putting it down and coming back to it because nobody could go out!  LOL.  My daughter still talks about that game!



Needless to say, Uno got a little old, and this girl NEEDED some new games in her life.  So I went to the garage to pull out some of my old games.


2.  Skipbo - This game is fun for her.  It didn't take too long for her to get the hang of it, and started to figure out her strategy.  She gets so excited about making certain moves though, so I still give her a little leeway and help her out.  The main objective to the game is to get rid of your stock pile (15, 20 or 30 cards) by creating shared piles in the middle that go from 1-12.  Now she teaches other people to play it whenever she gets a chance!



3.  Phase 10 - This game is a LOOOONNNGGG game when you are first teaching it to an 8 year old.  That being said, she loves it now.  I think she really likes it because she knows how long she'll have my attention for.  She knows that it takes a while, and that she'll get a lot of Mommy time.  Which is fine by me.  Basically it's kind of like Rummy in that you have to make runs, and 3,4 and 5 of a kind.  There are different phases that you have to go through in order.



...and finally..

4. Racko - I remember loving to play this game with my friends when I was younger so I had hoped that my daughter would enjoy it as well.  It was really easy to explain to her and she got the hang of it quickly.  She loved it too!  There's some fun twists and turns in the game that make it exciting and nerve wracking at the same time!  In the game you start by placing your cards in your holder (without seeing the numbers) and then taking turns to make moves to get the numbers in order from lowest to highest.  Like I said its a simple concept, but it's really fun!



If you haven't heard of any of these games you should really check them out.  Even if you don't have kids, I've played all of these games as an adult, with other adults, and we have a blast.  There's something about playing games again that bring you back to your childhood.  It's a great feeling.

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Comments

  1. We love Phase 10 too. My son's favourite is Sushi Go and Exploding Kitten and so do we. Have a look if you're in need of more games.
    Vanessa

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    1. I've seen those but have never played them. I"ll have to check them out. Thanks!

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  2. Thanks for these great ideas! I'm not much of a card player, so this is really helpful!

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    1. These are all tons of fun, if you ever do start playing cards. Thanks for visiting!

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  3. My boys LOVE card games too. UNO and skipbo are our go tos, but I have never heard of rack 10, need to get it for some summer chill time for sure!

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    1. If your boys are like my daughter, they will play the games over and over again. So putting some new ones in there is always a good idea!! lol

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  4. Oh, I love UNO!! I played it as well when growing up and so did my little host brothers from when I was living in America. Card games have something special about them, my grandparents are obsessed! Must be something instinctual going on with card games.
    x finja | http://effcaa.com/being-an-exchange-student/

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    1. I got my love of card games from my Grandpa as well!

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  5. Playing cards is one of our favorite family activities. We all love UNO, but I am not so good at it. It is a great way to stay away from electronic devices and focus on family time. Great post!

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    1. That's why I like to play with my daughter. If she has downtime, she tends to pick up her iPod way to often.

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  6. Aside from Uno, I hadn't heard of any of these. My 7yo nephew will be visiting for a large portion of the summer so I may have to learn how to play at least two of these to throw into our routine. Thanks for the ideas!

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    1. They are so much fun. Racko is definitely easy to learn too, so I'd start there.

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  7. Uno is one of my favorite games ever! I love it!

    Http://laceedoeslife.com

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  8. We recently bought UNO attack which brings the classic game to a whole new level! Great ideas!

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  9. My daughter loves card games, but she's a little younger. Her favorites are Crazy Eights and Old Maid!

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    1. My daughter likes those still as well. Also, Go Fish! LOL those are the gateway card games!!

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  10. Racko is a new one I haven't heard of. I'll have to check it out. I'm about to have an 8 year old in a few weeks and I think he's love some new games. We're on a big "Go Fish" kick right now because my younger son can join in. We also really like Spot It (sort of card related).

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    1. It's so much fun! You should really try it. I'm not sure I've ever heard of Spot it, Ill have to look for it.

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  11. Hey I still play Phase 10 and Go Fish when my friends are having a kickback at my place - not just a kid's game! haha. Thanks for the share!

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    1. I love playing phase 10! When my Aunt and Uncle in law come into town that's what we always play!

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  12. I don't have an 8 year old yet. But I love playing these games anyway:)

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  13. I have great memories with Uno too! Although my boys are a little young for this I'm looking forward to playing card games with them when they are older :)

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    1. Uno is definitely a classic that will be around for years I'm sure.

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  14. These are great card games! You should try "Crazy Eights" too, it's very easy to learn and lots of fun too!

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    1. We've played that one as well! Card games are the best.

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  15. My niece has many board games as Uno but not Skipbo! I was looking to gift her something & thanks I got it here:)

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    1. My daughter loves showing all her friends how to play that one!

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  16. Wow! interesting fun games... I'll try this one :-) thanks for sharing
    https://figmentsofimaginationwordpresscom.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/wandering-lust/

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  17. I loved playing cards with the family growing up! Such a fun past time.

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    1. It's a great activity for family time for sure! Gives kids such good memories!

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  18. I had forgotten about Phase 10 and Skip Bo! Great suggestions! I'll definitely have to grab them for my eight year old and I to play on rainy days this summer.

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    1. They are so much fun! Have fun playing with your daughter!

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  19. I love card games! These are definitely some good choices for someone so young. Another good game they might enjoy is high-low. It's a really simple card game where you try to get either 4 high cards for 4 low cards. You can find the rules online.

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    1. OH ya! I used to play that one as a child and completely forgot about it! Thanks.

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  20. I've played most of these games and I have to say they are fun! Great list. thank you!

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  21. I've never heard of Phase 10. These are great ideas for a rainy day or "electronics free" afternoon :)

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  22. Great Post and games. We live in a bus and travel plus we often backpack around the world. Card games for miss 6 will be on agenda now. Such value. Thank you :)

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    1. OH wow! You're life must be such a fun adventure.

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  23. Awesome ideas! I loved cards as a kid, especially Uno!

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  24. This are all great game options. That my niece would probably love. Thanks for sharing!

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  25. I'm not a big fan of card games, but these look like some great ideas! And I definitely remember playing some of these when I was younger.

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    1. I love how some great memories center around playing cards with family and friends!

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  26. I love card games even as an adult! My favorites growing up were UNO and Skip Bo. Currently I like Euchre and Shanghi (similar to Phase 10). Card games are fun no matter what age.

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    1. I've never heard of Shanghi. I'll have to check it out! Thanks for the suggestion!

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  27. The only one I knew of was UNO. That game can cause people to get competitive real quick.

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  28. Uno was one of my favorite games as a kid! I think it's time to introduce it to my little guy too :)

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    1. It's a pretty easy game to teach to young ones. I hope he enjoys it as much as mine!

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  29. Me and my sisters grew up playing card games and board games. Which is why until now where every game can be found on iPad, we still play the traditional way. UNO is still our favorite and our UNO cards look so overused now. We don't want to buy a new one though because we feel like our pack of UNO cards are so filled with funny memories of our game nights.

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    1. SO much more fun then playing on the iPad! Good family time game!

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  30. Thankd for sharing these fun tips. I have a brother who will appreciate these most cox he likes playing cards.

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  31. Our family loves card games; everytime we travel we bring UNO. I played skipbo as kid with my grandmother brings back memories!

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    1. So fun. Such a simple thing can bring a family together. :)

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  32. AH I love this!! When my niece and nephew are over, I'm always looking for something to entertain them other than Youtube...great ideas!

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  33. 2 days of Uno! Wow, that's dedication. I love that.
    Uno is my daughter's favorite card game too. We haven't picked it up in a while so I'm glad I read this post. Now, I will go and play a round with her for sure!

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    1. I know, it was so much fun though! My daughter thought it was hilarious!

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