Card Games for Teachers

Explore printable card games for the elementary school classroom plus teaching resources created by teachers to use with a simple set of deck of cards!

This extensive collection of elementary resources covers a multitude of topics and subjects, from phonemes and parts of speech in ELA to place value and subtraction in math ... and so much more! Best of all, each curriculum-aligned card game has undergone our teacher team's careful review and selection process to ensure each one is ready for your lesson plans and your classrooms!

Dive in to print your own:

• Memory games
• Headbands games
• Snap! cards
• Flip It! cards
• Kaboom games
• And more!

Using Playing Cards in the Classroom

Don't worry. We didn't stop there. Our teacher team has added extra inspiration for using card games in your classroom!

Here are just a few fun games you can add to your learning centers, pull out for indoor recess and more.

Make 10 Pyramid Card Game

Are you working on making 10 in math class? This simple playing cards activity can be an individual task for one student or played in small groups (by keeping score after each round).

The goal is to remove as many cards as possible from the pyramid that add up to 10.

How to play

1. Remove all face cards from your deck except the ace (this will represent the number one).
2. Create a pyramid shape with 6 rows of cards. Each row should slightly overlap the previous row.
3. The remaining cards become the draw pile.
4. The game's object is to remove cards that "make 10." Students can remove one card (if it's a 10) or remove two cards that add up to 10.
5. Akin to Solitaire, the cards that are removed must be on the bottom row – completely uncovered. Therefore, at the start of the game, you can only remove cards that are in the very bottom row, and you work your way up.
6. The cards that add up to 10 are placed in a discard pile off to the side.
7. If a player can not make 10 with any of the uncovered cards in the pyramid, they need to draw a card from the draw pile and can use this card to "make 10." If they still can't make 10, they continue to draw until they can make 10.
8. If the draw pile runs out, a player can shuffle the discard pile and draw from there.
9. The game ends when a player can no longer remove cards from the pyramid.
10. If playing against each other, the player's score is the total of all the cards left in their pyramid. The person with the smallest number wins that round.

Remember The Word Card Game

Memory matching games are believed to date all the way back to the 16th century, and there's a good reason they're still being used in classrooms today! Not only do these games give us

Did you know memory can be adapted to help students flex their vocabulary muscles? Pair words with pictures, match sets of synonyms or have students match the homophone with the correct photo.

Don't have time to create the matching sets? Don't worry! Peruse this collection, and you'll find:

• A fun basketball-themed vocabulary memory card game perfect for playing in March when we're all mad for b-ball
• Antonyms and synonyms memory card games to help students build their understanding of opposites and words that mean the same thing
• Picture-word games for primary grade students
• And more!

Number Sentence Card Game

Work on number sentences with playing cards for a fun visual and hands-on math game! The goal of this game is to create number sentences when provided with two numbers.

Supplies

• Blank whiteboard
• Whiteboard marker
• Whiteboard eraser
• 1 pack of cards

How to play

1. Remove all of the face cards from the deck, and place the pack of cards face down.
2. Students select two cards.
3. Students then create a correct number sentence using the two cards they have picked.
4. They write the additional number and symbols on their whiteboard.
5. To create an element of fun, time the students. See who can create their number sentence the fastest.

Addition or Subtraction War

Have your students practice their fast recall with a math twist on the classic war game.

Supplies

• 1 pack of cards
• 1 die

How to play

1. Take the face cards out of your deck except for the ace (this will be number 1).
2. Shuffle the cards and deal evenly among the players.
3. One player throws the die.
4. Each player then flips up one card from their pile of cards.
5. If playing addition battle, each player adds the number of their card with the number rolled on the dice. The highest total wins the cards that have been flipped over.
6. If playing subtraction battle, the lowest value wins.
7. The player that is left with cards wins!

20 Questions Headband Activity

Kids love this! Create a hat with a space that will fit a card — a strip of cardstock with a rectangular square glued to the front works well. You will need a blob of mounting putty so that the card can easily be changed.

The goal of this game is for kids to figure out what is on their card in less than 20 questions. Classmates can only answer "yes" or "no" to the questions.

You can use a set of playing cards or extend the activity into any topic with Teach Starter's pre-made cards. Check out the collection for printables and ideas!