Family Card Games

I often encourage parents to play card games with their children. Some of my favorites are Cover Your Assets, Skull, and Coup. I especially like games that don’t take a long time to play, involve bluffing, and have lots of opportunities for guessing what other players are going to do. These games create intense emotional situations and allow children to practice guessing who is bluffing and who is telling the truth. This mind-mapping ability is important in adult relationships, and helps children develop more confidence in their ability to understand what’s going on. 

Children who do not get enough positive emotional engagement from their parents sometimes turn to disruptive behavior as a way to attract negative emotional attention. Family card games, especially games that involve bluffing and guessing, help children learn to tolerate intense emotions, self-soothe, and enjoy emotional interactions with family members.

Family table-top games (board games and card games) have come a long way over the last twenty years. Old-fashioned family games like Monopoly last hours and aren’t much fun. Many modern games take 10-15 minutes to play and offer lots of fun interaction along the way, with lots of people engaged in the process.