Four is when cards start to click. Most four year olds can match pictures, tell which number is bigger up to about six, and wait for a turn if it comes around fast. These games keep it that simple, and most use a deck you already have.
Got a five year old? Card games for 5 year olds → No deck? Play one right now on this phone: Pipsqueaks, free, no account →Any cards with pairs
Lay the cards face down in rows. Flip two. A match, you keep them and go again. No match, flip them back where they were.
At four: Start with six pairs in two tidy rows. Use the kings, queens and jacks: pictures are easier to remember than numbers.
A standard deck
Take turns flipping a card onto one pile in the middle. When a card matches the one under it, the first to shout “Snap!” and slap the pile takes it all.
At four: Match on color, red or black, instead of number. It happens every few cards, so nobody waits long for the loud part.
A standard deck
Deal five each and put the rest in a pile. Ask for a card you have (“Do you have a three?”). If they do, they hand it over. If not, you go fish.
At four: Collect pairs, not sets of four, and play with both hands face up so you can point to what to ask for.
A standard deck, pictures taken out
Split the deck. Both flip a card. Higher card takes both. A tie means both flip again.
At four: Play with just the ones to sixes. Every flip is then a number they can count on their fingers. Stop at ten flips.
A standard deck
Deal out the deck. Take turns flipping a card onto the middle. When a jack shows up, first hand on it takes the pile.
At four: Good for a kid who can't sit still. The jacks are pictures, so they're easy to spot. Grown-ups slap with the wrong hand.
A standard deck with three queens taken out
Deal everything. Put down pairs. Take turns pulling a card from the next player's hand. Whoever is left holding the lone queen is the Old Maid.
At four: A picture Old Maid deck is easier than a regular one. The fun is the pulling, so let them fan their cards and watch your face.
Ages 3+ on the box
UNO with animal pictures and fewer rules: match the color or the animal. The best first “real” card game at four.
See it on the maker's siteAges 4+ on the box
Every pair of cards shares one animal. Spot it and say it first. Four year olds are often faster than you.
See it on the maker's siteAny toy aisle
Animal or character pairs instead of numbers, so they can play without knowing the deck.
For small hands
Holding five cards is the hardest part of card games at four. A cheap holder, or an upside-down egg carton, fixes it.
Some nights you want the phone out of the room. So Pipsqueaks also comes as a deck you print at home, made for your kid: the buddy they pick on the box, their name on every card back, and a binder page with the cards they've found. Same critters and rules as the phone game: 60 cards in four decks, 3 helper cards, a picture rules page your four year old can follow and one page of rules for you. Games take about ten minutes.
Made by a dad who plays cards with his kids. Play Pipsqueaks