If you need some ideas to keep your kids busy during the cold winter months, we have a few card game ideas for you!
Scroll on for our family favorites that will keep your kids begging to stay past their bedtime to play…
Cards Against Humanity: Family Edition
If you are a fan of CAH as an adult, you will be pleased to know they have a family-friendly edition that was playtested with thousands of families and is sure to keep everyone in stitches. If your kids loved Apples 2 Apples, this game is for them!
“This is the new favorite for family game night,” one review read. “My kids (ages 10 and 13) absolutely love this game, it’s just good silly fun. The cards are pretty tame and I feel it’s very kid-appropriate, some cards are even written by kids. Like the worst it gets is ‘boobies,’ ‘filling your butt with spaghetti,’ and ‘screaming the f-word.’ Just inappropriate enough that kids find it hilarious.”
Dixit
Dixit is a simple, lighthearted game of storytelling and guesswork where your imagination unlocks the tale. Every picture tells a story – but what story will your picture tell?
“My wife and I played it with our two younger daughters (ages 7 and 10), and they picked it up quickly,” one review read.’
“All of us, adults and children, had a great time. I was worried that my youngest would struggle with giving clues that were ‘obvious, but not too obvious.’ She may not have done as well as the rest of us but still understood the concept. I love how the game encourages abstract and creative thinking. It takes a little bit to get into a groove, and giving clues can be stressful at first. However, the learning curve is short, and we quickly settled into an enjoyable rhythm.”
Exploding Kittens
A Russian Roulette style card game that is a “purr-fect party game for family and friends who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats.”
“I bought this the first time earlier this year ahead of the camping season, something new for our group’s game night. It was a huge hit, especially with the kids, because what 6-year-old doesn’t love exploding kittens? (At least conceptually.) It took a little bit of explaining and coaching to get the kids up to speed but after that they ruled the table like the merciless sociopaths kids are. They will throw you into the path of an exploding kitten card without thinking twice,” one review read.
“Seriously though, this is a great game for kids and adults, and so it’s fun for family game nights. Kids can play on the same level as adults and they love that.”
Sushi Go
This best-selling card game is super fun for kids of all ages. Earn points by picking winning sushi combos in this fast-paced card game.
“Once it is set up, there isn’t much to complicate game play,” one review read in part. “It may not be a game that a typical board game-playing kid (Monopoly, Life, etc.) would be drawn to on their own, as there is a learning curve, but with the encouragement of other players, it can be enjoyable for any child.”
Table Talk
The card game sounds exactly like it is advertised! Each card contains a creative question for your little to one to answer in an effort to spice up the conversation at dinner time.
“Cool questions and lots of them,” one user wrote but did mention the game was “only effective if the child you wish you converse with using these cards puts in [the] effort to be thoughtful about the answers.”
Taco vs. Burrito
This insanely popular game for kids was created by one! 7-year-old Alex designed the game and eventually, surpassed his initial goal on Kickstarter by 2,400%! This “crazy fun strategic food fight” is perfect for kids and adults alike. It only takes a few minutes to learn and gameplay runs 10-15 minutes.
One review read:
“This is our favourite game to play as a family. We have gifted it to a couple of friends and would highly recommend it. It has racked up more playtime than any of our other games and often we will play two or three rounds back to back. One game can be about 10-20 minutes.
When we first got it we had to play through a couple of times but once it clicked it’s a very easy concept to pick up. It’s been great for teaching about sportsmanship – there’s no point losing your mind if a play goes against you as you might be able to pull it back round later, and you can’t be too hurt by an aggressive play as that’s the whole point of the game. It’s difficult to overstate what a positive impact that has had – turning ‘attacking’ moves into silly, funny moments has eased a lot of tension between my 5 & 7yo and that’s a great thing to learn in board games.
My highly motivated, game-loving 5yo picked it up quite easily but it took my less motivated older child a few more goes to get it – thankfully the artwork and characters pulled her in. Even Granny cottoned on after a few plays!
Really recommend this game, it’s a lot of fun.”
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
A convenient take-anywhere-sized game that is fast-paced, laugh-out-loud fun for all ages! Oh, and it takes a minute to learn and gameplay lasts about 10-15 minutes.
“We got this for our 9-year-old daughter for her birthday,” one satisfied user wrote.
“While she was upstairs playing with her new gifts, my husband and I decided to try this game out. Well to our surprise it was so much fun, a tad frustrating because you get competitive and want to win! It got violent though, my watch thought I had taken a hard fall and needed SOS! lol #facepalm It might be a bit too rough for our daughter, but maybe we just need to tone down the competitiveness when playing with her! We like it,” the review continued. “Our daughter loves it too! Great family game all around! Can be played as a two-player, but the more people you have the more fun it becomes!”