With younger children, it is better to be flexible about the rules---sometimes you have to show them the card you want, for example. They will enjoy it more if it is just for fun and not too much emphasis is placed on winning. My young granddaughter, when I told her we were tied since we had the same number of books (matches), said “Grandma, we’re bundled together” and seemed to want us to have the same number of books!
Of course, when they have learned their numbers, then you can graduate to a regular deck to play “Go Fish”, “Crazy Eights,” “Matching” or “Concentration”. Playing cards helps reinforce numbers they are learning and helps them learn about following rules, and that playing can be fun even if they don’t win.
