I spent a quite a bit of time rearranging & reorganizing my childrens’ play area yesterday. In the process, I realized that my children have, in their combined not quite 5 years, managed to amass a LOT of toys.  The reason for the reorganization was my intent to move towards a more Montessori approach at home, to more closely follow what they encounter at school (more to come on this, in a future post), which will facilitate more independent choosing of work (play).  Perhaps put more simply: to make sure they can see & reach everything they do want to play with; and to get rid of things that don’t get played with.

The process of slimming down the toy area got me thinking about how the simplest things usually make the best toys. For example, today, we spent the better part of an hour with handmade-by-grandpa blocks, a dozen matchbox cars, and a handful of various miniature animals & little people gotten at a garage sale.  We built block roads with block traffic lights that underwent matchbox traffic jams and road construction, and a block & mini animal zoo with a little people picnic area & monorail. Go, imagination!

In straightening, I realized that some of the most-used toys we have also happen to be the least-expensive, and most-versatile toys (aside from books or arts & crafts – but those are different animals altogether): blocks, Legos (easily purchased used), matchbox cars, and decks of cards.  I discovered several underused decks of cards at the bottom of a box, and it brought back good memories. As a kid, we loved card games. My mom would teach us the rules, give us a deck, and we’d all play for hours. As an adult, Adam & I have played with our friends throughout the years – everyone knows how to play at least ONE card game, right?

This all got me thinking about how with one simple deck of 52 cards, you can really do so much: Go Fish, Memory, Crazy 8s, Old Maid, War, Rummy, Solitaire, Hearts, Poker, Back Alley (Bloopers), and the list goes on…   not to mention 52 card pick-up (haha), 3 card monte, magic tricks, or building houses out of cards. 

Since cards are so inexpensive, versatile, and ubiquitous, it really makes me wonder why these decks have been buried at the bottom of a bin, instead of front & center on our toy shelf!  So, I’ve decided to brush up on my kids’ card game skills with a deck of cards, and start playing more often with the children. My favorite card game has to be one called Bloopers (which, as a complete aside, I looked up online is most closely related to a game called Back Alley Bridge [traced back to WWII].  Here’s an outline of the rules & variations, if you’re interested – GREAT game: Back Alley), and I want my children to develop their own favorite card games.  Its a great skill to have, to be able to pull out a deck of cards, in whatever situation you’re in, and start playing with someone – cards can transcend age, gender, language… and teach turn taking, patience, forethought, strategy, and non-violent competition (alright, Rounders aside).

I’ve always brought along a deck of cards whenever we travel, but I’ve now decided to start carrying a deck of cards in my purse for everyday boring & quiet-situation use (i.e. waiting rooms, brother sleeping in car).  Here’s the deck I’ve chosen for the kids, because once you’re finished whatever card game you’re playing, the pictures open up fun discussions & imagination play: Animals of the World 

So what are your favorite card games? I’d love to hear – please leave a comment.  Thanks for reading!