Five is a great age for cards. They can match, count to ten and take turns, and they love beating a grown-up. These are the easy ones, most with a regular deck you already have.
A standard deck
Deal five cards each and put the rest face down in a pile. Ask for a number you hold ("Do you have any sevens?"). If they do, they hand them over. If not, you draw. Put down every set of four. Most sets wins.
At five: The asking is the fun part at five. Let them hold a smaller hand of three and play with cards face up at first.
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.
At five: Five year olds often beat grown-ups at this one. Start with 8 pairs, not the whole deck.
A standard deck
Split the deck. Both flip a card. Higher card takes both. A tie means war: three down, one up, winner takes the pile.
At five: No choices to make, so it's good for learning which numbers are bigger. Stop at ten flips or it can go on forever.
A standard deck
Deal five each and flip one card up. Play a card that matches its number or suit. An eight can go on anything and you pick the new suit. First out of cards wins.
At five: This is UNO's grandparent. Say the rule out loud each turn: same number or same shape.
A standard deck
Deal the whole deck. Take turns flipping a card onto the middle pile. When a jack shows up, first hand on it takes the pile.
At five: Loud and fast. Good for a kid who's tired of sitting still. Grown-ups play with one hand behind their back.
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 ends with the lone queen is the Old Maid.
At five: Easy to learn and a good first game about keeping a straight face.
Ages 3+ on the box
The simple version of UNO, with animal cards and fewer rules. A good bridge to the real deck.
See it on the maker's siteAges 4+ on the box
Every pair of cards shares exactly one animal. Be the first to spot it and call it out. Short, fast and kids get good fast.
See it on the maker's siteAges 6+ on the box
A little memory and a little math: keep your hand's total low, and peek at cards you can't see. At five, play it together with hands face up.
See it on the maker's siteFor small hands
Holding five cards is the hardest part of card games at this age. A cheap card holder fixes it.
Ages are what each box lists. Nobody pays to be on this page.
Made by a dad who plays cards with his five year old. Play Pipsqueaks