Playing cards with the family is a great way to spend some quality time together and to create some meaningful memories. However, sometimes it can get a bit repetitive and it is important to spice things up to make sure everyone is still having fun.
Here are 4 ways to have a blast while playing cards with your family.
1. Create Your Own Custom Card Sleeves
Whether your family plays Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Hearthstone, customized card sleeves will set players apart from their competitors. Protecting your cards as a player is a number one priority and if you make your own custom card sleeves this will mark the difference between a standard player and a serious fighter. Not only do custom card sleeves add a bit of excitement to your family game nights, but they are also incredibly practical as it protects your rare cards while playing with them.
Over time scratches, worn edges, bends, and folds are inevitable but card sleeves will preserve them and keep them collectible and readable. What’s more, your family won’t have to worry about cards getting mixed up in play because you will all have your own personalized card sleeves.
2. Incorporate Prizes
Another way to amp up the fun while playing card games with the family is to use prizes as a way of incentivizing play. This adds a fun and friendly competitive element that will be sure to keep things interesting. Depending on how often you play, you can switch between having smaller prizes and then once a month a big prize. The prizes could be anything and if you are looking for something special then the big prize could be a rare card from the games that you play.
Rarer cards can be quite expensive but it is possible to find reasonably priced cards that are still worth fighting for. Other prizes can also be standard cards, card sleeves, or any other merchandise related to the games you play. One way to ensure that your kids do not only have an interest in winning the bigger prizes is to not reveal what the prize is before playing. That way they will give it their all every time. Also, the mystery of the prize will add to the fun of the game.
3. Get Into Character
You can take your game nights with your family to the next level by incorporating role play and getting into the characters of the game. Each player can attend the game dressed as a character of their choice and can take on that character’s persona for the evening. This can make the game nights a lot more fun and it gives your family a chance to express their creative freedoms. Encouraging this from an early age is important for children’s cognitive development and mental health.
If you are concerned this might be a bit of an expensive affair just to play cards, then worry not, as dressing up as a character can be done as minimally or extensively as you like. For example, if you or anyone in your family wanted to dress up as Ash Ketchum from Pokemon, you do not have to go full cosplay and find all the exact items he wears. Instead, you could wear a red cap, which is one of his defining clothing items. It is less about how good the dress-up is, and more about the process of doing it and getting into the characters your family loves and admires.
4. Team Up
Another way to add some more fun to the family games night is to create teams amongst you. So, if you are a family of four, then you could have kids vs parents, boys vs girls, or any other kind of formation you want. This creates a competitive atmosphere, which will engage players more than usual. What’s more, it will also teach your children the importance of teamwork, communication, and tactical decision-making. Even if your children are in their teens, they can learn a lot from playing on a team. It is a great way to switch up the usual gameplay and it also gives a chance for your family to bond in a different way to usual. Make sure to switch the teams up from time to time so that it does not get boring or repetitive.
Whether you go for one of these options or all four, they are all great ways to make sure that you and your family are having a blast while playing cards together.
