Family

Rainy-day games for families

In the rainy season a sudden downpour can cancel a trip to the beach in minutes. A deck of cards and a few games save the afternoon.

For young children

• Snap and other matching games, for children who can recognise numbers.
• Go Fish, which teaches asking and counting.
• Memory, with all cards face down and pairs turned over two at a time.

For older children

Crazy Eights works well with mixed ages. For children of about nine and older, Durak is worth learning: rounds are short, it uses a 36-card deck, and the person left holding cards at the end is the fool, which children tend to enjoy. The rules fit on one page.

Board games

Snakes and ladders, Connect Four and chess all travel well. Many families keep a box of games in the car for waits at the airport or the clinic.

Mixing languages

Card games work across languages. If your children are learning Thai, try counting and naming the cards in Thai while you play.