*This post is written in partnership with Laurence King Publishing. I received free product to facilitate my post. Opinions are 100% my own. Post contains affiliate links. 

My kids are officially on summer break, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. While I love working with the kids during the school year, the unhurried pace of summer is always a welcome change.

My kids are all at an age where they pretty much play independently. They head outside or up to their rooms after breakfast and I may not hear from them again until lunch. As a parent, I love finding activities that help keep me connected to my kids. Games are something all four of my kids (ranging in age from 6-12) really enjoy.

My kids have grown up playing a lot of board games, but card games are something fairly new to them – and something we’ve all enjoyed playing together.

I am LOVING the new card games we just got. They are simple, engaging, and fun for everyone in the family. (And really, you can’t say that about very many games!)



Superhero Snap plays just like standard Snap. Players alternate placing cards on the table. When you see a match, hit the pile and yell “Snap!” before your opponent. If your kids are crazy for superheroes (like mine are), they will love the fun heroes and villains pictured in the deck. My 6 year old beats me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. and I’m totally okay with that.

While Superhero Snap is a simple game that younger children can play, my two older kids couldn’t stop laughing as they played together. It was awesome.

 

Top Score Games were completely new to me – but we are really loving them. We got to check out Once Upon a Time: A Fairy-Tale Top Score Game and Monsters! A Scary Top Score Game.

In each game, the cards are dealt evenly amongst the players. Each deck features fun characters with a bit of their backstory (all hilariously written and chock-full of fun details!) Each card shows the character’s score in five different areas. A player calls out a score for one of the categories, and the person with the highest-scoring character for that category, takes all the cards. Again, simple to play, engaging, and something every reader in the family can play. #Awesome

We’ve been having a blast with our new card games. I am loving having games that engage my first grader AND my seventh grader at the same time. I’m also loving the versatility of a small and portable game! Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

  • Homeschooling (Ours will be in our basket of card games to be used for choice time/”I’m Finished Early” time)
  • Camping trips! Card games are a great way to bring a few games with you on your trip without taking up precious packing space!
  • Family Game Night! 
  • Outside Play! We love being outside in the summer – but the thought of hauling a board game (and the pieces, play money, spinners, etc.) outside sounds rough. A card game is super portable. (My kids have even played out on the trampoline!)

Happy gaming everyone!